I’ve been looking into studios that hire full-time juniors, as this is my primary goal. I’d love to be an animator working my way up to 2D lead, and using my TV series pitch ideas as passion projects. I’ve begun to make speculative applications to the studios whose work I most want to do myself, but realistically, I should be throwing whatever at the wall and seeing what sticks. I’m eager to get my foot in the door, no matter what.

I’ve continued attending networking events (WIA, She Drew That, Festivus, Oh Studio, and UAL’s graduation fair), and Alice C and I will go to Festivus again on the 11th, where we should see some familiar faces. Outside of traditional studio/commercial roles, I’m also attending ‘Drawn Alive’ on the 13th, an indie animators’ collective started by my friends from my BA. They’re developing a couple of TV show pitches, and I could jump on board voluntarily to get my name out there. There’s a whole world of indie animation on YouTube, and I’ve been offered work from a couple of channels. 

I will also go to Annecy this summer for the first time, which is honestly a little daunting but a great opportunity to meet new people. Having looked into how the festival is run, I’m worried about how I can make the most of the screenings whilst balancing MIFA and networking. After speaking with friends and other animators, this feeling of FOMO is intrinsic to the Annecy experience, as there’s just too much to do. I’ve felt similar when I’ve been to InMotion in the past; I’ve made a little schedule of must-dos at Annecy, and anything else is a bonus.

I’ve also volunteered as a host over two days at Playgrounds InMotion in September. This will be my third time at the Barbican, and I’ve always left inspired. I’m hoping that attending these events will rejuvenate my creativity after a little post-graduation film burnout. Also, I’m really looking forward to learning a little more about how a festival is run, a peek behind the curtain. 

Additionally, over the past few weeks, I’ve been searching LinkedIn, Instagram, and the spreadsheet, looking for graduate, junior, and internship opportunities. I’ve applied to Seed (speculative application), the internships at Blue Zoo, and to the animation assistant role at Studio AKA. I’ve been eager to work for AKA for many years now. I’m a huge fan of their director Manddy Wyckens, and have been following her art style for a while now. I was super eager to apply, even though I knew I wasn’t a perfect fit, having little experience in Animate. But I thought that I had nothing to lose from applying and everything to gain. Although these applications were unsuccessful, they’ve helped me identify gaps in my showreel and what roles the industry is actively seeking at the moment.