Hi, I’m Katherine and I handle all things talent at Cinesite Vancouver. Recruitment, career development, school relations…those kinds of things. And I have the absolute privilege of calling beautiful Vancouver my home!

Is it business as usual for you and your team as you all work remotely home?

For our team, we transitioned very quickly to the new way of working and that is mostly down to our leaders and support teams. For sure, I miss seeing everyone in person. We are now used to video meetings and interviews. The team has adapted amazingly!

Because much of my time is spent interviewing candidates, my routine is often dictated by other people’s availability and that hasn’t changed much. Internally, we have regular check ins as a team and with the wider Cinesite Vancouver community. Keeping communication regular so we still have a strong sense of connection is really important.

Cinesite Vancouver is currently crewing up for the untitled Addams Family sequel. We’re so excited to revisit Charles Addams’ kooky family and to take them on their next adventure. We are currently hiring for May and June start dates in surfacing and look dev, modeling, rigging and previs. I imagine there are a lot of animators out there, too! Your time will come soon! Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gr93TAc

What advice do you have for artists who are looking for work during this time?

This is an uncertain and difficult time for everyone so the best advice I can give those looking for a new role right now is apply for relevant positions, and be patient with the hiring teams. Communication is key right now for our teams so how you communicate during the recruitment process is really important.

What’s it like having new crew join the studio team right now when the crew is working from home? 

It is an interesting time to be starting with a new company and working with a team you have never met in person may seem strange. We have worked really hard to create an onboarding process that will help people settle in during this time and feel part of our community and give people as much information as possible. This is a collaborative effort between myself, our HR team and the supervisors of the hiring departments! We are continuously adapting this to the ever-changing situation.

How are you finding working from home?

Working from home definitely has its perks and, at the same time, it is also quite challenging. There isn’t the same, really clear distinction between work life and home life. I am coping by investing time into my mental health and ensuring I have time away from work activities. For me that has been painting and a ridiculous amount of time on Animal Crossing (over 220 hours to date)! Having hobbies that are indoors has definitely proved helpful!

I have been so impressed and proud to be part of our industry in this pandemic. The way all of the studios adapted the best they could, as quickly as they could, to keep crews working and productions going…it has been so great to see. Even if it is not obvious outwardly, the collaboration across the industry has been amazing.