Careers in Animation

By Willy Franzen

Looking for an entry level job or internship in animation? Here's an overview of how to approach the search and a list of companies that might have entry level and internship opportunities that will interest you.

See companies with animation careers or search the latest animation jobs and internships.

Photo Credit: Flickr user dyashman

Every animation you watch, from a full-screen feature to a two-minute clip on Youtube, takes a lot of work to make. The animation itself can be divided into two rough areas: the art and the programming. In both cases, standing out with an outstanding demo reel or portfolio is the best way to get a job in animation.

If the art of animation interests you, then some possible careers include a 2D or 3D animator, a digital cel animator, a character designer, or a mixed media animator, depending on where your animation interests lie. If the programming interests you more, jobs in software development and production–writing the scripts that make the animations animate–would be more up your alley. No matter which side of animation interests you more, knowing a little about the other part of animation will only help you.

While entering a career in entertainment is a popular option, it’s not the only one. Game companies, movie studios, and cartoon channels employ a lot of animators, but simulations and virtual reality are becoming more common, and animations are often used for training as well.

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Animation

Team Detroit - Team Detroit is an ad agency that in 2006 brought together parts of five legendary agencies that were under the same ownership and already working with Ford.

See the complete Team Detroit profile

Job Title	Location
Business Development Associate	United States
Clinical Psychologist	United States
Sr. Clinical Research Associate (CRA) - Ph I Oncology	United States
Regional & OTR Company Drivers	Detroit, MI
CDL A: $0.47/mile Solo &$0.54/mile Team & receive $5,000 BONUS	Detroit, MI

See all 16,565 job postings

Gameloft - Gameloft is a New York, NY based company that allows its “fans to play games anywhere, anytime, and on any digital platform.”

See the complete Gameloft profile

Job Title	Location
Game Design Intern	New York, NY
Game Economy Designer	New York, NY
Programming Intern	New York, NY
Animator	New Orleans, LA
Research Analyst	New York, NY

See all 33 job postings

Healthline - Healthline is a San Francisco, CA based company that has built “the largest, most clinically accurate classification of health information available on the web.”

See the complete Healthline profile

Job Title	Location
Production Assistant	San Francisco, CA
Staff Writer, The News Division	Washington, DC
HR Intern	San Francisco, CA
Associate Editor/Editor, The News Division	Washington, DC
Web Developer	Charlotte, NC

See all 48 job postings

Laika - Laika is a Hillsboro and Portland, OR based “animation company specializing in feature films, commercials and short films.”

See the complete Laika profile

Job Title	Location
CG Texture Artist Intern - Fall 2014	Hillsboro, OR
CG Modeling Intern - Fall 2014	Hillsboro, OR
HR Coordinator	Hillsboro, OR
Administrative Coordinator	Hillsboro, OR
Freelance Reception Coordinator - Future	Hillsboro, OR

See all 7 job postings

Pocket Gems - Pocket Gems is a San Francisco, CA based company that “develops free-to-play mobile games that are ridiculously fun.”

See the complete Pocket Gems profile

Job Title	Location
Product Manager: New Games	Redwood City, CA
Product Manager: Monetization	Redwood City, CA
3D Technical Art Lead	San Francisco, CA
Episode, Intern	San Francisco, CA
Performance Marketing Lead	San Francisco, CA

See all 33 job postings

Fuhu - Fuhu is an El Segundo, CA based company aiming to be "the leading designer, seller and innovator of ‘thoughtful’ consumer products and services for children.”

See the complete Fuhu profile

Job Title	Location
Receptionist	Los Angeles, CA
Character Animator	Los Angeles, CA
Unity Animator	Los Angeles, CA
Jr. Animator	Los Angeles, CA
Game Development - Artist/Animator (DENVER)	Denver, CO

See all 56 job postings

Crunchyroll - Crunchyroll is a San Francisco, CA and Tokyo, Japan based company that offers “the leading global video service for Japanese Anime and Asian media.”

See the complete Crunchyroll profile

Job Title	Location
Visual Designer	San Francisco, CA
UX Researcher	San Francisco, CA
Quality Assurance Analyst	United States
Subtitle Script Editor (Korean)	San Francisco, CA
Subtitle Script Editor (Japanese)	San Francisco, CA

See all 42 job postings

G2 - G2 is a marketing communications agency that helps its clients sell more. They have offices in NYC, San Francisco, Chicago, and Philadelphia.

See the complete G2 profile

Job Title	Location
ASPO HQDA G2 OPO	Arlington, VA
Outside B2B Business Consultant	Los Angeles, CA
Outside B2B Business Consultant	Nashville, TN
Need computer repair	Orlando, FL
Physician - Director of Emergency Department	Leavenworth, KS

See all 208 job postings

Industry Weapon - Industry Weapon is a Pittsburgh, PA based company that offers a platform makes controlling digital media simple by centralizing and organizing it.

See the complete Industry Weapon profile

Job Title	Location
Quality Assurance Summer Internship	Pittsburgh, PA
Software Engineer	Oviedo, FL
SharePoint Consultant- Patuxent River	Lexington Park, MD
Inside New Business Account Executive	Pittsburgh, PA
Subject Matter Expert	Washington, DC

See all 966 job postings

Trailer Park - Trailer Park is a Hollywood, CA based full-service entertainment marketing agency that serves “a broad spectrum of clients."

See the complete Trailer Park profile

Job Title	Location
Need a Junk Removal Specialist	Santa Monica, CA
Need bed bug extermination	Bellflower, CA
Entry Level Manufacturing (Golden)	Black Hawk, CO
Regional Freight, Home Weekends!!	Newark, NJ
Need interior design	Pismo Beach, CA

See all 543 job postings

J. Crew - J. Crew is a New York, NY based apparel retailer that started with a catalog in 1983 and is known for its preppiness, but that may be changing.

See the complete J. Crew profile

Job Title	Location
Military Operations Specialist	Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
Store Director	Fairfax, VA
Accounting and Billing Assistant	Houston, TX
District Manager - Wireline Cased-Hole Operations	Sidney, MT
Summer Intern - Merchandising	New York, NY

See all 497 job postings

Edventure More - Edventure More is a San Francisco, CA based non-profit that “inspires the playful pursuit of enrichment for the next generation.”

See the complete Edventure More profile

Job Title	Location
Vice President(Global Account Leader) - New York, NY	New York, NY
Camp EdTech App Design and Programming Instructor (5th-8th) - Los Altos	Los Altos, CA
Non Profit Office Administrative Assistant	San Francisco, CA
Camp Edmo Art Instructor (K-4th)- Alameda	Alameda, CA
Camp Edmo Animation Instructor (2nd-4th)- Los Altos	Los Altos, CA

See all 7 job postings

Arkadium - Arkadium is a New York, NY based company that develops “casual, mobile, social, and Windows 8 games.”

See the complete Arkadium profile

Job Title	Location
Fall Semester Game Design Intern	New York, NY
Business to Business Intern - New York	New York, NY
Fall Semester Game Art Intern	New York, NY
Director of Game Design, New York	New York, NY
Fall Semester Data Intelligence Intern	New York, NY

See all 3 job postings

Tremor Video - Tremor Video is a New York, NY based company that is working hard to increase engagement with video advertising.

See the complete Tremor Video profile

Job Title	Location
Research Assistant	Stanford, CA
Senior Linux Engineer	Mountain View, CA
Creative UI/UX Designer (Contract)	New York, NY
Technical Recruiter	New York, NY
Publisher Development, Mobile	New York, NY

See all 47 job postings

Z2Live - Z2Live is a Seattle, WA based company that “creates original next-generation, free-to-play, social and multiplayer games for mobile devices.”

See the complete Z2Live profile

Job Title	Location
Product Manager	Seattle, WA

See all 1 job postings

JESS3 - JESS3is a Los Angeles, CA based “creative interactive agency that specializes in the art of data visualization

See the complete JESS3 profile

No current job openings.

TrainSignal - TrainSignal is a Schaumburg, IL based company that helps people improve themselves through video software training, and they're hiring.

See the complete TrainSignal profile

No current job openings.

Hill Holliday - If you’re digging Hill Holliday’s portfolio, then you’re in luck, because they also appear to be an awesome place to work.

See the complete Hill Holliday profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Account Executive- Public Relations	Greenville, SC
Associate Creative Director- Copy	Greenville, SC
Content Editor	Boston, MA
Media Planner	Greenville, SC
Studio Designer	Boston, MA

See all 6 job postings

Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia - If you enjoy Martha Stewart and want to work on the media or merchandise side, you definitely need to take a look at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s Careers.

See the complete Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia profile

Job Title	Location
Assistant Digital Editor	New York, NY
Syndicated Analyst, Research & Insights	New York, NY
Customer Success Maven	Washington, DC
Administrative Assistant, Merchandising	New York, NY
Digital Project Manager	New York, NY

See all 18 job postings

38 Studios - 38 Studios is “combining the ages-old art of the story with 21st century interactive entertainment" and they're hiring lots of people to help achieve this.

See the complete 38 Studios profile

Job Title	Location
Business Analyst II	Detroit, MI
Sr. Software Engineer	Boston, MA
Interior Car Design/ Stylist	Newport Beach, CA
SDET - Testers	Salt Lake City, UT
Healthcare Tech Company seeks Sr Business Intelligence Architect	Columbus, OH

See all 24 job postings

Organic Motion - The technology behind Organic Motion is pretty complex, so you should probably read up on it before considering a job with them.

See the complete Organic Motion profile

Job Title	Location
General Manager	Philadelphia, PA
Assistant General Manager/Manager	New York, NY
Engineer, Staff Pipeline Integrity	Houston, TX
User Experience Specialist	Princeton, NJ
Production Engineer - Customer Facing	New York, NY

See all 135 job postings

Lucasfilm - Lucasfilm is a dream employer for many, and if you’re not insanely fanatical, you’re probably not going to be a great fit (unless you’re just really good).

See the complete Lucasfilm profile

Job Title	Location
ILM UK Production Data Assistant	London, CA
ILM UK Production Assistant	London, CA
Content Writer	San Francisco, CA
Art Dept Production Assistant	San Francisco, CA
SVP, Digital Marketing	Burbank, CA

See all 24 job postings

Watercooler - Watercooler has already raised $9.5 million in venture capital, so they’re certainly in a growth stage. This is also evident when you look at their Jobs page.

See the complete Watercooler profile

Job Title	Location
Fall 2014 HLNtv.com Intern - Entertainment and Media Industry Opportunity	Atlanta, GA
Need PC computer repair	Fort Worth, TX
User Experience Designer	New York, NY
Application Designer	New York, NY
Associate Product Manager/Product Manager - Data	San Francisco, CA

See all 10 job postings

DreamBox Learning - The founder of Netflix is putting a ton of money and attention into online education, and if you want to join him, check out Jobs at DreamBox Learning.

See the complete DreamBox Learning profile

Job Title	Location
Sales and Marketing Administrator and Office Coordinator	Raleigh, NC
Instructional Technology Coach	Washington, DC
Instructional Technology Coach	Washington, DC
Instructional Technology Coach	Washington, DC
Quality Engineer - Content	Bellevue, WA

See all 9 job postings

Firstborn - The currently available jobs at NYC's Firstborn most likely to be suitable for new or recent grads are 3D/Motion Artist and Software Engineer.

See the complete Firstborn profile

Job Title	Location
RN~ICU	New Bedford, MA
Seeking Full-Time Nanny In Williamsburg	Williamsburg, MI
RNDialysis Manager	Martha's Vineyard, MA
RNICU	Fall River, MA
Nanny To Lovingly Care For Our Firstborn Son	Birmingham, AL

See all 6 job postings

Sportvision - Sportvision is constantly developing new technology to make sports more fun to watch on tv, and they're hiring new grads to help do it.

See the complete Sportvision profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Software Engineer, Digital Media Applications	Fremont, CA
Software Engineer	Fremont, CA
UI Product Designer	Fremont, CA

See all 3 job postings

Riot Games - With all of the recent investment, Riot Games is growing its headcount rapidly. Their Jobs page will show you that they have nearly two dozen full-time openings

See the complete Riot Games profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Development Director	Santa Monica, CA
3D Technical Art Lead	San Francisco, CA
Writer	Santa Monica, CA
Office Assistant- St. Louis	Clayton, MO
Game Designer	Santa Monica, CA

See all 240 job postings

Slide - Slide is very clearly growing, and as I mentioned in the opening of this post, they’re hiring a lot of new grads.

See the complete Slide profile

Job Title	Location
Senior Instructional Designer	Burlington, MA
Histology Technician	Oneida, NY
Assistant Scientist – Histology	Frederick, MD
Graphic Design and Interactive Media	O'Fallon, MO
Technical Assistant	Camden, SC

See all 5,827 job postings

Rockstar Games - It's amazing how many job openings Rockstar Games has, so whether you're an artist, programmer, or marketer, there's probably something for you.

See the complete Rockstar Games profile

Job Title	Location
Group Fitness Instructor (Part Time)	San Mateo, CA
Sales Associate	New York, NY
Closing Specialist	Philadelphia, PA
Certified Fitness Instructor (Part Time)	Mill Valley, CA
Certified Bootcamp Trainer (Part Time)	San Francisco, CA

See all 133 job postings

Bungie - I don’t know if it’s because unemployed people buy video games or it’s hard to find people w/ the right skills, but I’m shocked to see Bungie has 21 job openings

See the complete Bungie profile

Job Title	Location
Animator	Orange County, CA
Entry Level All Stars - Junior Producers/PA's	Novato, CA
Entry Level All Stars - Engineers	Novato, CA
Entry Level All Stars - Artists & Animators	Novato, CA
Entry Level All Stars - Game Designers	Novato, CA

See all 60 job postings

Kaos Studios - If you’re sitting around playing video games instead of diligently job seekeing, then you’re the reason that companies like Kaos Studios are on “a hiring binge”

See the complete Kaos Studios profile

No current job openings.

Blue Sky Studios - Entry level jobs at Blue SKy Studios include Production Assitant, Admin (Production), Temp Animator, Modeler, Character Designer and quite a few more.

See the complete Blue Sky Studios profile

Job Title	Location
Ninja Sales Apprentice AKA Business Development Representative	Scottsdale, AZ
Rocketmade – Android Developer	Saint George, UT
Classics Brand Communications Manager	Canton, MA
Infrastructure Engineer (Blue Sky Studios)	Greenwich, CT
Infrastructure Engineer (Blue Sky Studios)	Greenwich, CT

See all 14 job postings

Blizzard Entertainment - Even in this down economy, Irvine, CA based Blizzard Entertainment, the company behind World of Warcraft, seems to be on a hiring binge.

See the complete Blizzard Entertainment profile

Job Title	Location
3D Technical Art Lead	San Francisco, CA
3D Character Animator	Irvine, CA
Concept / Visual Development Artist (Character)	Irvine, CA
Composers Assistant	Irvine, CA
Game Designer	Irvine, CA

See all 185 job postings

Marvel Enterprises - Are you a superhero whose alter ego is looking for a job? Just for cover, of course, because superheroes don't actually need to work. How about a job at Marvel?

See the complete Marvel Enterprises profile

Job Title	Location
Installation / Service Tech I	Nashville, TN
Installation Agent	Sacramento, CA
Associate Technical Support Engineer	Portland, OR
Junior Associate	Austin, TX
Junior Associate	Texas

See all 5 job postings

Pixar - Positions that new grads at Pixar are currently working in include Technical Director Resident, Animator, Software Engineer, Lighting Director, and Layout.

See the complete Pixar profile

Job Title	Location
Second Assistant Editor	Emeryville, CA
Product Designer – Intern	Mountain View, CA
Mobile Developer - Intern	Mountain View, CA
Assistant Mgr, Lic, HL, Animation&Pixar - Entertainment and Media Industry Opportunity	Glendale, CA
Brand Marketing Associate	San Francisco, CA

See all 57 job postings

Armstrong White - Armstrong White has a number of job openings that could presumably be good fits for new grads who love cars and are trying to get into Computer Graphics.

See the complete Armstrong White profile

Job Title	Location
Qualtiy Engineer	Erie, PA

See all 1 job postings

AngelVision Technologies - Based in Portland, OR, AngelVision Technologies creates “impact movies” that go beyond the normal text-based marketing that drives most online business.

See the complete AngelVision Technologies profile

No current job openings.

Check out the latest job and internship postings in animation.

See more companies with entry level jobs and internships in animation:

jobs by

Relevant Career Recommendations

Find similar career opportunities

Careers in Animation

Companies with Entry Level Jobs and Internships in Animation

See more companies with entry level jobs and internships in animation: