This week we are still moving at full speed on our current projects. Toys”R”Us posted the first commercial of their Holiday Campaign on their YouTube channel that we have been working on. We work on all the individual shots, so it is nice to see them all edited together with final SFX. I included it on this post so you can watch it here.
I enjoy meeting with other professionals in the industry, and I always feel like I walk away from those meetings knowing so much more then before. I learn so much from talking to these people, but at the same time it can also stress me out. Learn about things that I feel I should have known, but didn’t always makes me worry about all the other things I might not know about. This week I had one of those experiences after meeting with a very knowledgeable proffesional. I left the conversation thinking about all the things I need to do to make my company better. These things include, but are not limited to legal protection, advertising, and security of our data. I think we are doing a pretty good job with all of these, but I also see ways we could make it better. This is something I really want to look into, so the company can be the best that it can be.
This also got me thinking about the company and its culture. At first I was thinking strictly about finding work, and doing the best job that we can, but I feel there is so much more then that. For example, what do our clients think of working with us, and how do the artists feel about working with us? I want people to enjoy working for the company, and truly want to be a part of what I’m trying to build. I don’t want to be looked at as simply a place to get a paycheck from. I want the company to be known for doing great work, but I also want a culture that is something to be proud of. So these are some of the things that I will be spending more time brainstorming. Please let me know in the comments of what you think makes a company a great place to work, or a company you want to do business with.
On Wednesday, I went to an event for any who has earned the BSA rank of Eagle Scout in the Los Angeles area. It was nice to get to talk with other Eagle Scouts about their scouting memories, and meet some really amazing people. Scouting has always been such a great part of my childhood, and I hope that my son will get to have similar experiences in scouting. At the event we had former Boy Scout, actor, and environmental activist Ed Begley, Jr. as our guest speaker. I got a chance to talk with him, and he is a very interesting man that makes you really think about ways that you can be more environmentally minded. This guy has a 10,000 gallon grey water tank under his house, and wind turbines on his roof for electricity. I met a lot of other people that are in the entertainment industry, and had a conversation with a producer that has an animation project that he wanted to talk to me about. He has a fun exciting project, and I look forward to our continued conversations.
Yesterday I went back to DreamWorks to visit some of my friends. It was great getting to see everyone and getting caught up with how everyone is doing. DreamWorks is such a great company, and there are some crazy talented and amazing people that work there. I’m still very happy with my decision to leave, and go off on my own. Maybe one day DreamWorks will ask my company to do some work for them. Wink-wink nudge-nudge for any DreamWorks executives reading this blog.
If you have not already, please join me on my journey by subscribing to my blog. Also, if you have any thoughts or advice I would love to hear what you have to say, so please feel free to leave me any comments below. Otherwise, be sure to stay connected with me on Twitter (@MillerAnimation). Only Time Will Tell.