Where Pixar Artists Come From

Forget slaving away at a fancy art school for four years, as it turns out all you have to do is make some copies and draw a smiley face or two on a coffee mug.



CGSociety has a great article on Jason Deamer, Character Art Director for Pixar.

So, when Jimmy Hayward, a skateboarding friend and Pixar animator, told him that Pixar was hiring office help, he applied. “It was right after ‘Toy Story,’” he says. “I knew about Pixar because I had seen their shorts in animation festivals, but it didn’t occur to me there would be any future for me at Pixar. I thought I’d just be moving furniture.”

And, that’s what he did. Moved furniture, fetched sandwiches, made copies, sat at the front desk and walked through hallways filled with production art for ‘Monsters, Inc.’ and ‘A Bug’s Life.’ In his spare time, he doodled.

It's a great read, and always inspiring to see someone who doesn't mind getting in on the ground floor and working their way up through a company like Pixar.

I've been drawing faces on thong underpants and leaving them around my office building, so we'll see where that takes me.

EDIT: I'm an idiot and forgot the link...

CG Society Article On Jason Deamer