i spent $320 on a ticket to TAAFI and it was good but also… i felt alienated sometimes.

people would read me as not helpful toward their goals and I’d feel like a pest.

sometimes I met a friend or a peer or a mentor. that was kinda amazing.

I took notes. I learned there are many wild paths in the industry from pitching to pipeline to journalism, advertising and founding a studio.

So many people! I also learned the industry is currently crashing as animation companies lose work and turn to kids content for stability. They say the industry will return but it may be back to it’s old bullshit with underpaid studios undercutting each other for opportunities.

Below are my notes from the conference

animators

mike valiquette
- a booster - cartoon north
- roblox
- ask him for the roadmap deck to connect to young audiences
“keep maturing your model, grants and social media is not dependent on broadcasters”

Denver Jackson
“shorts get you grants”
“canadian screen awards”
“say yes to every meeting”

Tachim

Jam Filled, House of Cool

“make cool shit”
“become lean and make cool shit”
“its great to specialize but versatility”
rick - “its a bloodbath. but strikes are ending and people are optimistic. my advice is its going to be relatively short lived.

“there are funds for web series”
“dont focus on funding, focus on getting things done.”

Tabitha Fisher
Hey Men!
read the grant info of other films
companies give some support like Toon Boom
- why am I the only person in the world who can pull this off

Denver
- telefilm
Get your film into film festivals!
Get used to rejection 😢
- a producer helps figure things out
Talk to a producer


Tina Nawrocki
- people are visual
Get letters of support from people like professors and foreign media groups
- for crowdfunding do not give pins for people who give $5. stay DIGITAL

why do this? why make your own film?
to create your own opportunities
tell your own story
invest in yourself
test what you can do


to get beyond social media, into festivals:

start with local events
TAIS
Toronto animated image society
Fantasia in montreal
local animation festival

WIA - women in animation

a huge and diverse org. supporting women and gender nonconforming ppl.

Mind the Gap

Network, go to events, ask questions, volunteer and follow the breadcrumbs

There’s an awkward difficult push moment when you leap into the industry.

Fake it, keep pushing, lean on colleagues

Do late nights and free work to build portfolio 🥵

You’ll get turned down.

Don’t feel bad. You’re just starting.


Hugo van Essen
Ferdinand show


Teenage Euthanasia
- Start your own animation company, production company. get control
- writing more episodes lets you get to know the characters, you can bring other jokes into that world
- collaborating lets things grow. a great collab will deepen things

Perfectionism
- We believe perfection will save us but it’s actually keeping us from being seen and taking flight

- we have unhealthy expectations

- afraid to fail. not good enough.

watch futur with chris do talk about money

- quantity and quality
the clay study
- one group was graded on how many pots they made
- the other group was graded on the quality
- the best quality came from the quantity

stop motion - work with nature and embrace imperfections

- in the age of AI and CG, people want to see the hand made stuff. time lapses

- Yes, and
- Get it done and accept what you have

Go into the unknown
relinquish control

Let go. get it done and move on


Women of Red Ketchup
- Let women have agency and choices and wants
- Writing is all about characters having wants
- nuanced female characters and writers!


Reimagining Finances

I my money were a relationship it would be:
- avoidant
- inconsistent
- lovebombing
- isolating
- embarassing

I would want it to be
- freeing
- communicative


How can I develop my relationship with money to be more real, creative and positive?

Be curious! Bring yourself to the relationship


Creative Adaptability

Look Mom Productions

Dale from See Creature on MTL

I’m a filmmaker
NFB

You can just say you’re a studio and you are!

Show behind the scenes.

Make stuff

Think of yourself as a business

Connect business and art


Spike and Mike

https://www.skybound.com/spikeandmikefest

People can’t argue with numbers

Submit a weird film to Spike by Jan 3

Spiderverse

Matte painting backgrounds for purpose
Add a couple layers of stunning matte and the scene feels huge

Try a variety of design ideas


General lessons:

Make a pitch deck, storyboards, make a script!

Network and enter festivals

Don’t go with your first design

Take feedback