GETTING THE JOB

During any given month, Post will learn of new hirings at studios throughout the industry. But this month there seemed to be more activity than usual. While the industry as a whole may not be on a hiring spree, there are positions out there.

Eddie Wiseman is the newest designer/animator at Mantra in New York City. He ran his own facility — CathodeRay — on 57th St. for a dozen years, but the down economy and workload he had to handle as both a creative and a manager made him think about going to work for someone else, where he could focus on what he really loves: “Doing good work.”

Mantra saw him as both a competitor and a talented artist who’d worked with clients such as NBC, ESPN and Comedy Central, so they jumped at the chance to make him a part of their team. The idea that Wiseman could interact with clients, as well as handled back-end work at the studio was very appealing, so they asked him to come in for an interview.

“The running of the company gave me a skill set that not everyone has, and helps me to understand day-to-day projects much clearer,” Wiseman explains. “We sat and talked, and I showed them some of the stuff that I’ve done — using the new Apple iPad.” The tablet allowed him to present his work in HD, rather than in a compressed format hosted on a Website.

“I spent a lot of time on that, editing it together myself to make the cut almost transcend the content itself.” He included work that highlighted his strengths — 3D, compositing, motion tracking — as well his versatility. And of course, it had to be recent. “It’s always, ‘What have you done for me lately,’” he adds.

ChilliBean (www.chillibean.tv), which runs the SohoSoHo reels directory, also sees the value of being able to show off one’s work — anywhere, anytime. The company launched an iPhone app that gives studios with an account the ability to showcase their work whenever — wherever — an opportunity presents itself.

“This industry is all about getting your work in front of the right people and at the right time,” says ChilliBean’s Daniel Hearn. The app works with the iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.