Counterpoint: Why The Animation Industry Will Never Collapse
In the past couple of months, I've come across countless articles about the collapse of the U.S. animation industry. I hold this industry close to my heart after landing my first steady production job at Walt Disney Television Animation in Burbank, CA, in 1995. I was fortunate to work in what was considered the golden age of television animation, where many artists and production personnel were kept on retainer because studios couldn't find enough skilled talent to fill open positions. The thought of looking for employment during those Disney years rarely crossed my mind as more people were hiring than firing. Long hours and never-ending deadlines be damned, I was working for the Mouse and loving almost every minute of it.
As we all know, today's outlook is starkly different, with the supply of animation talent far exceeding studio demand. That begs the question, what’s next for the senior artists hanging on, trying to make it to retirement, particularly important for those unionized in Los Angeles as members of IATSE Local 839 looking to work the necessary hours every six months to remain eligible for their pensions? And what about the thousands of young artists just starting out, looking to get their foot in the door of a shaky industry that is notorious for keeping that door shut?
I’m not here to wave pom poms, or glorify the “good ole’ days” or bemoan the current state of things, as I find so many others doing these days. That helps nothing. Trust me, I know this from first-hand experience. I took many life lessons in my early Hollywood days. To this day, I remember a senior timing director, well into their sixties, telling me between bites of his pastrami on rye, "Johnny, the day you start looking for your next gig should have been after you landed this one." Joking aside, this thought was common among the older workers, who shared stories with us young’ins of taking seasonal gigs teaching, working retail at the local mall, and office security among others, all to help offset the salaries lost during hiatuses. The point I’m making? The industry has always been like this, on the precipice of collapse. I saw first-hand the transition from film to digital and the subsequent worry of eliminating traditional film jobs. Instead, what happened is most made the transition to digital seamlessly, picking up the skills necessary to continue designing, painting, storyboarding, and editing, among other tasks. The difference between then and today? We have social media as a platform to share these worries. Yes, mergers, acquisitions, and the uncertainty of the broadcast and streaming landscape is something nobody could have envisioned decades ago but one thing is certain: animation continues to be very valuable content in the streamer’s library.
When I read an article about Ai replacing storyboard artists just this past week on Cartoon Brew, my inclination was to remember the group of board artists I hung with during my production grunt days in Burbank. What happened to them? A handful would go on to become successful, talented directors, others segued into design and illustration jobs, and even others would become development execs, producers, and independent studio owners. Yes, there are the storyboard “lifers”, those that will never work any other job in the industry. That seemed to be a rare case to me, but I look to current board artists to tell me if that trend has changed.
After Disney TVA, I would go on to work at MTV and then leave episodic animation in late 2008, as you guessed it, an industry downturn led to my job being eliminated. The irony - I was told video gaming and reality TV combined to doom MTV animation, leading to MTV2 being shuttered and MTV ceasing animation series production. Six months later, I found myself on the agency end, working at Saatchi and Saatchi and running into more former colleagues than I ever thought likely, who also crossed over to branded content. I then learned first-hand that a 30-second animated spot could feel like more work than a 22-minute episode.
After six years working at Saatchi with some real-life characters that would rival anything my former Disney colleagues on Timon & Pumbaa could conjure up, I found myself producing social media at Cycle, now part of the Wasserman Media Group. I didn't even know what a "boomerang" on Instagram was, let alone making 1x1s for Twitter and Facebook, but my new boss told me that my skills would come in handy and I would need to juggle many balls and wear many hats. Seven years later, I'm still learning every day. Budgets continue to shrink, client asks increase, and my team races to keep up with the ever-changing technology. However, one thing doesn't change - many of my projects still need a script, animation, illustration, storyboarding, compositing, and visual effects. Yes, this work is different from what those trained in Film and TV may be used to, but it still requires talented artists.
Case in point: I worked on a mobile app for Amazon Books that was basically an interactive quiz to help readers learn what their book personality is, or “booksona” as our creatives named it. This eight-month project required hiring a studio to handle concept art, illustrations and designs, animation, and coding. My team continues to produce content for large-scale on-site activations with AT&T for the college football playoffs and Final Four, among other events, that requires the work of talented and fast motion designers so we can publish the stories quickly and remain topical during the events. If you have ever attended a Final Four event, you may have seen interactive kiosks, digital banners, and holographic portals that let you take a photo with players. These all required the talent of skilled artists. I’m not looking to say “I told you so” or in any way gloat, I’m writing this today to encourage you, the artist, to embrace the ever-changing landscape, adapt, and evolve. Trust me, if I can do it, you can, and believe me when I say I’ve seen enough mediocre talent continue to thrive, I’m bewildered when my social feeds are filled with talented artists struggling to find work. The work is always out there. The real trick is finding it.
One final point for my Los Angeles-based colleagues. I realize the industry in LA is full of cliques and is controlled by the old guard, or at least I assume it is. However, there’s a world of brands, organizations, and events globally that will continue to hire talented artists and studios to bring ideas to life. Why not help them? If the U.S. networks don’t want you, why do you want them? The last place I want to be is where I’m not wanted. Yes, Ai is a threat. Yes, U.S. animation has entered a very uncertain period. I choose to see it another way: one door closes, and another opens. I truly believe Ai will help my team produce better content, keep our clients happy, and most importantly help us grow and stay employed. I wish success for everyone in our industry. Stay well, folks, and keep the faith.