Year 4 - My big break arrives!

After the disappointment of not getting the Volition job, I didn't really know what to do. But after a brief "poor me" session, I just started looking once again and continued to practice. I even got a couple of side jobs. There was a video production company in a city about 100 miles away from my parent's house. So, I decided to cold-call them and just see if they had any desire to have any 3D work in their productions. It was called Simmons Creative Productions and it was owned by a fellow who used to do voice-over work. I remember calling him the first time and this deep, baritone, very professional voice came over the line.

"Simmons Creative Productions!"

*beat*

"Hello?"

Me - "Oh! I thought you were a recording! Sorry!"

This guy's voice sounded like a radio announcer, and I would've sworn I was talking to some sort of voicemail voice. I was waiting for the options to be read off to me, but no, it was a real person who talked like that. He laughed; said he got that all the time.

Anyway, he was interested, and I did a couple little things for him. He produced hunting videos mostly (don't forget, I lived in Mississippi... lots of hunters!). I did a couple still images to show things like over-head maps of the areas that the people were hunting in. Small things like that. The biggest thing I did was an opening animation for a TV show he was developing called "The Do It Yourself Hunter". I made a 3D deer with an animation and a 3D logo and all that. That was kinda neat to see it on TV! I even got in the credits.

But that wasn't what I wanted to do, and it was not much money at all. I kept submitting applications to any jobs I could find! Finally I got another art test! This was with a small studio in Texas. The test was to make a "Goblin Tree" in a fantasy setting. After working on it about a week, I submitted it!

To my surprise, just a few days later, I got an email officially offering me the job!! That was it?!? No interview? No flying me out to talk to me in person? Nothing like that? Just, Bam! here ya go!?

To put it mildly, I was ECSTATIC!!

To be continued.