Breaking into Animation: Titmouse Internship and Mentorship Opportunities

Titmouse, an independent award-winning animation production company, offers several avenues for aspiring artists and professionals to gain experience and break into the animation industry. These opportunities range from structured internships to mentorship programs, providing valuable hands-on learning and networking experiences. Titmouse employs over 700 talented individuals, including writers, producers, directors, storyboard artists, designers, animators, compositors, and editors. Their state-of-the-art facilities are used for popular TV shows like Big Mouth, The Legend of Vox Machina, and Star Trek: Lower Decks, as well as commercial work and digital content.

Internship Programs at Titmouse

Titmouse internships are designed to provide practical experience in a dynamic and innovative environment. These internships are currently unpaid and typically require the intern to receive academic credit from an accredited college institution. However, it's worth noting that many community colleges offer "internship courses" that can be taken to obtain academic credit, even if the college doesn't match the one the student currently attends.

Areas of Internship

Titmouse offers internships in various departments, including:

Artistic Roles: These internships focus on developing artistic skills in areas like storyboarding, design, and animation. Interns are given practice assignments using professional materials and are mentored by working professionals to create industry-standard work for their portfolios. It is unsure if the design or animation internships will be remote or in person. The Fall Internship lasts a total of 216 hours and requires 2-3 days a week based on the candidate and Titmouse team availability.
Business & Legal Affairs: Titmouse also seeks interns for its Business & Legal Affairs Department. The ideal candidate is pursuing a Juris Doctorate (JD) degree, possesses some experience with production contract drafting, and demonstrates a strong interest in the business and legal aspects of animation and the entertainment industry. This internship offers direct engagement with supervisors for assignment discussions, feedback, and industry insights, as well as opportunities to interact with executives and line producers.

Read also: Beginner's Guide to Animation

Internship Structure and Expectations

Interns can typically commit up to 40 hours per week, with a flexible schedule to accommodate academic commitments. Don't forget to attach your resume and cover letter.

The Titmouse Mentorship Program

The Titmouse Mentorship is an educational initiative that pairs aspiring artists with seasoned professionals for 1:1 mentorship.

Program Overview

The mentorship program is designed to provide promising new talent with artistic guidance in design or paint in animation. Mentees will be given practice assignments with professional materials and mentored by working professionals to create industry-standard work for their portfolio. It is an unpaid, voluntary program, and enrollment in school is not required to apply.

Mentorship Structure and Expectations

Mentees are expected to come into the office two days a week, depending on the mentor's availability. The program lasts a maximum of 216 hours over ten weeks. Mentees will not be creating any work for live productions.

Mentorship Program Requirements

Applicants should ideally be familiar with the animation process through school, personal projects, or previous experience and show an interest in design or paint career tracks. They must not currently be working full-time in the animation industry, as the program is designed for artists looking to break into the field. A commitment to coming into the office at least two full days a week is essential.

Learning and Development

Mentees will receive practice art assignments using professional materials and prompts on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. These assignments will be reviewed and critiqued by artists, directors, and/or supervisors to identify areas for improvement. Mentees will also have the opportunity to shadow meetings of live productions to observe how creative leadership reviews work and participate in one-on-one meetings with Titmouse employees to ask industry questions and build a professional network.

Titmouse Foundation

The Titmouse Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charity with a mission to support underrepresented artists in the animation industry. The Foundation offers hands-on learning experiences with professionals at the top of their game in the television industry. The Foundation also organizes events such as RPG fundraising events.

Tips for Applicants

Whether applying for an internship or mentorship, a strong portfolio is crucial. The portfolio should showcase relevant skills and demonstrate an understanding of the desired area of focus, such as storyboarding, design, or animation.

The Titmouse Culture

Titmouse describes itself as a family of like-minded, action-oriented artists and creators dedicated to all that is badass. They blur the boundary between working hard and playing hard to do what they truly love - making cool stuff. Their mission is to push bad-assery into the world via any means possible and champion originality, quality, and creative honesty in all their endeavors.

Read also: Your Guide to Animation Colleges

tags: #titmouse #animation #internship #opportunities