5 top tips for young animators

If you're a young animator it can be hard to know what you should do in order to secure your first real studio job. Here, Milo Targett and Lana Simanenkova from animation studio Animade, who work at the cross-section of design and animation, share their biggest challenges and offer their best advice to junior creatives.

01. Spend time on your showreel

"Have a really nice showreel showing off your skills and the kind of animation you want to do," advises Lana Simanenkova. "It's always good to be an all-rounder, but it's also nice to see that someone specialises in a certain type of animation, so that you can say: 'Yes, I will go with this certain person because I want that type of animation, right now.'"

02. Identify what you're good at

"Don't worry too much about exactly about what you need to be doing, but have at least one or two skills that you know are strong," recommends Milo Targett. "You can have interests in many things, and become good at other things, but to know that you're good at something is a strong start."

03. Learn to talk to clients

"The biggest challenge I've faced since joining Animade is talking to clients," says Simanenkova. "I'm not a native English speaker so it was daunting to explain things to clients. But it comes with experience."

04. Be confident

"Be confident in what you're saying, and remember that clients don't necessarily know a lot of the terms you're talking about," says Targett. "If they seem confused, it's because they're trying to understand – so just be very clear with them. Be confident that you know what you're talking about because you've been trained to do this."

05. Build up your studio experience

"Being able to manage my time better is something I've learned since joining Animade," says Targett. "It's something I should have known before I started in the industry, but being in a studio environment – and not a freelancer – has really taught me how to get things done."

Want more? Check out our video interview with Milo Targett and Lana Simanenkova's below:

See our full set of interviews with the team from Animade.

This article originally appeared in issue 262 Computer Arts, the global design magazine – helping you solve daily design challenges with insights, advice and inspiration. Subscribe to Computer Arts magazine here.

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