Sponsored by: Skydance Animation

Originally recorded LIVE at CTNX 2021: 

November 20, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm PST

Sponsored By : Skydance Animation

Have you ever wondered what happens to a job application once you have submitted it? Does it just disappear into a black hole? Is there something you could be doing differently to make that application stand out? Have you ever asked yourself, “How can I craft this email to better guarantee a response from the recruiter?” Do you know the trick for controlling your nerves in an interview and asking impressive questions, or best practices for networking? You’ve got the skills to be a star in the field of Animation… if only you could get the gig!

If school taught you how to be a fantastic artist but didn’t do a great job of preparing you for the application and interview process, let us demystify it for you. Join Ariel Goldberg and Annwhitney McCombs, from Skydance Animation’s Talent Acquisition team, for an interactive Q&A, where they won’t be talking at you, but answering your pressing questions in real time!

Annwhitney and Ariel have made careers out of helping people break into the internships and full-time positions of their dreams. Having themselves been on both sides of the interview desk, they are here to give you tangible, logical life hacks that most people only learn through years of trial, error, and frustration. Get ahead of the game and get the gig!

Panelists:

Ariel Goldberg, Director of Recruitment at Skydance Animation

Annwhitney McCombs, Manager of Talent Acquisition at Skydance Animation

Monica Ortega, MC

Ariel Goldberg received his MFA in Animation from UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television. After starting out as an independent animation director and freelance illustrator, Ariel worked as a Senior Concept Artist at Zynga, designing costumes and characters for social games FarmVille and CastleVille. In July 2013, Ariel joined the Recruitment team at Disney Interactive, where he remained until January 2015, when Nickelodeon asked him to oversee Talent Acquisition for its animated productions.

At Nickelodeon, Ariel developed a staffing pipeline for the hiring of designers, storyboard artists, directors, production assistants, and script coordinators, among other positions.

Since August 2019, Ariel has been at Skydance Animation as Director of Talent Acquisition, working to grow this new studio into a major player in both feature and episodic animation. Skydance Animation anticipates the release of its first feature animated film, Luck, in 2022.

Having been both a freelance and studio artist, having worked for startup companies and large corporations, and having worked in games, television, and feature films, Ariel has developed a multifaceted understanding of the challenges facing creative, technical, and business professionals looking to launch their careers in entertainment. This is why, in his spare time, Ariel is passionate about discussing these challenges with young professionals, in the hopes that he can demystify the Recruitment process for them and help them to avoid some of the mistakes he made in his own career.

Annwhitney McCombs is the Manager of Talent Acquisition at Skydance Animation. She started her career at NBCUniversal on the university relations team and then moved into theme park recruiting. Always loving animation, she shifted her career at Illumination into artistic recruiting and was able to work on a films such as the Minions: The Rise of Gru and many more unannounced projects. Now at Skydance, she is excited to help build the studio and work on their animated series and feature films. Annwhitney also appreciates and applies her previous experiences as an intern at DreamWorks Animation, The Walt Disney Company, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. On her time off, she likes to go for walks, read, craft, watch movies, and hang out with her three cats.