New York Animation Careers: Employment & Salary Trends, Job Opportunities, & Colleges Offering Animation Programs in New York

Animation Careers in New York

Overview - The state of New York has the second highest concentration of animators in the U.S., the world’s largest artist community, and one of the largest film and video industries in the nation. New York is also home to a wide variety of animation studios, both big and small. While California, the number one state for animators, offers students and recent graduates the opportunity to work at a large animation studio, New York offers:

• The opportunity to work at a small animation studio where your ideas won’t go unnoticed
• The opportunity to work with smaller production teams
• The opportunity to work on all aspects of any given production
• The fourth highest salary for animators in the U.S.

Working with smaller teams and smaller animation studios offers interns and entry-level animators the opportunity to stand out, but at the same time, they can still be a significant part of the team.

In New York, animators work mainly in the motion picture and video industries and in advertising and public relations. The computer systems and design industry employs the third largest number of animators in the country, so animators in this field will also find a number of firms located throughout the state of New York. Animators living in New York will find most opportunities in New York City.

Animators interested in working in education choose New York based on:

• The number of top universities and specialty schools in the state
• The opportunity to work in the field and teach
• Salary and employment growth

With 307 institutions of higher education, the state of New York has nearly four times as many colleges and universities than the national average of 88. Many of these schools offer art and animation programs that have been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Employment and Salary Trends for New York Animators

As of 2009, nearly 3,500 animators worked in studios, advertising and public relations firms, computer design firms, and academic institutions throughout the state of New York. Across the nation, employment in the animation (and multi-media) industry is expected to grow by 14 percent for the 2008-2018 decade. This is higher than all occupations in the “artists and related workers” industry. At 12 percent, art directors are second in employment growth, followed by fine artists at 9 percent.

As of May 2009, the mean annual wage for animators overall was $62,810 per year. The lowest paid animators earned $32,360 per year and the highest paid animators earned $99,130 per year. As of May 2009, animators in the state of New York earned a mean salary of $62,150 per year, earning fourth place on the list of top five highest paying states for animators. The top five highest paying states for animators are:

• California ($76,010 per year)
• Maryland ($66,850 per year)
• Washington  ($64,840 per year)
• New York ($62,150 per year)
• Arkansas ($61,340 per year)

Animation Career Opportunities in New York

Aspiring animators interested in working in the motion picture and video industries may find employment at the following animation studios in New York:

• Nickelodeon Digital, New York City
• Blue Sky Studios, New York City
• Augenblick Studios, Brooklyn
• Digital Elixir Studios, New York City
• 21Boom, New York, NY
• Animation Collective, New York City
• Curious Pictures, New York City
• J.J. Sedelmaier, White Plains
• The Studio, New York City

Advertising and public relations animators can search for opportunities with some of the world’s top advertising agencies with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. These include, but are not limited to:

• Saatchi & Saatchi, New York City
• Wieden & Kennedy, New York City
• Foote, Cone & Belding, New York City
• J. Walter Thompson (JWT), New York City
• DDB Needham, New York City
• Ogilvy & Mather, New York City

There are more than 1,900 computer systems and design firms in the state of New York. This means, opportunities for computer systems and design animators are plentiful in the state. Although these positions are available in all major cities in the state of New York, most are located in the New York City area.

New York Animation Training Programs

New York offers access to top animation programs offered at prominent institutions from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn to New York Film School in New York City. Other top animation programs are programs are offered at:

• Parsons The New School for Design, New York, NY  
• School of Visual Arts (SVA), New York, NY
• Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY
• Purchase College-State University of New York, Purchase, NY
• Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
• Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

More Animation related programs to consider:  

If you are interested in a career in animation, you can begin by enrolling in an animation degree program, a multi-media art program, a computer science program with a focus in animation or multi-media art, a fine art  program with a focus in animation, or an advertising program with a focus in animation. In addition to offering a degree in animation or multi-media art, most of the schools listed above offer degrees in the related fields listed here.