Meeting Overview, 2/03/12

Hello all! This is a long post, so just be prepared. :)

A reminder:

- Keep an eye out for the Internship Deadlines Calender that we'll be posting on the bulletin board in the Media Labs. Feel free to add any other deadlines you know about! We'll also make a version of this calendar available on the blog as soon as it's finished.

We had a really great evening full of tips on how to network and manage your online presence, given by our fearless leader: Rico Jackson. Here are some notes from the presentation:

BLOGS

First of all, GET A BLOG – Blogger, preferably, just because of the amount of people in the industry who use it. Then, follow other blogs! Find artists whose work you respect and enjoy. Build a network of inspiration!

If possible, be number one on google when you search for your name. You want people searching for you to find your work as easily as possible. You can do this by giving yourself pageviews!

Make posts! Keep up with posting! REGULARLY. Post like once a week. People who don't post in years can look bad.

Also, get a banner! You've got to keep people's attention and advertise yourself as an artist. This is the age of people too lazy to google things. You have a couple of seconds to capture your audience. People will associate your banner with your blog/you.

Set a profile picture. An illustrated one! Change your picture frequently. Or not. Decide whether or not you want people to associate a single image with you, or if you'd rather change things up and keep them on their toes.

Unfollow, re-follow. Seems silly, but it works. It gets your picture back up at the top.This could be important for big-name blogs who only look at their first 10 followers or so.

Comment back on other people's blogs, to make sure they see it.

Tag things with key words! Like, Pixar, Brave, etc, when relevant. People searching Blogspot for these key phrases will find your blog.

PORTFOLIO ADVICE FOR BLOGS

• Have style variation. Show that you can do a variety of styles.
• Show personality in the MOMENT. Something should be happening to that character in that moment.
• Show lots of perspective, different views – not just turn-arounds, but turn-arounds with different camera angles.
• Have recurring characters in multiple posts. Talk about them more than once!
• Show your process. Have sketches all the way to finished pieces. Show raw work that hasn't been edited.
• 40+ pages

FACEBOOK

Facebook CAN be a good networking tool. You want as many people looking at your work as possible. You never know where new roads will lead.

When you post updates to blogs, POST TO YOUR FACEBOOK. People will see it, like it, comment on it, and this will result in more page views. Tag people that are relevant to your posts! Or if you just want them to see something.

TWITTER

Have one! Follow big studios on twitter. They often post about up-and-coming projects, as well as seek positions for said projects through social media like Twitter! Tweet to them and they may follow you back! Post links to your blog posts. The More eyes on your work the better!

LINKED IN

Like Facebook, but for professionals!

You can easily find connections to industry professionals through other members (like professors).

Look at "Recent Activity" for big companies, like Pixar. Look for new interns, for example. You can email them, and it's much less intimidating! They may be very forthcoming with advice.

Try emails! Who knows whether or not it will work?

IN PERSON

Rico - "Networking is just like being in a nightclub. You see a fine cutie across the floor, you gotta go after them! They're not gonna come after you."

Be personable! Have a business card. Yes, it's going to be awkward. Play that up! Make it funny, it'll be fine.

IMPORTANT ADVICE: Never gossip in the industry, or talk bad about co-workers or previous employers. The industry IS a small place. It WILL get back to your higher-ups and may result in not getting a certain job, losing a job, or even getting blacklisted.

And that's about it! We hope it was helpful, and that everyone learned something.

Here's a schedule for the rest of February:

Friday, February 10th - Digital Painting Demo with Wes Talbott
Friday, February 17th - Movie Night - Cats Don't Dance!
Friday, February 24th - Tutorial on How to Draw Feet with Bethany Craig

See you there! :)