My advice is to follow a passion career. It’s really important that people have jobs that are purpose-led and purposeful because that’s when we drive the most satisfaction out of what we do. The terrific thing about animation is we’ve been able to create a business out of a passion-driven creative pursuit and I think the audience really appreciates that.

Have a very broad perspective of your skills and don’t be too specialised. Now is a great time to pivot and broaden your skill set. With new technologies emerging and pressure on budgets I think there is going to be quite a bit of disruption at studios globally, so being a generalist, being passionate, being driven, caring about what it is you’re making - those are the things that will help you succeed.

My number one piece of advice is to network. I still do a lot of networking with the VFX Society and social catchups. It’s really good to get to events and talk about what you do.

When I’m hiring Juniors, I’m looking for someone who is looking to learn. I’m not expecting you to have all the skills but I want you to learn on the job, improve over time and show that you have a hunger to improve.

The trait that I had to work on in general to be in this industry is communication its very easy to lock yourself in a box as an artist and just focus purely on your art, but communication is a really big thing. Growing up I was super shy, so I had to work on coming out of my shell and work on expressing ideas and concepts. It is a really hard thing, it just takes time and practice.

Being able to learn to work with your colleagues and supervisors and communicate your ideas is important, because even the quietest person around here will have some really awesome ideas we can utilise.

For Pipeline, my advice is to fix things. Be a problem solver. It doesn’t matter what it is, if you have that mentality you’ll fit in. If you like learning every single day, you’ll fit in. It doesn’t necessarily have to be just software development, it’s the mentality that is most important. If you don’t know the answer that’s okay, but finding the solution is the skill.

Make sure this is your passion, as Pipeline is a job that requires a lot of dedication. Perseverance is important - practice makes perfect. Try to learn from everyone around you and keep pushing your skills to the next level.

The main thing for young artists is to develop your skills in filmmaking and storytelling. That can be in a number of different mediums - comic books, short films, even just writing or learning how to tell a story. At the end of the day, telling stories is what we’re all here to do.

Having an understanding of traditional approaches is really important too. There is always new technology and new ways of doing things, but understanding how to take a photograph and how to paint is really useful.

Watch, read and listen to as much content as you can. Passion for the field is so appreciated. Having a shared appreciation for what you’re making is so important when speaking to creatives.

If you’re applying for a legal or producing role, understanding the impact your decisions will have on production is the most important thing. At the end of the day, it’s about the people making the production and the people watching it.

Theres a fine line between being your own hardest critic and not taking stuff personally. Be diligent when completing tasks and don’t let it get you down if you get rejected from an application. Reflect on the “why” and be ready for opportunities when they come up.