The scariest part of graduation will be job-hunting. There are a few studios I would love to work at, mainly those with London offices. I wish to work here if I can, either hybrid or in studio, since I have a long-term partner and family here.

Blink-Ink primarily creates idents, adverts and short films. Some of their partnerships include Nike, the Paralympics coverage, BBC, Disney+ and music artists like Elton John and Ashnikko. Golden Wolf is a newer and similar company to Blink-Ink. They have offices in both London and New York, pairing with Disney, Riot Games, etc. I would love to work for either of these the most, as they produce a large amount of short-form work, so they have more scope to experiment with styles, create visually stunning work and plenty of diversity of themes. My brain being the ADHD-raddled thing it is, I feel I could thrive in such an environment. I am quite adaptive, and love trying out new styles of animation- I think my final film is a testament to this.

However, I really think I need to actually expand my portfolio more before I will likely get any success applying to such studios. Therefore I need to rely upon something else to get a job-networking. There’s a very “American Psycho” twinge to networking in animation, where it feels like every conversation is somehow all a means to an end. I want to be genuine. If there are animators who are friendly and I admire, of course I will be eager to speak to them. I want to work with people I get on with, and who genuinely like me too, not a version of myself I put forward to network. I believe I am lovable as myself, and pleasant to work with. I want to work more on self-confidence and shyness, not just for the sake of jobs, but because in an industry like this it’s helpful to have friends, especially if you’re freelance. I am lucky to have made so many life-long friends on my course for this reason.