Storyboard artists salary: Storyboard Artist Salary (January 2023)

Storyboard Artist Salary (January 2023)

Updated December 12, 2022

$90,053yearly

To create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More

$43.29 hourly

Entry level Salary

$56,000

yearly

$56,000

10 %

$90,053

Median

$144,000

90 %

How much does a Storyboard Artist make?

Storyboard artists make $90,053 per year on average, or $43.29 per hour, in the United States. Storyboard artists on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $56,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $144,000.

Location impacts how much a storyboard artist can expect to make. Storyboard artists make the most in Nevada, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Delaware.

Highest Paying State

Nevada

Highest Paying City

Greenwich, CT

Highest Paying Company

The Walt Disney Company

What Am I Worth?

Highest Paying State

Nevada

Highest Paying City

Greenwich, CT

Highest Paying Company

The Walt Disney Company

What Am I Worth?

Highest Paying States For Storyboard Artists

The darker areas on the map show where storyboard artists earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

• State View
• County View

Average Salary:

Storyboard Artist average salary by State

Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	New Hampshire	$131,464	$63.20	43
2	Rhode Island	$132,304	$63.61	25
3	Connecticut	$130,570	$62. 77	77
4	Washington	$113,801	$54.71	190
5	District of Columbia	$117,831	$56.65	44
6	California	$105,834	$50.88	927
7	Nevada	$142,287	$68.41	24
8	New York	$96,029	$46.17	396
9	Maryland	$103,801	$49.90	103
10	Delaware	$122,951	$59.11	16
11	Idaho	$96,777	$46.53	23
12	Oregon	$90,001	$43.27	97
13	Maine	$95,357	$45.84	17
14	Michigan	$83,404	$40.10	107
15	Pennsylvania	$88,525	$42.56	145
16	Iowa	$79,635	$38. 29	56
17	Illinois	$85,758	$41.23	158
18	Virginia	$82,258	$39.55	161
19	New Mexico	$85,206	$40.96	23
20	Utah	$74,837	$35.98	72
21	North Carolina	$78,961	$37.96	130
22	Vermont	$80,933	$38.91	10
23	Arizona	$76,472	$36.77	76
24	North Dakota	$79,839	$38.38	9
25	Wisconsin	$69,565	$33.44	118
26	Colorado	$76,569	$36.81	81
27	West Virginia	$78,306	$37.65	14
28	Wyoming	$60,625	$29.15	16
29	Kentucky	$71,012	$34. 14	50
30	New Jersey	$85,200	$40.96	72
31	Kansas	$76,007	$36.54	32
32	Indiana	$75,816	$36.45	66
33	Massachusetts	$63,708	$30.63	159
34	Texas	$55,846	$26.85	353
35	Tennessee	$68,914	$33.13	68
36	Arkansas	$69,060	$33.20	31
37	Alaska	$71,273	$34.27	8
38	Oklahoma	$57,417	$27.60	37
39	Minnesota	$58,407	$28.08	83
40	Florida	$54,457	$26.18	216
41	Georgia	$51,758	$24.88	173
42	Nebraska	$53,803	$25. 87	30
43	South Dakota	$47,686	$22.93	15
44	Hawaii	$41,777	$20.09	12
45	Montana	$56,073	$26.96	10
46	Alabama	$50,545	$24.30	49
47	Ohio	$50,134	$24.10	115
48	Missouri	$52,175	$25.08	55
49	Mississippi	$49,991	$24.03	22
50	Louisiana	$44,244	$21.27	37
51	South Carolina	$41,747	$20.07	45

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Top Storyboard Artist Jobs Near You

Highest Paying Cities For Storyboard Artists

Rank	City	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
1	Greenwich, CT	$131,287	$63.12
2	San Francisco, CA	$116,405	$55.96
3	New York, NY	$96,127	$46.21

Storyboard Artists Salary Details

Average Storyboard Artist Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Storyboard Artist’s Salary?

Highest Paying Types of Storyboard Artists

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
Designer	$66,347	$5,529	$31. 90	52,433
Visual Merchandiser	$38,037	$3,170	$18.29	74,351
Visual Designer	$86,495	$7,208	$41.58	46,815
Graphic Designer Internship	$35,800	$2,983	$17.21	93,292
Web Graphic Designer	$52,574	$4,381	$25.28	51,462
Freelance Designer	$57,260	$4,772	$27.53	45,914

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

1. Google Jobs (3)
2. The Walt Disney Company Jobs (10)
3. ViacomCBS Jobs (3)
4. Warner Bros. Jobs (10)
5. Mattel Jobs (7)

Which Companies Pay Storyboard Artists The Most?

The highest paying companies for storyboard artists are The Walt Disney Company and Lucasfilm according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like Warner Bros. and DreamWorks Animation report highly competitive wages for storyboard artists.

How Much Do Storyboard Artists Make In Different Industries?

Storyboard artist salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the finance, media, and start-up industries tend to offer much higher salaries for storyboard artists. For example, storyboard artists make a whopping average salary of $127,446 while working in the finance industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $93,035 in the media industry and $84,636 in the start-up industry.

Storyboard artists may want to avoid working in the professional industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $76,085.

Highest Paying Industries For Storyboard Artists

High Paying Storyboard Artist Jobs

Storyboard Artist Pay Trends

Average Storyboard Artist Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Recently Added Storyboard Artist Salaries

Storyboard Artist Salaries FAQs

What State Pays Storyboard Artists The Most?

Nevada pays Storyboard Artists the most in the United States, with an average salary of $142,287 per year, or $68. 41 per hour.

How Do I Know If I’m Being Paid Fairly As A Storyboard Artist?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a Storyboard Artist if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Rhode Island you should be paid close to $132,304 per year.

What Type Of Storyboard Artist Gets Paid The Most?

Interactive Designer gets paid the most. Interactive Designer made a median salary of $97,929. The best-paid 10 percent make $118,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $80,000.

Have more questions? See all answers to common arts, entertainment, sports, and media questions.

Search For Storyboard Artist Jobs

Updated December 12, 2022

How to Become a Storyboard Artist in Film/TV

Expert Sources:

Douglas Einar Olsen

Date: April 30, 2019

Reads: 16,687

Career Overview

Storyboard Artists create visualizations of scripts (animatics), allowing the creative team to “see” the episode or film before full animation or shooting begins.

Alternate Titles

Storyboard Revisionist

Avg. Salary

$114,289¹

Salary Range

$85K – $149K¹

1. Career Description
2. Salary
3. Career Outlook
4. Career Path
5. Experience & Skills
6. Education & Training
7. Additional Resources
8. FAQ
9. Sources
10. References

How To Become a Storyboard Artist

Douglas Einar Olsen, Storyboard Artist on shows including Little Big Awesome and Rick and Morty describes what he does:

“In animation, Storyboard Artists generate what you might call ‘the raw footage’ of the show. We take a script and start visualizing it by creating drawings depicting each story beat. We draw them in sequence on a timeline so we begin to have something to ‘watch.’

“Sometimes we’re also given a radioplay (an audio file with temporary dialogue) so we can fine-tune the timing closer to how the episode will run. Eventually, these pieces of ‘footage’ are edited together to create a rough draft of the episode — at work, we call this ‘the animatic.’”

Olsen explains that Storyboard Artists are one part of the team that generates the animatic. “Sometimes we plot out entire scenes, sometimes we make fixes based on the Director or Writer’s notes. Other times we need to punch up acting or add special effects animation. As you might imagine, my day-to-day is mostly lots and lots of drawing!”

On Rick and Morty, Olsen is part of a four-person team: three Storyboard Artists and the Director. He lays out the working dynamic: “We start with a kick-off meeting with the Show Runner and department heads. Here, we analyze the episode script and discuss specific areas that require storyboard attention.

“Our Director then breaks the episode into chunks, allocating them to each member of the team. We then retreat to our storyboard lair (actually just an office!) and begin what is called a ‘thumbnail pass’: a very simple plotting out of a scene.”

Olsen says this is his favorite part of the process because “it offers the most creative freedom for us Board Artists — we begin pulling the episode out of the ether and it’s where we get to pitch our most wild ideas.”

Olsen elaborates, “Once the thumbnail pass is ready, it is reviewed by the Director who gives notes. We incorporate these into our sequences and the clean-up/streamlining process begins. Rinse and repeat for eight or nine weeks.”

Once Olsen’s team has a tight, draft version of the future episode, it is ready to be shipped to the Animation Department to be fully animated for television.

The average annual salary for Storyboard Artists is approximately $114,300. The annual salary for Storyboard Artists ranges from $85,000 to $149,000.

On union shows, Olsen feels the earnings are healthy: “Plenty of Storyboard Artists enjoy earnings in the high six figures. We’re paid weekly — as the work is ‘seasonal,’ you’re booked for the production cycle of the show season. If you’re lucky, that show will be renewed and you’ll continue working until it’s canceled.”

Olsen warns that any hiatus period is unpaid so he’ll freelance if he needs to continue making money. “The animation union provides us with healthcare — as long as you accumulate enough hours, the health coverage extends over any show hiatus,” he adds.

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All in all, Olsen feels the storyboard lifestyle, although sometimes crazy, is pretty great. He explains that his work is seasonal: “I’m booked for roughly ten or eleven months of the year with one or two months off to focus on personal projects, freelance, or travel. Occasionally I’ll accept freelance work if it’s a really cool project, but I try not to do it too often because it eats into my nights and weekends which can be stressful.”

Olsen offers some sterling advice for artists starting out: “Retain your balance at the beginning; initially, there’s a strong urge to prove yourself when you’re hired on a new job and you give yourself 100% to the project. Do not do this! Studios will take advantage and suck out all of your creative juices!

“Absolutely work hard, but save a little creative energy for your own projects, whether it’s going to figure drawing, doing some GIFs or just drawing for pleasure. This will sustain a healthier mindset and allow you to remain more creatively vibrant.”

Before moving into storyboarding, Olsen was doing all kinds of illustration work and fine art. Only when he hit 30 did he break into television animation: “I’ve had a wonky trajectory. I knew I had some interest in storyboarding and directing but didn’t quite understand how that translated into a career beyond picking up freelance gigs or maybe joining some kind of commercial shop. ”

He emphasizes the need to explore your own voice, even before breaking into the industry: “I was always exploring various creative interests, attempting to pull off different personal projects — often they burned out in various ways, but I was always learning and expanding my creative voice.”

Olsen suggests that building your own portfolio means you’ll have work to show when the time is right: “One day I was lucky enough to find myself in the right place at the right time (with the right kind of things in my portfolio) and met a new studio-mate who had contacts in the TV animation industry. After getting to know me and my work, he graciously recommended me for a position on Adult Swim’s The Venture Bros.”

It wasn’t a straight step into a Storyboard position, though: “I started on Background Design and, although there’s a ton of narrative in a character’s environment, I still had my heart set on storyboards so I began hanging out in their department, asking questions, watching how they did their job. ”

Eventually, Olsen was offered a Storyboard Revisionist position and started gaining real, in-show experience. “Honestly, from then on, it was simply a matter of demonstrating responsibility, producing solid work, and being chill to work with — that last point is why people continue to recommend me within the industry.”

Next Olsen storyboard tested for a show called Axe Cop on Fox where he was eventually promoted to Director. “That led me to my job on Rick and Morty and even storyboarding my first feature, the upcoming live-action Sonic The Hedgehog movie.”

Olsen lays out his current aims, ones he shares with many of his peers: “My short term goal is to move up to Director here on Rick and Morty, but I’m also trying to sell my own shows and direct/produce short projects like Lil Dicky’s ‘Professional Rapper.’”

Olsen broke into the industry as a Background Designer but the entry-level job is a Storyboard Revisionist. He says there are some internships out there worth looking into but reiterates, “I’m more an advocate of being a self-starter and generating your own work to put out there regularly. Try and get that in front of the right people.”

He suggests comics are not unrelated: “Comics are definitely a cousin to storyboarding — Cartoon Network occasionally hires out of the indie comic scene if you’re making a little noise there.” He goes on to recommend working as a Storyboard Artist for commercials: “It’s a healthy way to get your feet wet and make money as you go. I’ve heard of folks starting in commercials and eventually moving all the way up to Marvel features.”

• “I’d like to mention something my boss, Justin Roiland said on one of his podcasts. People often ask him how to get into ‘the biz’ and his response is ‘just make stuff.’” But what does that mean? Olsen elaborates: “Commit to one year and dedicate yourself to completing one thing each month. I stress ‘completing’ because executing something to completion is how you reap the full benefit of the creative exercise. If you see anything to fruition, you can reflect clearly on what you produced.
• What ‘things’ count? Olsen reassures, “It could be something simple like an illustration, a comic book page, or a GIF; anything that can realistically be completed in a one-month timeframe. By the end of the year you’ll have twelve ‘things’ you’ve made and most likely a far stronger idea of the direction you’re moving in, your strengths, your challenges. When that gatekeeper appears, you can say, ‘Look at the twelve cool things I’ve made!’”

With purely creative arts, practical experience and aptitudes are very personal. Olsen highlights one particular skill, essential for him: “Work hard to recognize and connect with your artistic voice. I would describe it as developing your ‘taste.’ This is less a style or way you draw, it’s more like keeping track of what you enjoy in art or film and exploring those same themes yourself.”

Olsen stresses a willingness to experiment: “Experimentation comes with lots of failure, which means learning. This builds confidence and (hopefully) a boldness of vision. Lots of people out there can draw well, but if you’re offering a ‘bold vision’ or ‘taste’ in your work, that’s something that will help any artist stand out.”

Studying other media akin to storyboarding also helps strengthen your storytelling language. Olsen explains, “I’m actually taking an acting class right now to get a better sense of how to put life into my drawings and communicate with Actors from their point of view. Any secondary interests are part of your unique recipe and artistic take on things.”

“Being easy to work with is key,” says Olsen. “You want to be a combination of easy-going, bringing ideas to the table and getting things done. So much of getting work in the industry is based on recommendations — nobody recommends anyone who is not brilliant to work with!”

Olsen stresses that Storyboard Artists need to be cool and respectful under pressure. “One show I was directing had a Storyboard Revisionist who would only address a maximum of 40% of my notes — I guess he thought the rest was optional? Perhaps what was already there looked good enough to him? As you can imagine, I wasn’t interested in working with him again, so be mindful of what’s being asked of you!”

Olsen is crystal clear about where to start: “Training begins with drawing as much as possible. Study the figure, do landscape and location drawing, keep a sketchbook. While drawing, you can even create simple story beats by drawing boxes, filling them with whatever you see around you. Any images in sequence — even random ones — will begin to give you a sense of what’s possible in storytelling.”

Olsen also emphasizes analyzing your favorite films, staying attentive to how they stage scenes, compose shots, build tension and make you laugh. He mentions another widely available resource: “There’s a great PDF I always recommend: a storyboard bible by Brad Bird called Storyboarding the Simpsons Way. Google it and access it for free. It covers a lot of the basic mechanics of visual storytelling — even my professional colleagues (myself included) revisit it often.”

As for formal education, Olsen suggests that any art school with an animation or illustration department is a solid place to build fundamental skills. “CalArts, SCAD, SVA, and Ringling are all schools with notable animation programs. In L.A. there are several industry-specific schools like Concept Design Academy or Gnomon Academy. Olsen also recommends the classes offered by the Storyboard Artists’ union, The Animation Guild.

Olsen reiterates a truism for all creative artists: “The essential part is getting your hands dirty and teaching yourself as much as possible. For me personally, I was 70% self-taught. The other 30% came from intuitive Teachers who knew to push harder where I was already going. Plus, keep an eye on your creative peers — often, they can teach you just as much.”

The Animation Guild comes highly recommended; Olsen mentions their website which has resources for classes or networking/industry events.

He goes on: “There’s also the CTN Animation Expo, a popular, annual event where aspiring animation people go to network and hustle. I dig other events around L.A. too, such as CALA (Comic Arts Los Angeles — a small press comics fest), and the Loop De Loop monthly GIF fest.”

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Douglas Einar Olsen

“Loading up your portfolio with too much stuff. Don’t include every project you’ve ever done. Be specific; if you’ve zeroed in on storyboarding, include storyboards and maybe some animation samples as the main event, not everything you did at school. A laser-focused portfolio shows me that person is serious.”

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Douglas Einar Olsen

“It can take a long time to find your way in, often years. It’s imperative that you don’t give up — continue to make work and study the craft while finding other ways to survive. This can be the real challenge — do you have the patience and dedication for that?”

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Douglas Einar Olsen

“Perseverance.”

Douglas Einar Olsen

Douglas Einar Olsen grew up in the forested suburbs of Long Island, NY in the town of Smithtown. He began his artistic career as a founding member of the “Ninja Turtle Drawing Club” in Mrs. Bell’s 3rd-grade class, enjoyed making parody films with his friends and eventually found himself under the tutelage of local Illustrator and Teacher, Jeffrey K Fisher.

Olsen attended the Rhode Island School of Design (‘04) as an Illustration major, where he recently served as a Visiting Artist. There, he developed a passion for visual storytelling as well as travel, spending his senior year abroad in Rome.

Post-college, he continued his travels working in Berlin, Tuscany and Amsterdam, eventually settling in Brooklyn where he continued his artistic and professional development practicing fine art, freelance designing and working as an art handler.

He eventually came into contact with the TV animation industry via a studio-mate who introduced him to the producers of adult swim’s The Venture Bros. This led to his first position on an industry project as a Background Designer, then to an ongoing career as a Storyboard Artist and Director in animation, with credits including Rick and Morty, Major Lazer, Axe Cop, Golan the Insatiable and Little Big Awesome.  

Olsen recently completed storyboards for his first feature film coming out this November, Sonic the Hedgehog.

1. 1Multiple. “Storyboard Artist Salaries”. Glassdoor.com. published: Mar 12, 2018. retrieved on: Dec 15, 2019

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19 Illustration Jobs

By Indeed Editorial Team

April 22, 2021

Illustrators are creative professionals who create illustrations for a variety of purposes. There are career options for illustrators in several different fields, including advertising and software development. If you’re an illustrator, it can be helpful to explore different professions and areas of application for your skills to find the one that’s best for you. In this article, we list several different types of jobs for illustrators and their responsibilities. nine0003

Work in illustration (plus nine other career ideas)

Here are 10 professions related to illustration:

1. Animator sets of illustrations that can be combined to create movement. Animators can use both hand drawing and digital art techniques to create animation for movies, video games, and more. Animators are usually good at using animation software to turn their drawings into animations. nine0003

2. Graphic Designer

Average National Salary: $47,645 per year

Key Responsibilities: Graphic designers create digital art, including logos, layouts, and typography, using graphic design software. Graphic designers often work in advertising, marketing, web development, and other fields. They may be employed by the company or work on a freelance basis. Graphic designers are skilled in interpersonal communication and customer service as they often interact with clients to discuss design details. They also usually use various graphic design programs to carry out their day to day duties. nine0003

3. Illustrator

National average salary: $48,692 per year

Key Responsibilities: Illustrators are professionals who are paid to create drawings for a variety of purposes. Often illustrations are meant to convey messages in advertising, packaging, books, and more. Illustrators often freelance and take commissions, but companies can also hire them. Illustrators are good at art as well as communication as they have to interact with clients frequently to complete projects. nine0003

4. Fashion designer

National average salary: $51,780 per year

Key Responsibilities: Fashion designers develop clothing designs, select clothing materials, and prototype clothing items. They may also be responsible for overseeing the production of their projects. In addition, fashion designers are often involved in the marketing of their own designs, so it is beneficial for fashion designers to have skills in business, marketing, and communication along with fashion design. nine0003

5. Painter

National average salary: $59,089 per year

Key Responsibilities: Painters are responsible for painting buildings, including both interiors and exteriors of buildings. Artists know how to prepare areas for painting, use painting tools, work with different types of paints, etc. The daily work of an artist can vary depending on his industry or company.

6. Architectural designer

National average salary: $61,461 per year

Key Responsibilities: Architectural designers are responsible for preparing concept drawings of architectural plans and then developing plans using computer-aided design (CAD) software. Architectural designers are usually skilled at drawing both freehand and designing with computer software. In addition, architectural designers are usually very familiar with the principles of mathematics and engineering design.

7. Tattoo artist

National average salary: $64,450 per year

Key Responsibilities: Tattoo artists draw tattoos for clients and then apply them to clients’ skin. Usually tattoo artists go through training to gain experience in tattooing. Tattoo artists have illustration skills and experience with a tattoo machine. In addition, tattoo artists often communicate with clients to work out the details of a tattoo design, so they must have strong interpersonal skills. nine0003

8. Concept Artist

Average National Salary: $78,406 per year

Key Responsibilities: Concept Artists are responsible for illustrating ideas so that other people, including animators and other designers, can use them for final design . Concept artists can work in a wide variety of fields, including architecture and video games, and they can create illustrations for a wide variety of ideas. Concept artists often collaborate with other artists to come up with initial designs. nine0003

9. Creative Director

Average National Salary: $93,474 per year

Key Responsibilities: Creative Directors are responsible for planning visuals and layouts for a company’s branding or products. They create an artistic vision and manage a team that supports that vision. In addition, creative directors may be responsible for design selection and approval, as well as project management. The responsibilities of creative directors can also vary depending on the company they work for, such as a magazine, a website, or an advertising firm. nine0003

10. UX Designer

National Average Salary: $99,125 per year

Key Responsibilities: UX designers typically use digital tools to create user experience designs, but their process often starts with traditional paper sketches. UX designers are responsible for creating interface designs that are user-friendly, intuitive, and visually appealing. Typical tasks for UX designers may include developing user scenarios, drafting rough prototypes, and creating high resolution interactive prototypes. nine0003

Other careers in illustration

Here are some additional careers in illustration:

• Medical Illustrator: Medical illustrators are responsible for creating detailed and thorough illustrations of medical information. Generally, medical illustrators need training and experience in the fields of medicine and science, and they may also collaborate with medical professionals to create their illustrations. Medical illustrators often have communication and research skills as well as illustration. nine0003

• Courtroom illustrator: Courtroom illustrators are responsible for illustrating courtroom scenes where cameras are not allowed. This allows the media to release illustrations of the courtroom to the public without even being able to take photographs. Courtroom illustrators need to be able to draw quickly to capture important courtroom scenes, and they need to know legal processes to understand what’s going on in a courtroom.

• Forensic artist: Forensic sketches are used to identify and apprehend crime suspects. Crime artists are responsible for creating sketches of suspects based on witness descriptions. They may use computer software or create drawings by hand. Illustrations by forensic artists can play an important role in investigations and the search for suspects. nine0003

• Comic artist: A comic artist is someone who illustrates comics or comics in newspapers. Comic artists can write their own stories for comics or collaborate with comic book writers. Comic artists may also specialize in a particular type of comic, such as action or political comics.

• Children’s book illustrator: Children’s book illustrators create illustrations to enhance the stories told in children’s books. Sometimes children’s book illustrators also write their own books, but other times they may work with authors to illustrate their stories. Children’s book illustrators often develop a unique art style for their illustrations. nine0003

• Storyboard Artist: Storyboard artists create sets of drawings to help teams visually understand scenes and narratives. They work with storyboard panels to display visual effects. Often storyboard artists work on films, but storyboard artists can also work in business and entrepreneurship, helping to plan projects.

• Patent Illustrator: Patent illustrators are responsible for drawing patent designs that people may include in their patent applications. Patent illustrators help protect inventors’ product designs by creating a clear visualization of their idea. Useful competencies for patent illustrators include communication skills and legal knowledge. nine0003

• Textile designer: Textile designers are responsible for designing designs for textiles either by hand or with computer software. Textile designers often keep up with trends so they can create designs for clothes, curtains and other items that are in demand. Textile designers can also control the textile production process.

• Instruction manual illustrator: Instruction manual illustrators are responsible for creating technical illustrations for the practical steps in the instruction manuals. Instruction manual illustrators pay great attention to detail and are able to follow directions as their illustrations must be absolutely accurate so that customers can determine how to assemble products and follow steps. nine0003

Canada – Industry at DTF

Canadian animators and animation companies are some of the most creative and successful in the world. This country gathers the best specialists. Did you know that many of the cartoons we know and love are produced in this country? For example, the pilot episode of Gravity Falls was made in a Canadian studio, while the work on the animation of Rick and Morty was done by the Canadian company Bardel.

1899
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Canadian outsourcers worked on Rick and Morty

Canada – outsourcing country

Outsourcing is the involvement of outside specialists in order to save money: for example, an animator in the USA is paid more than in India or the Philippines, so it is more profitable for an American studio to order animation abroad. Many American TV series: The Simpsons, Steven Universe, Adventure Time are partly drawn in South Korea.

But you will logically notice that Canada is not the cheapest country and, most likely, animators there take a lot of money. Why is Canada an outsourcing country? And there are many reasons. It so happened historically that there were not many animation studios and own projects in the country. But there is a good education, universities that train specialists at a high level, and there is also a rather soft migration policy (compared to America) that allows animators from all over the world to move. Together, these factors created a strong animation community in the country, which was not averse to outsourcing high-quality projects that require strong animation. nine0003

And most of the studios that are now creating their own projects in Canada just appeared from outsourcing teams.

Canadian Animation Studios

House of Cool Studios

A quintessential industry figure, this outsourced and sprawling studio is a great example of where you’ll end up working when you come to Canada.

The studio is located in Toronto. Founded in 2004, today it is a full-service production company from storytelling and design to finished animation. nine0003

House of Cool movies and series customers are Disney, 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios, DreamWorks, Laika, Warner Bros., Nelvana, Universal Studios, Pixar, Reel FX, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, DHX Media, HIT Entertainment , Teletoon. and Nickelodeon.

House of Cool Studios worked on the production of such cartoons as “Horton”, several parts of “Ice Age”, “Rio”, “Despicable Me”, “Gravity Falls”, “Kipo and the Age of Wonder Beasts”, “Hunters of trolls.” nine0003

Horton Poster

The average annual studio salary for storyboard artists is between $70,000 and $110,000. For the director-animator – from 104,000 to 120,000 dollars (all this before taxes).

There are many perks for employees in the studio office. For example, Thursday is pie day, when everyone can bring a pie and treat colleagues. The space is also interestingly decorated: the columns in the office are decorated with graffiti.

Bardel Entertainment, Inc.

Another major outsourcing studio that has been on the market for over 30 years.

The studio is located in Vancouver. Started as a family business: was founded by a married couple, Barry Ward and Delnaya Bhesania. The company is now led by Rick Michel, who previously worked as a producer at Sony Pictures Animation.

Bardel is simultaneously working on feature films, prime time animated series, children’s and preschool television, and projects for the SVOD and VOD platforms. Customers include Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, Warner Bros., Adult Swim, etc.

The studio’s filmography includes The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rugrats (for Nickelodeon), Teen Titans Go! (for Warner Bros.), Rick and Morty for Williams Street Productions, etc.

In 2020, Bardel Entertainment acted as the production studio that won two Emmy awards for two projects – Rick and Morty and Prince -Dragon” in the nominations “Best Animated Series” and “Best Children’s Animated Series”.

CinéGroupe

This studio, also created for outsourcing, produces not only cartoons, but also games. nine0003

Founded in Montreal in 1974. The company is also headquartered in Toronto and Los Angeles in the US.

CinéGroupe’s best-known animated series: What’s With Andy? In 2004, she filmed Pinocchio 3000.

In 2002 and 2003, CinéGroupe developed several Game Boy Advance video games based on Tom and Jerry and Dora the Explorer.

The most recent project of the studio is the animated series Tshakapesh Superhero (2019) (based on the folklore of the Indians) and a game based on the TV series.

Tshakapesh Superhero

L’Atelier Animation

Small studio working mainly with French clients. Specializes in 3D animation.

L’Atelier Animation was formed in 2014 in Montreal through a partnership between Laurent Zeitoun and Yann Zenou to produce the film Ballerina. Ted Tai was appointed director of the company. The studio is also producing the animated series Robozuna, which airs on ITV and Netflix. nine0003

The list of studio projects includes a 4D attraction for the French Parc Asterix. The attraction, as you might guess, is based on the Asterix and Obelix franchise.

Atomic Cartoons

The studio works not only on commission, but also on its own projects. If you get a job here, you can be provided with housing, the studio accepts applications from people with disabilities.

Founded in Vancouver in 1999. In 1999-2002, the studio released the animated series Courage, the Cowardly Dog. Between 2004 and 2008, the company produced “Atomic Betty” for Teletoon with Breakthrough Entertainment and Tele Images Kids. The first fully original Atomic creation, the series’ protagonist has served as the studio’s mascot for years. nine0003

Between 2005 and 2014, work was underway on the animated series Johnny Test.

In December 2018, the company opened a second animation studio in Ottawa. Their first project for Netflix is ​​the animated series The Last Children on Earth (2019).

Atomic Betty – the mascot of Studio

Educational institutions

Canada has many colleges and universities related to animation, visual technology, and design. Their graduates work in the industry not only in Canada, but also in the US and other countries. nine0003

Sheridan College

Sheridan College was founded in 1967. It has four campuses, two of which are in Oakville and one in Brampton, Ontario.

The traditional area of ​​specialization is animation, and the college bears the informal nickname “Harvard among animation schools”, which says a lot about the level of teaching. Graduates and students of Sheridan College have made a huge contribution to the development of the Canadian animation industry, in fact, becoming its founding fathers. Former college students are now the leading employees of cartoon studios, all the way to Disney and Pixar. nine0003

The college offers over 130 programs at all levels of study. In addition to animation, directing and design specialties, there are bachelor’s and master’s programs in business, applied computing and engineering sciences, humanities, etc.

Tuition varies depending on the specialty – from 15,000 to 29,000 Canadian dollars year. Accommodation on campus is additionally paid.

Sheridan College

Vancouver Film School

Vancouver Film School was founded in 1987 and specializes in film and television training. Today the school offers 14 programs covering all activities in the performing arts.

One of the strongest programs is animation. It is designed for 4 years (but you can take an accelerated course in 48 weeks) and includes the study of filmmaking, character animation, game design. Among the teachers there are famous writers, directors, producers. nine0003

This is how classes go

Vancouver Institute of Media Arts

Vancouver Institute of Media Arts was founded in 1995. It has developed a comprehensive curriculum in the visual, media and performing arts. Among them are 2D and 3D animation, visual effects, game development.

VanArts provides its students with the foundation and mentoring they need to start their careers. Many VanArts alumni are now successful, creative professionals working in feature films as directors around the world. nine0003

Nearly half of the VanArts student body is made up of international students from all over the world. For those students who wish to continue their studies after graduation, degree programs are available through university partners in Canada, the US, the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Institute building

Animation festivals

Animation festivals are also held in Canada. The largest and most famous is the Ottawa International Animation Festival. It aims to promote the development and growth of animation film talent in Canada. nine0003

The OIAF was founded in 1975 and is held every two years. In 2005, it moved from a biennial to an annual festival, held every September. OIAF aims to bring together regional, national and international animation communities, to create a forum where the artistic side will be combined with the commercial side.

Today the OIAF continues to grow and is known in the festival world for its practice of pitting commercial and independent projects against each other.

The OIAF features projects made in 2D, 3D and, more recently, even virtual reality. nine0003

2020 poster

Awards at the festival were received by such cartoons as “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi (2007), “Beyond the fence” by Patrick McHale (2015), “The night is short, walk, girl” by Masaaki Yuasa (2017) and others. In 1990, the list The winners included a cartoon by Russian director Igor Kovalev “His Wife is a Chicken”.

The animation industry in Canada is at a high level. The best specialists from all over the world flock here. Outsourcing is especially developed, many American cartoons and animated series are produced at Canadian studios.