Episode 17: The Job Interview
Hey! We're back and talking about job interviews! Special guests this episode are: Jason Rosenstock - contract environment artist at BioWare, Mike Sheidow - senior environment artist at BioWare, and Alex Thomas - cinematic designer at BioWare. I'm really happy with the quality information this episode provides, so give it a listen!
Apologies for the inconsistent audio quality. In an attempt to make things easy, we did our best using one central microphone, which didn't turn out too hot. Perhaps our future efforts using a central mic will be more successful.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 16: VFX and UI
Two for one! This episode we talk about both VFX and UI! Our guests this episode - Michael Voigt, Lead Interface Artist at Bioware, and Bryan Erck, Lead FX Artist at BioWare. It can be a bit difficult finding good information about these jobs, so don't miss this one! I should mention that we had some recording difficulties during the first part of the podcast, so I apologize for the strange audio interference.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 14: Online Communities
This episode we discuss some great online resources and how they can help you with your career in game development. Joining me this episode: Rob Galanakis, BioWare Senior Tech Artist & founder of tech-artists.org; Adam Bromell, Head Administrator at polycount.net, & Artist at Relic; As well as Dave Traeger, Senior Editor at moddb.com & desura.com
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 13: Which studios are right for you?
Which studios are right for you? This episode we focus on answering just that! Our special guests are Christian Sheppard - Animator from Junction Point / Disney Interactive, and Colin Greenhalgh - Environment Artist at Budcat Creations. We cover plenty of important topics including different types of work culture, making an educated assessment of a studio's work culture, relocating, cost of living, and more!
My toddler Mickey did his best to get his voice (more like screams) heard on this episode, so apologies for that. Luckily since Christian is working at Junction Point he knows how to handle Epic Mickey situations.
Ba-dum bum pish! I'll be here all night folks.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 10: Animation
This episode we sit down with a couple great friends of mine: Mark How, Principal Lead Animator at BioWare, and Mookie Weisbrod, Senior Animator at BioWare. These guys are some of the nicest and helpful individuals I know, and I'm sure all you animators will get plenty of awesome info from this one! So far this is one of my favorite episodes, so don't miss it!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 9: Character Art
On this weeks episode, we sit down with two great Senior Character Artists: BioWare's Pedro Toledo and Blizzard's Vitaliy Naymushin, to talk about what it takes to work in this competitive job. Luckily the episode remained peaceful and no Blizzard / BioWare battles ensued, which hopefully proves we only have the utmost respect for each other. Unfortunately Vitaliy's rabid dog was not on board with the anti-aggression pact, and decided to turn on his owner. Don't miss all the action, adventure, and of course, great information.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 7: Portfolios!
You've been asking for this episode, and it's finally here! Our first dive into the topic that keeps you up at night - your portfolio. This week I am joined with Isaac Oster, Environment Artist at BioWare, and Riki Babington, President of Eat 3D, which provides some great tutorials focused on game art & the Unreal Engine. We discuss what to put in your portfolio, as well as what to leave out, common mistakes, presentation advice, and a lot more! This is our longest episode yet, with plenty of awesome info, so don't miss this one!
We also mention a free portfolio template that you can download and use! Isaac was cool enough to put together a simple, no frills website that shows off your work well. To find that, just head over to Isaac's portfolio site and you can download the source files there!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 5: Environment Art
Fresh off the presses. This episode we talk about environment art! I'm joined with my good friend Mike Harnisch, Environment Artist at BioWare, and Adam Bromell, Artist at Relic and Head Administrator at Polycount. We cover quite a bit this episode, including: school advice, illustrative talent, what makes a successful scene, and lots more. So sit down, grab a snack and give it a listen.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
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The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 3: Gaining Experience
This time we talk about that classic “catch 22”. How do you get experience when no one will hire without experience? We talk about mods, internships, & contract work and how these are great ways to gain the experience you need for that permanent full-time position. I’m joined this week with special guest Toren Lehrmann, contract environment artist at BioWare.
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.
Episode 2: Technical Art – It’s art. Technically.
This episode I sit down with Technical Artist Greg Bahm, and we discuss.. well... technical artistry. Topics covered include what technical art actually is, what it takes to be a successful TA, as well as some great advice for those looking to break into this type of work. Computer Science major? Art school? What about portfolio work? We cover it all!
If you have been enjoying these episodes and would like to support Games Industry Mentor, swing by the donation page! All funds go directly to site hosting and podcast equipment. Thanks!
********************
The opinions shared during Games Industry Mentor are simply the views of individuals who work within the games industry, and in no way represent opinions of the studio or company that may employ those individuals.
Games Industry Mentor or the individuals who share their opinions, do not guarantee successful placement within the video games industry through following the advice heard on the program.