Memory #27: Making My Mark *Part 4

(...continued from the previous post)


The days afterward flew by slowly at first, but then like a crazy breeze. I was disheartened because I had already failed interviews with various companies (aheermBigBlueDot), but FableVision seemed different.

Back then, the company was in Watertown, a 5 minute drive from my apartment on a semi-industrial back road. You'd never have known it was there. When I found it, I felt special, like I uncovered a hidden jewel all on my own. To be turned down at a place like that is a hard feeling and it's really amazing how I didn't lose the drive or courage I needed to be in the animation industry.

The reason I didn't get the job was that I had never used Adobe Flash before (Macromedia Flash back then, hehe), so I continued waitressing, dropped $600+ on the software (thanks Mom and Dad) and quickly realized that Flash is way too hard to teach yourself. I spent hours at night studying FVTV and growing to love FableVision more and more - but felt it becoming more unattainable by the minute. 

I had pretty much given up on Flash when I got a call from my good friend from college, Mike Annear. Another animation studio named Soup2Nuts was doing a mass-hiring and needed artists to help work on the TV series Time Warp Trio. I said, "Mike, I have no idea what I'm doing..." He said, "It's cool, I'll help you." I unsurely said, "Well...ooohhkayy," with perplexed eyebrows and sent the same resume to Soup2Nuts. I might have fibbed a little, maybe told Phil and Davio I knew a little more about Flash than I did (ARGH! I'm sorry guys!) But they took a chance on me and, instead of a Server, I became a:

And listen to THIS unimportant but ironic detail! I quit my waitressing job on a Friday and the very next Monday every other employee arrived at work to a locked door with a sign on it telling them to go home because the restaurant was closed. CLOSED! How evil. 

During my first week at Soup2Nuts, I cried my way home every single night. It was so hard. I found that my job was to be somewhat of an apprentice to John Dee (who I immediately found to be AWESOME) and help to prep his characters for the animators. And that is what I did...for 8 months. Time Warp Trio was a great learning experience for me. I got to work with some really interesting and worldly characters, drawing turnarounds, separating body parts, and creating expressions for hundreds of them. I also met a lot of really cool real-life characters and since a lot of us got hired on the same day, we bonded very quickly. The talent I was surrounded by everyday was surmountable. How did I even fit IN!? It was a dream!

But, so quickly, it was over.

I think the company was going through some growing pains and when my contract was up, it was really up. Like pack your stuff and we'll be in touch kind of "up." A lot of us left that day and it was really sad. However, it didn't take many people a long time to find new jobs and I'm pretty sure it didn't take me too long to email FableVision.

While I was waiting to hear back, I found a job at a coffee shop (another random life goal I wanted to attain) even though the owner deemed me too qualified for the job and predicted I'd find a better one soon. I told him, "Noooo, really, I WANT to work here." And he hired me. But, of course I got a second interview at FV. I barely went to sleep the night before because I spent the entire night putting together a character design demo reel. I wanted to prove myself SO badly.

A few days after my second interview, I remember I was watching Shaun of the Dead in my fourth apartment and I got a phone call.

I also got myself a new job and, for the record, I still feel bad about ditching that coffee shop. :)


(to be continued...)