If you’re considering a career in animation, there’s a huge breadth of types of roles to choose from, says Jo, a director here at A Productions.
“From production to design to editing to sound design to music, there are so many roles in addition to being an animator”, Jo explains.
Reflecting on her 15 plus years of career experience in the animation sector, Jo said that, for her, it was work experience opportunities following her studies in illustration and animation at university that cemented her desire to be an animator.
“Growing up I was always drawing other people’s characters. I went to art college after sixth form, and I then started to really get into film and comics which inspired my interest in storytelling.”
Having started as an animator, working freelance on a variety of projects, Jo progressed to become animation director on Love Monster for CBeebies at A Productions and later to director, where today she works on a number of projects including the much-loved Sesame Street for Sesame Workshop.
Jo, 37, finds her role very rewarding: “I love making a show that people will see and enjoy. A lot of my friends have children, and they will send me photos of their children watching the show. It’s a great feeling.
“I also get so excited working with such great talent from designers through to animators. Everyone doing their jobs and coming together to produce something that’s the work of many talented people.”
As director, Jo heads up the team on particular projects, drawing on her expertise and knowledge to ensure a final piece that is “fun to watch, a good show for its intended audience and answers the client’s brief”.
She said she’s proud to be part of the Bristol creative community and to have seen it develop into such an important hub for TV and animation.