A meeting with the future, the insight of Todd Ramsay

         Last Wednesday our guest speaker from Yeti Farms Todd Ramsay came by to give knowledge and answer questions pertaining to the industry. Giving us his background of who he is and where he came from, I found a lot of pit falls to avoid as well as reaffirmed what I had already known giving me a better picture that what I want to achieve is possible. 

Todd came into the industry at the time where flash was prominent in the field and despite his education from VanArts he was unable to find a job until he learned flash on his own. This leads me to understand the skill alone will not guarantee work but the ability to work with the tools provided as well. I'm also given inspiration that he was able to build Yeti Farms alone from his home even during a period when he was still recovering from an injury. I also learned that I had meet a mutual of Todd's that worked for DC at one time and it showed me that the connections made here definitely branch far in this industry. Also as a side note it was good to learn the expectation when it comes to demo reels knowing to keep the best work at the front rather then leave it for last though that could also depend on the employer.

While I learned many reassuring things from him I also learned what hardships I may encounter as well. I wont be putting everything down here as some of it is personal reference but there are a few things to keep in mind that should pertain to everyone looking to get into this line of work. Anyone can pitch an idea in the company but if someone is going to pitch something, especially if a larger publisher is involved, expect that its integrity might be changed to fit the demographic that they're aiming at. I also learned to be wary of long term contracts as they tend to end once the work dries up. Of course all this is dependent and nothing is guaranteed so take what I say with a grain of salt so to speak.

Overall the talk was very informative and I look forward to applying all of this in the future.

Until next time, have a good one folks!

J.M.Verhagen.