Despite a wide range of mediums for an animator's work to be of value for film, television, advertising, industrial, new media, still an easy field to get one's talent lost in. Turning to the internet for exposure, many animators not only have their own web sites, but have also have built and joined online communities, forums, and message boards.
Places like Youtube, Vimeo, and Aniboom, have become havens for animators, setting up free communities to display work and gain exposure within the peer and corporate crowds.
These sites often sponsor competitions, sometimes partnering with larger corporate entities to give animators a shot at development deals and corporate showcases. Aniboom, whose main goal is to create a "virtual studio" - a worldwide network of animators all working on the same projects - uses competitions with corporations like FOX, The History Channel, and Marvel Entertainment, to find and recruit new talent.
The competitions also create incentives for animators to use and constantly check their site. The website Genius Rocket has no community, but rather is solely based on competitions, which offer prizes that usually match the salary for a standard commissioned work. These animation competitions almost seem more like worldwide pitch meetings, than contests, with the winner being paid and credited professionally.
The History Channel agrees, citing how competitions like the one they are running with Aniboom, give animators their opportunity to rise from anonymity to spread a message to a wider audience, and for corporations to find comparatively cheap but nonetheless top-of-the-line talent. "We are pleased to work with Aniboom and the large number of animators and designers who participate in their online community," said Chris Moseley, SVP, Marketing, History. By teaming up with established websites and web communities targeted at animators, corporations essentially receive a potentially infinite number pitches and a global range of ideas.
In turn, animators have a shot at recognition and substantial, commission-level payments.
As more and more studios and firms look for professional artists online, competitions - which traditionally amass more submissions than other kinds of recruitment initiatives - will become more available to eager talent trying to break in. And as has been illustrated throughout centuries of starving artists, there is rarely ever a shortage of talent.
Aniboom, (www.Aniboom.com) the virtual animation studio partners with untapped talent around the world to create, produce and distribute high quality animation brands. Aniboom leverages the web to identify the best talent, for T.V, Digital Gaming, Web and Mobile Content industries worldwide. Aniboom is based in Israel with its U.S. offices in San Francisco and New York.
Tags: work, culture, youtube, competition, opportunity, web, art, society, exposure, animation, competitions, aniboom, animators