Mat Ree s

So, you want to work at Aardman? Read this first…

How does a candidate get their foot in the door?

It’s always about your portfolio and demo reel. You could have been to the best school in the world, but if your portfolio doesn’t stand out, you’re not going to get a job. We have people who never went to university. They’re self-taught. But their work was good enough to get them in the door.

What should an applicant do if they don’t get in?

We’ve had people apply for a job and not get in, then reapply the following year and their reel is more or less the same. In that time, you could’ve done so many more shots and improved. So when you send off your show reel, don’t just wait for a response. Keep animating stuff. Keep developing your skills so you’re always improving.

Once they get the job, how do make a success of it?

Have the right attitude. If no one wants to work with you – regardless of how good you are at what you do – word is going to get out and no one’s going to want you in their team. We’ve had people who are really good, but you don’t want them back in the building, because their attitude’s no good.

How do you get your job?

When I joined Aardman, it was a three-month contract. I saw it as a chance to make myself indispensable. And it paid off. You have to go in with that attitude. You have to be out to impress with everything you do. Every piece of animation, I made it as good as I possibly could. Impress the crap out of the people around you!