Do you have big dreams to become a famous animator that everyone knows? You want to be a well-known animator, but you don’t know how you could achieve this through freelancing.
People can frequently misjudge how much potential and growth comes from being an animation freelancer. Starting your animation career as a freelancer can get you on the right track, and this is seen through many famous animators' successful careers.
Numerous famous animators have used freelancing at some point in their careers, as it’s a great way to grow as an animator and become more skilled.
Every animator has a different story for their success, but they all have a similar journey filled with obstacles and solutions. It’s these success stories that help you to learn how to become the next best animator!
In this blog post, we’ll discuss many of the top and famous animators who started off their careers as freelance animators. From this, you’ll learn that you too can make a break into the animation industry by starting as a freelancer.
3 Famous Animators that Started Their Career as Freelancers
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Seeing other people succeed from freelancing can inspire you and give you the hope you need to pursue freelancing. Many famous animators started off their careers with freelancing, and this can motivate you to pursue this career path.
Other top animators still find ways to integrate freelancing into their animation careers, as it provides them with many benefits. These are just three great animators who have navigated their animation careers through freelancing.
Rebecca Parham
Photo via DotLocal.org
YouTube animation has become extremely popular, and it’s a great platform for animators to get their work out there. Top Youtube animators should be animators you look into, as they can inspire you to explore freelance animation through Youtube.
There are many famous animation youtube channels, Let Me Explain Studios is just one of them. Rebecca is the founder and CEO of Let Me Explain and she got to this success by starting off her career with freelancing.
Seth MacFarlane
Photo via The New York Times
Seth MacFarlane is a talented and famous animator who dabbles in many different areas of the film industry. He’s best known in the animation industry for working on Family Guy, The Cleveland Show, and American Dad. He’s also worked for Walt Disney.
He accomplished a lot through working as a freelancer for Walt Disney TV Animation. This freelancing gig helped him to grow as an animator, as he learned a lot about writing for animation.
Charlotte Temple
Photo via LinkedIn
Charlotte Temple is an up-and-coming animator who has done well for herself as a freelancer. Charlotte is a great example of a successful modern animator, as she has advanced her career as a freelancer.
She has worked with many well-known companies such as Cosmopolitan UK and BBCandBBC Three. Her success story shows that freelancing is really the way of the future. You may find that exploring freelancing as an animator can open up many doors for you, just like it did for Charlotte.
How To Use Freelancing To Become A Famous Animator
GIF by Reddit via Giphy
There are many different ways that freelancing can help your animation career. One way it can help you is by being a great starting point for your career.
As a newbie in the animation world, it can be challenging to know where to start and how to become a famous animator. You lack experience and expertise, as well as you may find it difficult to navigate a direction for your career.
Getting into freelancing helps you to dive into the deep end, as you’re able to practice animation for different clients.
It’s also great for people getting introduced into the animation community, as you can manage your work, due to flexibility and control over your workload. This helps you to ease into your career.
Freelancing can provide more opportunities for less experienced animators, as it’s easier to find work as a freelancer than finding a full-time position. This allows you to find a starting point for your career, and you gain experience that allows you to work your way up in the animation field.
You can also use freelancing to explore different aspects of the animation industry. You may find that different clients you freelance with ask for different requirements and services.
Each client has their own objective for your work, and through this, you’ll be exposed to various forms of work and animation techniques.
You may find that you gain experience in all the different aspects of freelance animation such as:
- 2D animation
- 3D animation
- Special effects
- Graphic design
GIF by Rick and Morty via GIPHY
Learning various skills and techniques from freelancing, helps you to become a better, more sought-after animator. Being a versatile animator will always work in your favor, as it’ll get you a step closer to becoming the successful, famous animator you’ve always dreamed of becoming.
Freelancing is not only beneficial for newcomers in the animation industry, but it also allows experienced and more established animators to explore their animation career once.
You can gain experience in different aspects of the animation industry and this can help you to decide what direction your animation career should go in.
Once you do freelancing, you learn about the business of animation, due to your understanding of many different aspects of the animation industry. This makes you more knowledgeable and well-equipped to one day run your own animation business.
From freelancing, you can become a hard, diligent worker, as it requires you to be responsible and independent. You don’t have a boss to manage or oversee everything you’re doing. You must ensure you’re staying on top of your workload, so you provide good quality content to your clients.
Being a freelancer opens up so many doors for you. You may use it as a starting point that gets you into the industry, or you could use it as a stepping stone to finding out what part of animating is most suitable for you. You could even start your own animation studio or business. With all of these opportunities, you’re more likely to become a famous animator.
Becoming a Freelance Animator
Are you ready to pursue freelancing, so you can achieve your dream of becoming a famous animator? If so, it’s time to learn how you can become a freelancer.
You may think that it would be challenging to pursue freelancing as an animator, but it’s easier than you might think, especially if you’re looking in the right places.
To look for work as an animator, you should look at freelancing websites such as Upwork and Fiverr. These platforms provide you with many freelancing opportunities that get you out there as a freelance animator.
There are many more sites and platforms that provide great opportunities for animators. You must do your research and ensure that you put together a portfolio that wow your potential clients.
Tips for Success from Famous Animators
GIF by The Simpsons via GIPHY
You are capable of becoming the next famous animator but in order to get there, you should use some guidance from people who have succeeded already. These are some tips for success that famous animators have used to get to where they are today:
- Develop your skills. As a freelance animator, your skills define your value. If you have a variety of animation skills, this will make you highly sought after by animation businesses. Building up your skillset will help you to land more freelancing jobs.
- Utilize social media. Social media is a crucial part of being a freelancer, as it can boost your career drastically. You can find lots of freelance work through social media platforms such as LinkedIn.
Having a presence online also helps you to find more clients, as well as you, keep up-to-date with the animation industry. Social media provides you with a platform that allows you to do some well-needed networking. - Be open-minded. When you’re a freelancer, you deal with all sorts of clients. This makes it important for you to work with an open mind. Not every client will want the same style of work, so keep this in consideration.
- Work on personal projects. Although you should focus on your career as a freelance animator, you should also work on your own projects.
Doing your own projects on the side helps you to explore your passion for animation, as well as it provides you with another avenue for growth. Your personal projects will also give you your own voice as a famous animator.
How Freelancing Has Helped These Famous Animators
Although you may have big dreams and goals that go beyond just freelancing, there’s so much good that freelancing can do for your career. It’s a great starting point if you have less experience and you’re trying to find your way into the industry.
There’s so much you can learn from doing freelance work and this can help you to grow and improve as an animator.
To learn more about becoming a successful, famous animator we recommend watching our free masterclass and downloading a copy of our free marketing handbook and checking out our blog on “How to Start an Animation Studio”!
