St. Clair Animation Students Land Great Jobs As Industry Booms

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More than half of the graduating class of students in the Animation 2D/3D program at St. Clair College have landed jobs, even before they have graduated.

“We have worked very hard to ensure that the caliber of our graduates is matched with the industry,” says Richard Moy, Coordinator of the program. “We have made some changes to the program based on industry feedback and it’s paying off.”

The college says that a booming animation industry has proven to be a big win for students graduating from the program. There are a number of companies that the Faculty in the program keep in close contact with so that helps students get an early shot at applying and landing some great jobs.

“This program has more than15 years of history turning out great animators, a track record we are proud of,” says Moy. “The employers through the years have commented on how well they work in a team setting and that they can walk in day one and hit the ground running.”

Studios like 9 Story Entertainment in Toronto have between 25 and 30 St. Clair grads and they keep coming back for more every year. Mike Yunker, Lead Animator for 9 Story is thrilled with the caliber of St. Clair’s grads. “They have been consistently up to the pressures of studio schedules and have arrived capable, humble and willing to learn. I know of at least 20 St. Clair grads at 9Story and I expect to see more in the coming years.”

According to Yunker the urgency to find talented graduates this early is a little unusual however it is a boom time for new television content as streaming channels such as Netflix are searching for original content.

So far, four students have been hired by Legend 3D in Toronto, four students went out to Halifax to DHX Media, and one student is off to nine Story Entertainment. The faculty expect more graduates from this class to find work soon.

“This is a great validation of the strength of our program,” says Moy. “I would stack it up against any Animation program in the province.”

Cassandra Giles, Kristie Thomson, Alex Gervais and Josh Murr (in the photo attached) have all made their way out to DHX in Halifax and will all be working on the release of a new animated kids show. The title is still top secret. Kristie Thomson is thrilled to be going and even more excited that she’s going with some classmates.

“You always hope that the work you do in class and the things you learn will pay off. This is so very exciting and we could not be happier to be going together to work on this new show.”