internships

First off I'd like to say congrats to Aaron for getting an internship over at MAKE, well done man.

My question is; how on earth does anyone go about getting one? Do you need prior experience or anything to apply? How did you go about getting one Aaron?

Aaron got an internship at MAKE?! 'Grats man... !

As for getting one - I'm guessing connections help

Wowzers he did?

Thats fantastic, well done.

We should just turn this into simplyMAKE

I got an internship teaching at my school, all I did was ask the Education Co-ordinator / HR guy, and said, "hey, I'd like to ask you for an internship, I could really use the experience and help with my network, and I could work for you doing 'whatever' (then list assets you can bring to the company), don't talk about salary at first, and if it is unpaid (and you don't need the money) take it anyway, it is worth it, unless you are doing a ton of work.

Heh, Thanks everyone on the congrats first off! you really know how to make a guy feel swell!

Well iest rob, I dont know any magic bullet, or fancy tricks on gettting an internship anywhere, but i can tell you how this one came around. Around last summer i was interested in Interning at MAKE, so i asked Tyson what the place was like, and what i would need to do to get an internship. An most importantly where my work skill needed to be at. Tyson gave some rather truthfull/harsh remarks where i was lacking. I've sence been trying to work on those areas. I was planning on putting a strong reel together this winter break and go into all the local studios and ask for an internship / part time / whatever positions.

So Danny, as mentioned in Zach's post, was cruzin' the net and had seen some of my work. He asked around, and found i was interested in a position.

Thanks a bunch to Tyson, who had denied having anything to do with it, i doubt it would have come about without knowing him. Which is the second part of what helped. Networking, and get your work out there!

I had dropped by MAKE before to see what it was like, much like other perspective studios around town, like Pixelfarm, and Fischer edit. Just kind-of dropping by for any excuse, and letting them know who you are. When i stopped by Pixelfarm my excuse was to meet a friend who didn't even work there, he was just freelancing for one job. I stopped by and introduced myslef. When i went to Fischer Edit it was for submitting something for the Minnesota Electronic Theater. They asked you to mail it in, but it was only a few blocks from where i go to school, i just carried it over there and introduced myself.

Another great way to let people know who you are is by going animation / vfx events. I've been to both local Minnesota and the National SIGGRAPH events, which if dosent seem to help you get a job, it lets you know where the status of the industry is at, and what the climate is. So if you arent there, you know where to go. Also another way I got on the local radar was having entered the schools film festival, which Zach actually was a judge at! (thanks for the first place man). Any way you can let people around you know what you are doing.

So to sum it up, have a goal, and work hard.

Hey all, sorry been away Christmas shopping lately, and haven't been able to reply.

Thanks a lot for the input, it's shed a whole lot of light on stuff. This new year now I'm just gonna work super hard and do all sorts of stuff. I'm moving away to live in Cardiff hopefully around Feb, and once im there, im just goin to pester all the animation company's that's about, make myself known.

Im also going to apply to animation mentor for the Spring 07 intake, no doubt that's going to help me a lot!

Im thinking of going over to SIGGRAPH with Rich, anyone else thinking of going over this new year?

Always thinking of going, but you can never foresee where you'll be in 6 months time.

I am going to take advantage of my last chance to go as a student, (it saves you about $450 on admission!) because it is definetly worth it, especially when you pack your room with other people...cheapness.

Have you got a website or anything up Aaron?

Looking at your profile - it's been exactly a year since you joined SimplyCG!

I can't believe I've been here since May!

I can't believe i've been here since the beginning

I cant' believe it's not butter.

-Z

i can't believe... um... i don't know. That Britney Spears had babies and they weren't mine? No...

That Huey Lewis and the News ever faded into obscurity? No...

That Cam will still be hanging around here in 6 months when he's the richest person in NZ and owns 42.8% of the internet? yeah, thats the one!

oh, and i'll try to be in on the SimplyCG Siggraph group if we get one together! maybe we can all pitch in and get a booth! and baseball hats! and the T-shirts (finally!)!

i'm just thinking aloud here...