Short answer: not much. Our focus at Studios is developing and producing shorts and series that come from awesome creators.

Channel Frederator Network connects independent artists and animators to one another and to other industry professionals, as well as to resources that help them grow their online followings, especially their YouTube audiences.

We will say, though: pitches that come from members of the Channel Frederator Network are flagged as such, and there are many talented potential creators in that pool.

If we’re being real: you don’t need a college education to become any sort of visual or performing artist. You just have to be good at what you do.

However, gaining the skills required to work as an independent animator requires a massive amount of time, work and dedication. And to get to the level that you’re hireable by a major, or even a small, studio, if that is what you’re after, is a whole other ballpark.

It’s no surprise then, that schools like SCAD, CalArts, RISD, USC, UCLA and SVA often serve as feeders into the studios—especially considering that some of their curriculums are built around the skills that studios look for in new hires. If you can become a student of a top animation program in the US – or schools like Seneca in Canada, or SCAD in Hong Kong – then congratulations: you’ve won a place near the front of a very competitive pack.

But even if a traditional Uni education isn’t for you, you have plenty of options that will help you hone your skills as an animator and creative. There are online and in-person animation programs that work with students of all experience and skill levels; seek them out in your area. Find great teachers who will help you build your portfolio and network. A lack of a degree won’t hold you back, if the quality and uniqueness of your creative work and ideas are propelling you forward. A degree on paper does not equate to talent or worth in the arts.

And perhaps the most important thing about working in animation, or any creative industry: be a good person. Treat everyone with respect. That will take you far, and it isn’t anything anyone can learn in a classroom.

Keep checking our jobs page; positions open up periodically.

Usually, our cartoon creators come in the door knowing who they want for a composer, even at the pitch stage. Most series only have one or two people handling the music, so it’s a pretty tough gig to get – but you probably knew that already.

The best opportunity to get your musical feet wet with us is through one of our stand-alone cartoons, so keep your eyes & ears open for when we’re producing our next shorts anthology. On our last round of shorts, GO! Cartoons, we worked with just three new (well, you know, new to us) composers out of twelve films.

But still: we’d love to hear you / hear from you then.

As far as voice acting goes, you can only imagine how many requests for roles we receive. At this point, it’s darn near impossible to get on our current series, as the writers tend to have someone in mind for guest and new roles. Plus, most of our cartoons are cast with local union actors.

But if you want to be a voice actor, pursue it! The only way to start is to start.

Here’s a helpful advice post of ours that gives a lot of general info on where to begin.

This video, The Business of Voice-over, is also worth a watch.

And here’s some advice from Erin Fitzgerald. She mentions voices.com and voices123.com, both of which are worth checking out, as they cater to non-union actors.

And finally, give a looksie to the book Voiceovers by Janet Wilcox; it’s a great resource, too.

We’ll hope to hear you around soon.

If we didn’t cover what’s on your mind, please shoot us an email at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help you out.

Oh, haven’t you heard? Frederator loves you!