Future-Proof Your Career In Animation With Toon Boom

There has been a massive demand for original animation content in recent years, largely fuelled by the popularity and proliferation of subscription video-on-demand streaming services like Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix.

In fact, according to the Global Animation Industry 2017: Strategies Trends & Opportunities report, the industry was worth $244 billion in 2015 and that number has doubtlessly skyrocketed since. In turn, this surge has also led to an explosion in animation jobs, creating openings at all levels of production and studios hungry for top talent — especially animators who have optimized their skillsets through specialization.

But how exactly does one specialize?

Montreal-based 2D animation software innovator Toon Boom, a long-standing leader in the industry, is launching a new initiative to help animators of all levels discover the process of skills specialization through a series of free Animation Career Camps. The events will be geared towards recent graduates and industry professionals, including freelancers, with the inaugural edition to be held in Toronto, Canada, this November.

Toon Boom Animation Career Camps are designed to help attendees learn about the specific animation abilities that are most needed at contemporary studios today and provide them with the knowledge and future-proofed skills to be hireable tomorrow. Toon Boom’s goal is to show participants what it takes to succeed in specific animation roles, across rigging, compositing, cut-out character design, and more.

“Specialization has become essential to an optimized pipeline, Harmony or otherwise,” says Jefferson Allen of Mercury Filmworks. “That in-depth knowledge can make all the difference when pushing the technology and artistic goals of the shows Mercury Filmworks works on.”

Through training sessions and labs, Toon Boom will offer expertise and guidance on how to develop specialized skills. It will also impart best practices to optimize learning towards specialization, backed-up by its jam-packed FREE online Learn Portal resource.

Attendees will also see the depth of specialization and how far it can take their careers through hands-on training of Harmony software in small group settings. Additionally, there will be keynote speakers, including local industry leaders and studio professionals talking about real-life production challenges and experiences.

Toon Boom, along with the pros from the local scene, will take attendees through the steps, strategies, and skills necessary to succeed in the rapidly evolving animation industry through the lens of the specific specializations that are in highest demand.

The benefits of attending Toon Boom Animation Career Camps

“In our work with leading studios, Toon Boom has become an expert in what they need to build and optimize their pipelines,” says Francois Lalonde, VP of Sales and Marketing at Toon Boom. “By empowering animators with future-proofed skills, the Animation Career Camps are a way for us to bridge the gap between those seeking talent and those who have it — for years to come.”

Toon Boom’s Animation Career Camps are not only a chance to develop a better understanding of the industry, but provide a unique networking opportunity where animators can meet their peers and studios, make meaningful connections, build new friendships, and find mentors.

Those interested in attending should be professional animators (think: recent grads, studio pros, freelancers) motivated to future-proof their skillsets through specialization, and who will continue their training via Toon Boom’s online resources and ultimately pursue certification.

To learn more, visit the Toon Boom Animation Career Camp page and REGISTER TODAY.

Who is Toon Boom?

Toon Boom’s industry-leading 2D animation software has won two Emmys and is at the core of many household-name productions, from The Simpsons and Winnie the Pooh to Bob’s Burgers and Rick and Morty. Its flagship programs, Harmony and Storyboard Pro, are considered the gold standard.

As the market has grown increasingly global and digital, Toon Boom has worked with and helped develop some of the world’s top studios, schools and local industries from the ground up. It has played an important role in the innovation of animation technology and best practices everywhere, and has positioned itself as an essential partner with studios at every step of the pipeline and production process.

Depth is what separates it from the rest; Toon Boom has both a deep understanding of animation production and deep connections in the industry, from major to vendor studios.