hmmm

[sorryguyz]

if you were an artist at a major studio and they asked you to "help" come up with/design/develop ideas for possible toy lines...for free and without credit, and you didn't see any of the profits of those toys when they were released and you were just going to be laid off at the end of the season or 2 seasons down, would you do it? Me neither.

They try to get away with a lot. But at the end of the day the goal is to see the executive, the slave-monger and the exploiter on the street picking at crumbs when their paradigm falls while you are self sufficient and capable. The first step is not being a complacent meek artist and just using the system to your benefit with minimal repercussions.

Or you can end up like the almost-60 year old still looking for work on another throw-away show or property because you thought you could leave your career in THEIR hands. Tsk tsk tsk.

[Charles]

Indeed!

Some people can make the throw away show and/or the studio scene work for them in the long run well into their career, but sooner or later for many, and from what I see the trend is towards sooner, the system will ween you out.

That's why I make it a big part of what I teach my students, to establish early on an independent aspect to your career. It's not just the studio, it's what you do on the outside as well. Building a community, a fan base, and staying on top of new technology that will help keep you tied in to modern animation production. Also staying involved and connected with your network will help over time.