You Have A World of Artists Backing You: UnitedWeBrand.orgThat's pretty darn funny, Charles!
This is one of those things that is funny
and sad because it's true. The studio situation is a real roller coaster, meaning there are a lot of ups and downs.
On the Pro's side: A full-time studio gig usually pays very well and allows for more education in animation production than any classroom, workshop, or lab in the world. In addition, many, if not all, of the major studios have
unionized, so that paycheck also covers the required union fees and dues that grant the working artist access to outstanding health benefits, a customizable 401k pension package, and best of all, the confidence in knowing that if said studio tries to overplay its hand or take advantage of the artist, that artist has a union backing their rights - IF (and ONLY if) they take action and report it!
On the Con's side: How many of us take that action? How many artists are willing to stand up for themselves and set realistic, respectable limits and guidelines for their time, effort, and expertise? Most, if not all, studio gigs are temporary, so once the work runs out, it's Bye Bye, Birdie. Even on
The Simpsons, the longest running animated production in world history, the artists are cyclically laid off at the end of every season (usually for at least 3 weeks - 3 months, though it can be much longer.) Another Pro worth mentioning is that a layoff means you were
not fired, and are therefore eligible for Unemployment. Do you take it? You should!
But Wait...There's More: Once laid off, you still owe the union quarterly dues ($101 every 3 months or $404/year) so what you want to do during your layoff is simply call them and file for "Honorable Withdrawal". This stops your quarterly dues from being owed until you are rehired by a
unionized studio. However, your dues will continue to accumulate and pile up until that time, at which point you will be sent a bill for the total dues you owe (usually not more than you can pay off in 1 or 2 payments.)
A Little More For You: Here is where things get complicated and stop working (I just learned this) - apparently, unionized animation artists DO receive residuals, but they are directly applied by the union to the artist's 401k retirement pension. In theory, this is great and we'll have access to all that extra money when we retire, right? Well...not so fast. In order to
ever gain access to the 401k pension funds (residual or otherwise) an artist is required to have worked a
minimum of 20 years at one or more
unionized studios. Therefore, not only may the artist never receive their deserved residuals, but if the climate shifts at age 65 or 70 during their 19th year of union vesting and they suddenly find themselves out of work with nothing on the horizon...what then??
SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL BOIL DOWN TO?The small subsets of working full-time studio artists are the vast
minority in today's animation industry. With all the studios outsourcing to other countries, the local union artists fortunate enough to actually have full-time studio jobs simply cannot work enough hours to gain access to their own retirement plans. Many artists cannot even get into a studio, and therefore, cannot afford to join their union. Most artists work as freelancers, independents, or on personal crowdfunded projects. Fortunately, I have done (and am doing)
both, and encourage you all to do the same!
SOLUTIONS:If you work for a studio, create something for YOU and work it on the side - it'll keep you sane...trust me!!
Take your shot with crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, GoFundMe, etc. You can sign up to my CR Newsletter
HERE and receive my personal crowdfunding podcast on ways to improve your campaigns. If your studio keeps you there past quitting time or is giving you more work than you can do in one day - GO HOME! Work a reasonable 8-hour shift then go home and do YOUR project if you still feel like drawing/working. SHOW them that you are not capable of doing that much work in one day and they'll give some of it to someone else - you WILL NOT be fired! Do these union stipulations bother or intrigue you? Let's start going to meetings, asking questions, and bringing this stuff up! The unions WISH we would!! Let's give them what they want and help them help US!!! =)
We have the power to make our careers anything we want them to be - I do, you do, and anyone who tells you otherwise is mistaken, afraid, or both. Be realistic, be fair, and be good to YOURSELF (or nobody else will - as my good friends Journey would say!)
Divided We Scrawl...
United We Brand!Chance
