Your Career in Animation (2nd Edition): How to Survive and Thrive

by David B. Levy

A Newly Revised Edition of the Go-To Guide for Any Animation Artist!

“ Your Career in Animation is the most comprehensive and valuable book on animation careers that you’ll ever need.” —Bill Plympton, Animator / Producer

Whether you want to break into the animation industry or “toon up” to a better career, this comprehensive guide will show you how. A leading animation professional surveys the field and shares the advice of more than one hundred and fifty top talents in the business of making toons— including Brooke Keesling, head of animation talent development at Bento Box, Mike Hollingsworth, supervising director of BoJack Horseman ; Andrea Fernandez, art director on The Cuphead Show! PES, Oscar-nominated stop-motion director of Fresh Guacamole ; Linda Simensky, head of content for PBS Kids; Minty Lewis, co-creator of The Great North ; Ross Bollinger, YouTube sensation with his Pencilmation channel, and executives from Nickelodeon, Disney TVA, Titmouse, Inc., Frederator, PBS Kids, Netflix, 9 Story Media Group, Cartoon Network; and dozens of others. Learn how

• Get the most out of your animation education
• Build a portfolio, reel, and resume
• Keep your skills marketable for years to come
• Network effectively
• Learn from on-the-job criticism
• Cope with unemployment
• Start your own studio or build an indie brand online
• Pitch and sell a show of your own
• And more!

Also included are invaluable resources such as animation schools, societies, film festivals, events, Web sites, and publications.

Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Film, Art Design

348 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[mariano gg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very US-centric (as expected) but still really useful if you want to know more about your options in the animation industry. I recommend it if you just graduated from an animation program and want to keep motivated as you apply to jobs and think about your goals, like ME!

[Abdullah Inayat]

It is the best book to enhance your career in the field of Animation. The life of a cartoonist and how it all works.

[Benjamin Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I had some of these insights after graduating college.
I would recommend to any aspiring animators.

[Trapical Punch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift to kinda learn some things about the field animation scene I really want to get myself into and so far this book is extremely helpful. Levy is truly comedic and charismatic which this makes the book even more enjoyable and keeps you engaged while still learning the moves of the industry. He tosses in some personal stories to get some examples of what goes on behind the scenes and even gives you quite a few resources to check out for yourself to learn even more for yourself. I would definitely recommend this book if you are curious about entering the animation scene.

[Eric Helfman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

I liked the way the book is put together, it does have a lot of common knowledge advice such as be on time, and be humble but the stories and history of some of the people discussed in the book inspired me to study them more in depth such as some of the 90s independent animators and the Czech puppet makers were very cool. Over all, a worthy read if you are looking for perspective from experienced animators.

[Philip Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the original edition so some of the advice is pretty outdated ("just show up to the office with your vhs reel and ask to talk to the hiring manager!"), but there is some sound advice here for people to keep in mind. I'd say the ideal audience for this book is for people just starting on their first gig and need advice on how to secure career longevity.

[Sara Sanddollar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book on the animation industry you will ever read (or need). Chock-full of life-changing advice. I literally don't recommend you take one step further without consulting the wisdom in this volume first.

[Mark Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty useful for giving insight into the animation industry. After reading this I think I learnt that maybe I'm not cut out for this type of life style that comes with working in this industry. I still and will aways love animation though.

[Jackie Baumgartner · Rating 4 out of 5]

The advice in this book was a bit dated when I read it in 2021, but I would definitely recommend recent college graduates or aspiring animators to check it out!

The book contains anecdotes, tips for pitching animation, and advice about drawing among other topics.

Glad to have this on my shelf!

[Bygone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about the fundamentals of the animation career. This edition is somewhat outdated now, but a lot of the advice still holds true.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent resource for anyone in the animation industry to have

[Ronán Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very helpful book for artist looking to get into animation. It is a Bible for how to survive in an office and a necessity for many of us

[Wendy]

interesting to compare what ideas/advice/studios have persevered through time

[Orion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving my review for the 2020 version of Your Career in Animation -- this is an indispensable book that helps so much with putting together your own career in Animation.