Job Description

Senior Animator at ESPN summary:

The Senior Animator at ESPN Creative Studio is responsible for creating visually stunning animations for various projects including sports programming and marketing initiatives. With expertise in software like Cinema 4D and After Effects, the animator collaborates with teams, mentors junior members, and drives innovative solutions while managing workflows. This hands-on role requires strong communication and problem-solving skills, ensuring high-quality animation production from concept to final execution.

The ESPN Creative Studio Animation team provides award-winning creative for Studio & Event productions, high-end Sales & Marketing initiatives, and next-level programming initiatives such as The Simpsons Funday Football & Dunk The Halls Animated Altcasts. The Senior Animator role is responsible for creating visually compelling animations for both short and long-term projects. Individuals must work well within a team and independently. The role is a hands-on position that requires expertise in Cinema 4D, After Effects, Photoshop, and Illustrator, with the ability to develop animations from concept to completion. Strong communication, proactive problem solving, and adaptability are essential. The position involves mentoring newer animators, evolving internal workflows, and staying informed of emerging technology and animation software advances.

Responsibilities:

• Expertise in Cinema 4D, After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator
• Expertise in Octane, Redshift (additional renderer knowledge is a plus)
• Strong design skills - layout, typography, composition and color theory
• Streamline recurring projects for efficient versioning/seasonal updates
• Skilled in translating creative direction into compelling visual solutions
• Receptive to feedback and able to pivot direction easily
• Experience working with remoteexternal partners
• Drive solutions to balance client expectations with workflow, timeframe realities
• Provide software/technical/troubleshooting support for in-house and vendor files
• Proactively identify and resolve tech challenges; establish reliable internal workflows
• Actively mentor emerging animators; expand team’s overall knowledge and versatility
• Must be highly motivated, take initiative, thrive under pressure and prioritize effectively
• Must have excellent organization, communication skills and attention to detail
• Expect to align with East Coast work hours
• Certain assignments (i.e. Monday Night Football) will require non-traditional off days

 

Basic Qualifications:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in Animation/Motion Graphics
• Must provide online portfolio/demo reel

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in Unreal, Substance, ZBrush, Houdini, Maya
• Expertise in C4D VFX techniques (dynamics, pyro, UV’s)
• Character animation experience (C4D / Maya / Reallusion iClone)
• Character design / ZBrush sculpting experience
• Character Rigging / Weighting experience in C4D or other
• Expertise in After Effects Scripting and Expressions
• Passion for sports and familiarity with ESPN show animation identities 

Required Education:

• HS Diploma or Equivalent

Preferred Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Equivalent

Additional Information:

• This is a remote position

#ESPNMedia

The hiring range for this remote position is $91,900 to $149,200 per year based on a 40-hour work week. The amount of hours scheduled per week may vary based on business needs. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.

Keywords:

Senior Animator, Animation, Motion Graphics, Visual Effects, Cinema 4D, After Effects, Graphic Design, ESPN, Creative Studio, Sports Animation

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Seasonal work, Remote job, Night shift,

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