Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1591
46 January 2009 n n n n Knowledge & Career Digital Domain's Lala Gavgavian: The directors we work with and the shows themselves are a big draw. tinue to get bruised and battered, more so in 2009. There will be much more com- petition to get the gig (less work out there, way more people looking), and there will be much more pressure for artists to come off their rate." Lala Gavgavian Director of recruiting Digital Domain Venice, CA www.digitaldomain.com Digital Domain, founded in 1993, is known for its Oscar-winning VFX for films as well technical and artistic innovations in commer- cial and video game production. Strengths: "A fairly consistent strength we enjoy is that Digital Domain's projects typically include groundbreaking visual ef- fects, and the challenge of creating them attracts great talent. The shows themselves and the directors we work with are another big draw. We also benefit from the high-end tools and technology that we use, as they at- tract artists looking to further their skills in particular areas." Weaknesses: "Because our core offer- ing is a service business, we usually aren't able to forecast our needs out much more than six months at a time. This means we aren't always able to commit to great tal- ent when it's available. Also, it is becoming common for studios to farm out a single project to multiple companies, so when shows ramp up, many studios are looking for the same type of talent at the same time. This cycle can create challenges in securing particular disciplines that are in demand." Opportunities: "Our recruitment ef- fort absolutely leads to discovering new stars of VFX. Internships in particular are a great opportunity for discovering and fostering talent. It's fantastic to see interns turn into superstars as they gain more pro- duction experience." Threats: "Digital Domain has been for- tunate in that we've had a full slate in 2008 and have been able to keep folks busy. How- ever, the ebbs and flows of the VFX busi- ness sometimes dictate a ramp down, usu- ally through the summer months, which does create a situation where we may have to let some talented people go. For all of us in the recruiting side of visual effects, the risk is that we won't be able to rehire talent when we need them, as they may commit to another project elsewhere. That is a reality that just comes with the territory." Outlook for 2009: "I think the demand we're starting to see now for hybrid artists who can cross visual effects, games, and ani- mated features will only grow in the coming year as studios look to cross-utilize talent more and more. The good news for artists is that they have more freedom and opportu- nities to work on a wider range of projects. The difficulty for recruiters in visual effects is that we now face even broader competition for talent, not only from other VFX studios, but from the games and animation indus- tries as well." n Ken McGorry is a consulting editor for Post maga- zine, CGW's sister publication. He can be reached at mcgorry@optonline.net.