How To Win Your First Freelance Animation Job

So, you’ve had some animation training, completed a course, or been to art college and now it’s time to get paid!

Whether you are a 2D motion designer, 3D animator, 3D modeller, Character animator, VFX artist or Generalist like me, landing your first paid freelance animators project can be difficult and daunting.

Here is a guide that will help you save time and stress and better prepare you for your first freelance animation job and a successful freelancer’s life.

If you don’t have a showreel yet, STOP RIGHT NOW.  I’m sorry you may not want to hear it, but you will NOT get anywhere without one.

Read my: Must-know showreel tips to win employment

It’s your shop window, your portfolio. All studios will need to see your work, or how can they know your skillset?

You have the possibility of working directly with your own client or for an agency in an established animation studio.  As you’re at the start of your career, it is doubtful you will have your own clients yet. 

It is much better to work for another studio first. Not only will you learn so much and gain experience, but you also will not have to deal with a client.

Imagine having to project manage everything from concept to budgeting. You will gain this with experience later. You just want to focus on the creative for now and gain experience.

3 – On-Site vs Remote

When you are first starting out, I strongly recommend that you go for on-site projects working in another animation studio’s office.

You need to gain studio experience and be surrounded by more experienced artists.  I guarantee you will learn so much.

In fact, you will look back in 6 months at your first showreel and probably feel it’s terrible, but that’s ok!… it means you are improving.  The projects you work on will replace the ones in your first showreel.

Depending on where you live, you may not have any animation studios close by, but you must consider whether you are willing to relocate.  If not, you will have to work remotely.  Studios often use remote artists but experienced ones. 

See my On-site VS Remote working guide here

4 – client wish list

Next, you need to create a list of studios you would like to work with.  This will be dependent on your location. 

Make a list of animation studios by googling your local area that suits your work and skillset.

Try and find a contact name and email address. You can use tools like LinkedIn and Hunter https://hunter.io/

Read my dos and don’ts on contacting your first client

DO NOT just send a general “dear sir” email.

Download a FREE template for keeping track of contacting potential clients

5 – First contact

Hopefully, with a contact name and email address, write a short email, and I mean short. 

If I receive a letter thousands of words long, admittedly, I don’t read it all, and I’m positive creative directors, or larger studios don’t either.

Simply tell them who you are and that you are looking for freelance work in your field, be it motion design, character animation etc.

And most importantly, add a clear link to your online showreel.

IMPORTANT!  DO NOT send your showreel as an attachment in the email.

Send an easy-to-click link to an online version.

6 – Second contact

You may not hear back from many of them, don’t be disheartened, they are busy, and some get hundreds of similar emails each week.  After a week or two send a short polite follow-up email.

7 – Follow-up call

If, after a week or so after your follow-up email, you still haven’t had a reply, there is no harm in actually calling the studio and just asking.

Tell them you are following up on the showreel you sent and any freelancing opportunities they might have.

Often you may find it hasn’t even been seen. At this point, you can ask for the correct person to direct it to, or they may send you their freelance supplier form.

8 – Let’s get real

I’m not going to sugar-coat things; I want to prepare my readers for the real world and be realistic.

Be prepared for many letdowns or no response, but there is a golden opportunity you can win here. 

If they reply with, “you are not suitable”, for some reason, you can ask why. It’s your one chance to get professional feedback and make changes. 

Don’t take things to heart. It’s constructive criticism and can only help you improve!

9 – That one winning reply

You only need that one reply that someone is interested, or “Good timing, we have a project we need help on”

Now set up a video call or in-person meeting to introduce yourself and learn more about the project.

10 – Your skillset

It’s essential you be very honest about your level and skillset.  You want to challenge yourself and learn on each new project but stay in your comfort zone on your first projects to prove your worth and reliability.

The snowball effect

The first projects are the most difficult to win as your showreel may just contain college or course work, you have no paid experience, etc. 

But for every professional project you win, you can add to your showreel and update your CV with your new experience, making you more employable each time.

Building rapport

If you prove to be valuable to the studio, you have the potential to work for them again and again, a repeat client for years!

Treat them with respect and soak up any knowledge you can from them.

You’ll probably find you will learn more in your first-year freelancing in the real world than years at college, but it’s all part of the growth.