Inside VFX Recruitment with Melissa Blakey, Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes | TVAP EP53 (P-1)

For many VFX Recruitment is a bit of a black box - we send off our reels and CV and then hope for the best. This week we go behind the curtain with Crafty Apes, Global Head of talent, Melissa Blakey.

We cover Melissa's own fascinating career - she started working on-set before moving into post and then worked for almost 20 years in VFX Production before moving into Recruitment! We discuss why she decided a career on set was not for her and start to unpick the way recruiters and VFX houses select candidates.

Next we laser in on her best practices for candidates as well as the Crafty Apes philosophy for hiring and retaining staff.

WFH resumes, showreel interviews, changing departments we will be discussing all this and more.

Unusually for many VFX Houses, Crafty Apes tends to focus on Generalists and on permanent positions so we go into what that means in a market largely dominated by specialists and freelancing.

Inside VFX Recruitment, with Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes, Melissa Blakey | TVAP EP53

A VFX Recruiter's Guide To Getting Hired | TVAP EP51

In the first episode of 2023, we felt it quite important to start the year right, by bringing you some much necessary tips from a VFX recruiter, should you be looking to take on a new role.

We are therefore pleased to have Sophie Maydon, former VFX Global Head of HR, Recruitment and PR at DNEG (Double Negative), and Director, VFX Talent & Recruitment Consultant at her firm PXL Talent

Sophie has over a decade's experience recruiting 100's of VFX and animation artists across many levels and departments.

In this episode, we discuss many topics to do with recruitment, focusing on the perspective of a VFX recruiter, as well as the applicant. We discuss and find out about the best practices and ways one could go about successfully coming on top in an interview, the do's and don'ts, try to understand if there are recruitment prejudices and more.

This is a very insightful, useful and long awaited episode, and we hope you find it so.

As always, if you liked this episode, please 👍 like, 📝 leave us a comment, 📢 subscribe, and 📣 share!



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00:00:00 : Coming Up
00:00:29 : Intro
00:01:48 : Overview
00:02:21 : A bit about Sophie Maydon
00:05:59 : Sophie's background as a recuiter at DNEG
00:10:32 : Power comes with pressure, as a recruiter
00:12:42 : Are generic applications a good idea?
00:14:57 : Going through job portals vs LinkedIn DM
00:17:41 : Are Resume's necessary in the VFX industry?
00:21:19 : Showreel advice from a VFX recruiter
00:27:37 : Showreel advice for returning mothers into the industry
00:31:17 : Flexible/Part-Time hours for Mothers in the VFX industry
00:33:41 : In-person vs remote interviewing advice
00:35:25 : Salary expectations - How to respond
00:41:39 : Budget vs experience
00:44:39 : Artists demand by studios
00:47:26 : Should I go to university before working in VFX?
00:52:48 Discrimination in recruiting
00:59:33 Leave a question in the comment section
00:59:55 How to get in touch with Pixel Talent
01:01:28 What not to do, as an applicant
01:03:19 Conclusion

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Episodes

Inside VFX Recruitment, with Global Head of Talent at Crafty Apes, Melissa Blakey | TVAP EP53

A VFX Recruiter's Guide To Getting Hired | TVAP EP51