Profile: Abramson
IA: I do love to do my own thing, so it just seems to make sense. I don’t necessarily need to be part of a big studio system, especially the way things are set up these days. The industry in general was making a shift, moving less from big-studio systems to more of the mom-&-pop shops that were opening up, because the software was becoming more accessible to everybody. It was going towards a lot more freelance-based jobs and projects-based jobs, rather than people on staff and in-house for long periods of time.
And I felt that instead of working for just one large studio, I could just work for a bunch of smaller studios in addition to the large studios. I could be independent, and that way cover a lot more ground. Now I’m brought on for different projects, to staff freelance projects, to find staff people for a client, so that way I can work in all different areas. I get to cover broadcast design, features, series, 2-D.
Image courtesy of Ila Abramson
JF: What is unique about the animation community?
IA: I think animation attracts a different type of person. There’s a certain levity and a certain sense of humor, and I felt that working in animation I was really working very closely with the artists themselves. I like the pace and the projects that we work on – I think there’s a real creativity there.
JF: Is there more money for people who manage artists than for the artists themselves?
IA: I wouldn’t say that, I would say that every studio and project is very different, and everybody’s able to make a living doing what they love, so I don’t think there’s a huge discrepancy. I think it depends on the individuals and the projects and the different studio. I think overall, if you’re good, and you’re integral, and you contribute a lot to a project, you’ll do fine.JF: How does someone catch your radar?
IA: I just look for people who are good at what they do, who have a true passion for it, whatever that passion may be. Something I always tell students is that it’s really easy to get bogged down in a lot of different details and to lose one’s focus, but I think if you know what you want to do and have strength in one area, then just focus on that strength, and build your work accordingly.JF: What’s in high demand right now?
IA: Right now there’s a real range to what’s out there. I feel the industry has reached a real high that we haven’t had in a while. New York, especially, is back. Flash animation series are big, broadcast design, obviously CG features. There are highs and lows, but right now I feel it’s been a really healthy industry, for both staff and freelance jobs. I know freelancers who have been working constantly for the past 5 years.