Verge is on my Nerves

Next week is going to be one of the most hectic for my company, and for me. First of all, we are moving into a new building. This is going to be fantastic, as we are going to have better power, more room, more parking, just overall a nicer place for the artists, and for clients. I'm SUPER stoked; this has been a long time in coming, and I finally feel like the business is ready. Subsequent to the space search, I am also developing some new clients. There is a feature film with VFX that is coming around the bend after I bid it nearly 8 months ago. I am also vying for a place at the table to produce some animation for a very popular TV show, to be revealed later. My animated TV pilot test is getting good response from producers, so we'll see where that goes. Finally, one of the two animated feature scripts I co-wrote is getting lots of interest; it may see some development form a large studio in short time!

I am focusing very hard on making a shift with my company now. Starting an animation studio is the surest way to guarantee you don't ever animate anything. Between meetings, deliveries, supervising, and all the intermediate tasks needed to create 3D imagery for which the budget will not support hiring on another person, I have not a second to spare during the day. I also spend at least two hours a day on the phone. That's supposed to be a good thing; I once read a book that said that if you are not spending 1/4 of your time working on developing the business, you're not doing it right. But it doesn't feel right, to an "animator" (quotations added to emphasize skepticism). I once read or watched an interview with Pete Doctor in which he said he got to animate a few shots in Monsters. That is what I call balance. I didn't even get a minute to try and contribute to the AM alumni "Pass the Ball" collaborative project this month, and the deadline passed. And I feel terrible about it. No, it's time for a shift. From here on in, I am going to staff and budget the projects that my company undertakes, to make absolutely certain I get to pitch in on the line. A few shots at least, with every project, and maybe I'll regain some of my inclusion in the craft. There's no excuse for letting oneself get so far removed from the art that you have to take a second when starting a shot to remind yourself of your work flow, there just isn't. I have to animate again!