DreamWorks Animation

DreamWorks Animation is actively hiring for many TV and film projects in development and production at the studio.

Available Positions: Story, Art, Previs/Rough

Layout, Storyboarding, CG (Animation, Effects, Character TD, Crowds, Lighting, Riggers) and Production

Best Approach: Please apply for open positions or express interest for future positions at DreamWorksAnimation.com.

Helpful Tips: Present your latest released work and tailor your submissions to suit the job you are applying for by reviewing the job description. In all our disciplines, we are looking for a balance of your strong unique artists’ point of view and your ability to adapt to the different art directions and story needs of our varied DreamWorks projects. Show us work that demonstrates your innovative ideas, solid fine art foundations, technical ability, storytelling, acting, history and passion. Also, check out our #CareerTipsTuesday at facebook. com/DreamWorksCareers.

Skill Sets: More than being an expert with one software program or technique, we are looking for artists and production people who love collaboration, contributing to a variety of styles needed for art and storytelling, problem solving and a sense of fun. You can learn to use the newest tool set if you have a well-developed eye and a taste for creating the unknown.

Biggest No-No:

Forgetting to provide the password to your reel or portfolio!

Imagine getting a birthday card from someone who only signed their name to the bottom. We all get these on occasion from people who have maybe sold us life insurance in the past. They are easily disregarded; open-read-toss. Now, imagine a card where along with the typical corny prose included in birthday cards that person added their own personal note. Something you both shared, an experience, etc. It’s harder to toss that second card because the person invested their time beyond just signing their name. It’s the same with candidates reaching out to studios.

If in their email or PM via social media they offer a thought like, “Hey there, I loved what you guys did on the XYZ episode of the 123 Show. So cool! I think the work I do could add a certain something-something to that show, can you please take a look?” it elevates them from those who just send a CV or a link. It’s all about branding and investment. How are they different from other candidates? What can they add to the mix that we may be missing — be it a unique style, a unique story? We are thirsty for new voices to come in and expand our points of view; be that via art, storytelling or elsewhere in the production pipeline.

Helpful This is going to sound as worn out as an old doormat, but it is still true: best images first and best work only! Some artists think that quantity of work trumps quality. That’s rarely the case. We’d rather see fewer well-executed images than many that fall into the so-so category. By displaying so-so work, the candidate is telling the recruiter, “I don’t know the difference between the good stuff and the stuff that needs more work.” That’s not the message a candidate wants to convey.

As the expression goes, “Kill your darlings!” A candidate should be severe in curating their portfolio, only their best work! It might be wise to ask a peer artist or a trusted professor to help in this culling/selection process as they can offer a more impartial opinion.

Biggest No-Nos: Every recruiter has a story about No-Nos. One recruiter on our team shares that at an animation conference, a candidate followed her into the bathroom to strike up a conversation. Others will share tales of candidates that reach out on a weekly basis to ask for an update on their status. We as a recruiting community need to do better about communicating back with candidates, far too often the norm is that a candidate will apply and after getting an automatic “Thank you for your interest” email they receive no further correspondence. This ghosting must be frustrating and it’s something we should address.

It’s welcomed to check in once a month or so, better still when the candidate has new work that they want to share, but checking in repeatedly without new work just feels awkward.

Candidates need to know that the feeling of helping a candidate find the right role for them, one that we know they’ll crush, is why we do this.

That matchmaking takes time, or it takes no time at all; sometimes it’s like magic, but most times it’s like that machine they use when you are getting new glasses (You know the one, A or B? B or C?) with the recruiter showing various candidate’s work to the teams and looking for the one that best aligns the talent of the candidate with the needs of the show. Trust me, if the production sees how that candidate addresses that need, the recruiter will jump to connect!

Netflix is in an exciting position to have an unprecedented number of shows in production across features, kids & family series, preschool series and adult series. We are actively working on projects in development, pre-production and production.

As we continue to grow as a studio we are always looking to connect with the amazing talent in the industry. We will be looking to hire artists not only this summer but throughout the year in the front-end production areas like storyboard artists, storyboard revisionist, visual development artists, character designers and production management.

Skill Sets: Each position will have a job description outlining the specific needs but overall we look for amazing artists that are passionate and looking to help shape the new wave of animation! We look for creativity and imagination, storytelling sensibilities, communication and collaboration, and the ability to innovate!

Jana Day, Executive Director, Recruiting tantly, can also color outside of them. Someone with a sense of unique appeal, highly creative and unusual. We like team players that take direction well but are also easily adaptable and can turn their artistic direction on a dime. Biggest No-Nos: Be prepared. Research the studio to which you are applying to and become familiar with the projects. It’s frustrating when we receive a generic cover letter or email addressed to another studio. Review and edit: Have someone take a quick look at your work before you hit send. Edit out any work that may not be as successful. It’s always better to leave us wanting more than asking questions about why you left an image in.

Make sure that recruiters can access all of the artwork in your portfolio. If you have any of your work password protected, make sure recruiters have access to the password, prior to any reviews happening. in a team and enjoy the process of collaborating. For the D&D first edition nerds like me, here are the necessary stats to get a job with us: Strength 3 Intelligence 15 Wisdom 10 Dexterity 5 Constitution 3 Charisma 5 Biggest No-Nos: With online submissions, people have a tendency to send work as-is without really thinking about the job they’re applying for or who’s reviewing it. There’s also a trend in applying to all open positions at the same time, using the same materials. We see a lot of people applying for character design, BG design, production assistant, director, line producer — all at the same time. We love hiring people who are multifaceted, but we want artists to keep in mind that these are different positions and require different types of portfolios, applications and resumes. Each time you apply, make sure to update your portfolio and highlight new/key skills.