What would you do if you could meet somebody at Pixar?

The Pixar Studio & People
#1

What would you do if you where given the email address of a Pixar employee and told that he/she would like to meet with you?

I am experiencing this situation right now. As an freshman at art school who has always admired Pixar and thought it would be amazing to work there, this is scary for me. I know that not everyone here is interested in being an artist and you may not be in a good position to give me advice about my problem, but I would still be really interested to know how you would react if you suddenly got the email of an artist who works at Pixar.

#2

Ha-ha. Well, I would probably say (or think to myself), “Oh, look. Another e-mail from one of my dad’s friends…” (snigger)

Seriously, though, my dad probably knows everyone in the entire universe by now, and if he doesn’t now then I wouldn’t be surprised if he did in the future. Taking into account the fact that he worked alongside Brad Bird, John Lasseter, the late Joe Ranft, and several other notable artists, it wouldn’t be extremely unexpected should he receive a call – er, e-mail – from one of the Pixar folks.
Then again, it should not be unknown that many, if not all, of the hard-working artists, directors, producers, and various other personnel at the afore-mentioned studio (Pixar) are often hot on their heels sketching, storyboarding, crafting, animating, “rigging”, and finalizing projects on a daily basis, so to even receive a message – be it via snail mail, e-mail, or any of method of written communication – from anyone within the company would, in essence, be a rare occurance indeed.

In truth, I would be ecstatic in some ways, yet not completely taken aback either. Both of my parents know so many freakin’ people in the animation industry that for them to get a call from any artist in particular, be that individual well-known or not, is pretty much an everyday (if not every week) thing.

Be it known that I don’t take this priviledge of having veteraned animators as parents for granted as much as I used to. Now that I realize that it’s cooler than I thought, I dive into the pool of enjoyment whenever I meet someone such as, say, Andreas Deja or Brad Bird (both of whom I’ve only met once), because, now that I am determined to succeed in the business, I know that I can gain valuable information from them. Plus, it’s just plain awesome to meet 'em.

I’ve talked to one or two folks who work at Pixar Animation Studios and, basically, I saw that as a two-fold opportunity: One being that I can receive valuable knowledge about art (and Pixar) in general, and the second settling on the edge of understanding and reality – in other words, they’re all just people like everyone else really, with the exception that they have attained a position on top of a significantly high mountain.

So, yeah. In a nutshell, if someone from Pixar e-mailed me stating that he/she would like to meet me in person, I might think, “Cool! I’ve never had this happen to me before and I’m all for it! And, hopefully, the reason why they e-mailed me revolves around some matter dealing with my artwork, which would be all the more worthwhile! The more critique and suggestions I soak up, the better…”

Keep in mind, however, that I did say might. In truth, I have no idea what the heck I would think or how I would reply. (Well, I would do my best to reply in a decent and respectable fashion, but that’s not the point…) It would all depend upon who was writing to me, as well. I might react differently if Lou Romano e-mailed me than if Andrew Stanton did. But, again, they’re all people just like you and I. I’d be happy to get an e-mail from any dude at Pixar, much less a “famous” one, and even if I never received a note from them in my life I probably wouldn’t be at all perturbed.

Oh, wait. You said if we/I were/was given the e-mail of a Pixar employee/employer! Eheh. Sorry about that.

Well, if I was given access to an e-mail belonging to someone who worked at Pixar, I probably wouldn’t use it. I hate bothering people, and to e-mail someone at Pixar, in particular, would be something like… violating his/her personal property, especially since I (most likely) wouldn’t know that individual personally. Unless I was hankering on the edge of insanity if I didn’t obtain some information that I needed/required/hungered for, or even if I just wished for an art-related question to be answered, I probably wouldn’t use the e-mail at all. Maybe… (snigger)

My gosh, I rambled big time there…

Anyway, if someone from Pixar ever e-mailed you then, well, congratulations, first of all! Secondly, I would stay calm and not panic (or, at least, get over the shock of it first), and reply politely. I hope that you do get an e-mail from them in the future! :wink:

– Mitch

P.S./Edit: By the way, if I sounded snobbish, vain, or just plain rude/off-landish at all, please do not hesitate to tell me. I haven’t been feeling myself lately for certain reasons, and have henceforth wandered into the realm of pride. Feel more than obliged to kick me in the butt for this. (eheh)

#3

I can’t even bring myself to answer that. I’ve emailed celebrities before and was always afraid of sounding like some psycho and regretting ever sending a letter even after a response … I can’t imagine how terrible I’d be in real life. I’d only be able to ask the question I already know the answer to - “Can anyone work for Pixar?” and I already know anyone can, they just have to work for it. Which is pretty much the same answer to a lot of things, isn’t it? :stuck_out_tongue:

#4

It’s not an accident I know this email. The reason I got the email address is because my mom is friends with a film guy who is friends with the Pixar person. My mom told the film guy about my artistic ambitions and the film guy told the Pixar person. So, I think it’s reasonable to assume he told my mom the Pixar guy’s email knowing that I would probably email him. Especially since he said he would be willing to meet me in person.

Don’t worry about sounding snobby. You’re well connected. That’s not snobby, that’s just the way your life is. One of the most ridiculous taboos people have is the taboo about money and social status. It’s normally not considered polite to talk about any advantage you have over anybody else or people get jealous. That isn’t true for this thread though, in the context of this thread it makes perfect sense to talk about your connections to the animation industry, although if you’re really worried about sounding snobby you don’t need to snigger so often.

Yeah, all I can think of are generic questions. I don’t have good conversational skills, I’m not the kind of person who can just talk to strangers about nothing for extended periods of time. I don’t think I have a lot of great artwork either. Oh well, I guess I’ll just ask the standard interview questions like “what is the most surprising thing about your career” “what is your favorite whatever” ect.

#5

Glyph - Ah! I see. Well, that changes things… I suppose that it would be perfectly all right to e-mail this person, especially if this individual is aware that you might write to him at some point. Then again, I’m not one to give advice, as I always feel uncomfortable doing it. Perhaps you could ask your mom for advice? I’m sure that she’d be able to help you out. :wink:

Oh, good. I’m glad that I don’t sound too “off-landish”, although I do still have that nagging feeling that I over-do it when referring to my parents’ connections to notable entities. I think I’m just going through an odd range of teenage emotions at the moment, hence the annoying, vain sensation.
As for the “sniggering”: Ha-ha. Yeah, I think I over-do it on that, as well. It’s my silly way of giggling, or laughing, in a light fashion. I guess it’s a bit eccentric, but oh well. If it sounds too snobbish I’ll cut back on them. (heheh)

Thank you, and I hope that this Pixar guy responds to your message if you do e-mail him! :slight_smile:

– Mitch

#6

Well, I have to say hang out, have fun, and spend time together, because I konw someone personally at PIxar. Heck, I see him once to twice a year.

#7

Well, it sort of depends on who it would be…If it was a generic animator or someone who works on the Pixar films in a sort of detailing kind of way, I would be pretty happy, but at the same time would probably refer them to someone else on here. I appareciate that every person’s contribution to a film matters, and I love the stuff they make, but outside of watching the films and being in general awe of them, I honestly have no interest in animation or art.

Sure, if it was John Lasseter or someone, then things would be a little different! :laughing:

But yeah, if it ever did happen by chance, I’d immediately point them in the direction of Pixar Planet. :stuck_out_tongue:

#8

Well I dont know. I’d wonder how they got my email in the first place. :wink: If they could really prove they worked for Pixar I would of course be excited to know an insider who was in the business. lol, I’d probably try to pump them for information. like “so, new short coming out with WALL-E, ay? What’s it about?”

#9

I’d get my game on and probe for tactics to secure a job there! Nice and polite, though, no pressure. I’m a little ambitious. The #1 advice for a future film composer like my brother is just to know and meet people, because the sea is full of aspiring-whatevers, and you have to stand out (I guess I’m talking about myself!). Do you live in CA?

~Sarah

#10

I’d probably try as hard as I can to stay cool. I don’t wanna freak out and act like a fanboy…But I’d like to leave some sort of impression on them so that they’ll remember me. :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

I’m going to Comic-con this year. A group of us animation majors might take an extra day to go visit some studios in Burbank. Probably won’t make it out to Emeryville. I’m banking on Pixar setting up a booth at the con. They’re not listed, but one can always hope.

#12

Haunt - Keep on hoping; it might just happen. :wink:

Have a great time at the 'Con this year!

– Mitch

#13

I’d be ecstatic if someone invited me to visit PIXAR. That was the way it was for people like Brad Bird, Richard Williams and even John Culhane. They were invited to the Disney studios way back when and got to talk with those guys first-hand.

Though I’d love to go to PIXAR-I think I’d be crazy enough to sacrifice a finger to go there (finger, not a thumb, as a thumb isn’t a finger). Though there’d have to be images of me paying respects to Joe Ranft’s ‘storyboard pointer,’ and a shot of me reaching desperately to enter the area beyond where ‘mere mortals’ can tread.

#14

I’d probably be close to fainting, and squeel loudly.

#15

If I met any of the programmers who created the extremely advanced simulations for water effects in Ratatouille, I’d embrace them for a long period of time, then get on my knees thanking them for bringing such amazing technology to the world. Then I’d ask to see how they did it and some of their code, ask about four billion questions, and finally beg them to mentor me!

Then finally finally I’d ask them to direct me where the writers are located. Ooh, they’re in for a treat :smiling_imp:

#16

While I still see no official Pixar booth registered for Comic Con I did find two Pixarians on the special guest list. I’ll be making a B line for them first morning I can.

#17

I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of Pixar employees (not at the studio, mind you) and the thing I’ve learned is that you must approach them as normal people, not the animating genius celebrities that we picture them as. I ran into them at last year’s ACM SIGGRAPH convention in San Deigo. It took me a long time to work up the guts to talk to any of them, but once I did and realized how normal and down to earth they are, it began many long and fun conversations.

I met Lucas Ives, Ziah Fogel, Doug Dooley, among others, and spoken with Victor Navone. Very talented people yes, but also very personable and approachable. Get the ‘rockstar’ image out of your head, and then it’s all good.

This year’s SIGGRAPH conference is a GREAT place to go if you want to speak with Pixar employees, or just learn and break into the animation industry in general. It’s in LA, and a little on the expensive side, but for aspiring professionals there’s no better place to do it.

Plus, once you meet these people and see their names in the credits (Lucas Ives worked as global technology lead for WallE) you feel pretty darn cool. It’s like seeing the contributions of a friend to an amazing product.

Victor Navone is a great person to contact if you want to talk to a real Pixar animator but can’t make conventions or the like. You can find his email address on his website www.navone.org . He’s a very busy person, but he’s always managed to reply to my emails to him.

#18

I was in the same situation years ago right before Monsters Inc came out. I met with the TD of lighting for MI. It was cool because I got to visit the old studio back when they were litteraly moving out of Point Richmond to the new studio in Emeryville. I met with him a second time at the new studio when he helped me get an interview there. The place has a great feeling all around. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the job. :cry:

#19

faint!

#20

I would likely to have an interview with them.

For now, I will feel contentment if I met Nelson “Ray” Bohol <---- A fellow Filipino men who works at Pixar. I know there are more Filipinos working at Pixar but Nelson is the only one I know. I’m also thinking that Ricky Nierva is also a Filipino too.