David Townsend- Head of Business Development / Executive Producer at Axis Studios “Before you start to climb the ladder make sure its leaning against the right wall” make sure you are passionate about what area you choose. your first job may not be your dream job but it opens up new opportunities, and your passion to develop will be most beneficial. If you can manage it don’t be afraid of working for free, just don’t sell yourself short. maybe consider the production route as an entry into the industry. Plan! Build a spreadsheet and collate info of job findings/ of places to apply with info of contact/ location, to be organised and update your progress. Apply to loads of companies, list out all of the jobs, shortlist the prospects and submit the application Follow them/ add interested on Linked-in and stay on their radar, and re-apply when you’ve developed your showreel. Sometimes when you apply to jobs you may be offered a similar job that they might believe to suit you.
In the shoes of the recruiter (axis): Overseeing around 150 current employees
Around 10 interviews a week looks at around 30 showreels/ CV’s a day (2 hours a day), the first 10 seconds need to be visually interesting otherwise it will most likely be skipped
Then Showreel
don’t have a slow title sequence Amazing editing- the editing has to be just as good as your work, make sure to get a second opinion 60 second to 2 minute max Use as much of your best work (trim clips to edit nicely + to fit in time) Modelling artist mush show neat topology Make sure it’s energetic and Engaging- Quick cuts
Reaching out to the studios Don’t deviate too much- don’t just email as it will just get lost in the ocean of emails. contact/ apply through the company site
Have a level of disruption when applying to make yourself stand out, but don’t go overboard as it can discredit you Include Brief cover letter, and combine it with CV- make it unique to the studio you are applying to show you are actually interested in working for this specific company. consider dual skills/ generalists; E.g. Storyboard artist with compositing skills this specific position would allow you to work on the storyboard at the start and do the compositing work at the end of the project
Add your photo on your CV so you can be memorable, and make sure it has a nice layout, you are an artist… Just because you’re not immediately employed, you may still be on record so they may get back to you when a future job opens up.
The interview Before; role play the questions Dress well, show you respect the place Don’t let your nerves hold you back, enter the room with energy Never foul mouth previous employers feature/ benefits; what have you done how was it beneficial? Keep it relative towards the interview Ask Questions! Show an interest, politely ask about what the next steps would be? when asked tough questions; ‘I don’t know about that, but I do know…’
When talking about yourself use the 3 f’s ‘Feel/Felt/Found’ in conversation Send a thank you email later that day after the interview to show your eager interest and keep in touch.
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