I recently had a long conversation with a Black animator currently working in Canada’s animation industry. He didn’t come from a traditional art school pipeline, didn’t have early industry access, and grew up in an environment where animation wasn’t presented as a realistic career path.
We talked about things that don’t get discussed enough:
- what actually helped him break in
- skills vs. networking vs. timing
- relocating internationally for animation work
- mental health and sustainability in creative careers
- what he wishes he focused on earlier as an animator
I’m sharing this here because a lot of animation advice online skews very traditional, and I think hearing varied paths into the industry is genuinely useful, especially for animators who don’t see themselves reflected in the usual narratives.
For working animators and students here:
- What ended up mattering most when you broke in?
- If you relocated (or considered it), what pushed you to do it?
- What advice would you give your younger self starting out?
(If anyone’s interested, I can also share the full conversation ,but mainly curious to hear perspectives from this community.)
Full conversation here (YouTube) https://youtu.be/dIE7hgywJkE?si=V_G0t2RJjBAmzDj5
Thank you for sharing. I wonder if there were parallels in his journey similar to YouTube AnimHustle?
thanks for checking out the story, I wouldn't doubt the parallel journey