Industry Insights: Animation by Nathaniel

I work as a freelance Artist, Designer and Animator, I’m currently at Karrot working as an animation mentee.

Since the age of ten I aspired to work in animation and finally I’ve managed to achieve that but the journey to get here wasn’t so simple.

In 2022 I was finishing studying Animation, and with that came the question of what’s next? My college insisted I apply for university and so I applied.

I did get offers from a few universities but, I would ultimately turn those offers down to try a different and more uncertain path.

When I finished College, I signed up for Universal Credit, and starting in August I would head to the Job Centre seeking guidance for job searching.

They helped me write my first CV, prep for interviews and would introduce me to a few training providers that I would go on to do training with.

The first training programme I did was with Catch22 on their TikTok Academy programme. After completing the programme, I knew I should continue training as it would help me stay sharp and add to my career experience.

Going forward I would go on to do training with the Prince’s Trust (Now the King’s Trust) for animation and product design, The Social Switch Project for digital marketing, Iconic Steps for Camera Operating, and All Spring Media for Art Department.

In 2024 the training I took part in would eventually pay off when it led to me landing my first job in animation.

All Spring Media and Sky referred me for an animation mentoring programme for a new show for Sky, I couldn’t miss an opportunity like this, so I responded as soon as I could and not too long after that I was working for Karrot.

Whilst at Karrot I’ve been making my own short animated film and assisting on the Ten Little production. I also recently did some work experience over at Blinkink thanks to Iconic Steps.

Reflecting on my journey into the animation industry, here’s the advice I would give to those trying to break into it.

To start I’d recommend networking, it’s important to stay social and build your network of fellow creatives to work with. You never know someone you meet briefly could become a close friend in the end.

If you’re especially looking to get into animation, you should go to Festivus, it’s free, has events all over the country and is a great place to meet people from that industry.

Stay sharp, the creative industries are always changing with new trends coming into vogue and emerging technologies advancing the creative process.

Make sure to stay up to date to what’s being made, watch the behind-the-scenes videos, breakdowns and tutorials, take part in training programmes and, make a habit to also practice in your own time.

Portfolios are key, for most roles a CV is your way to introduce yourself to recruiters but for creative or design roles a portfolio tells a lot more about you.

Don’t include every piece you’ve ever made, include only your strongest work, and the work you’d like to do. If you like painting backgrounds include mostly background work in your portfolio.

You’ve got to remain resilient, this industry has no straight clear path into it and you may feel like at times you’ve made little to no progress, but don’t let that discourage you from achieving your goal.

There’re still many paths to try so change your approach and keep that positive energy going.

I hope what I’ve shared will help other aspiring creatives with their journey into this industry.

By Nathaniel Charalambous