Employment Trends in Animation and Related Fields

Connecticut is one of the nation’s oldest states, which means it is home to a number of “firsts.” The very first ‘Made in America’ cigars originated here, as well as the first color TV,  the nation’s first law school, the first telephone book, the world’s first nuclear powered submarine, and the first commercial U.S. telephone exchange. Connecticut is also one of the few states that continues to publish more than 144 different newspapers and it runs the oldest newspaper in America—the Hartford (est. 1764).

The state is a leader when it comes to innovation and accepting new ideas, so it’s not surprising that Connecticut is also home to an active film office that offers excellent incentives for digital animation production companies. This attracts productions from all over the U.S., which means opportunity for aspiring animators. Just a few Connecticut production studios include Blue Sky Studios, Greenwich; Sono Studios, Norwalk; Connecticut Film Center, Stamford; Palace Production Center, South Norwalk; P&P Studios, Inc., Stamford, and Televerse Studios, Stamford.  A 495,000+/- square feet production studio with nine soundstages (175,000 square feet) is also in the works. If all goes well, Connecticut Studios will be located at the intersection of I-291 and Route 5 in South Windsor.

Mississippi may not be the first place you think of when it comes to animation, but the state does have a lot to offer artists and designers of all kinds. First, the state is home to art museums of all sizes such as Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson (the state’s largest city), Lauren Rogers Museum of Art in Laurel, Walter Anderson Museum of Art (WAMA) in Ocean Springs, and OHR-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi. Next, Besides the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson is home to the Mississippi Film Office, which offers incentives for filmmakers of all kinds. The office has attracted Hollywood productions such as Act of Valor (2012), The Help (2011), Walk the Line (2005), O, Brother Where Art Thou? (2000), A Time to Kill (1996), The Insider (1995), Mississippi Burning (1988) and The Client (1994). 

From Chadron State Park to the Omaha skyline, Nebraska has provided some of the most breathtaking backdrops for productions of all kinds. Just a few movies shot in Nebraska include Downsizing (coming 2017), Nebraska (2013), Lucky (2011), Elizabethtown (2005), About Schmidt (2002), and Election (1999). Thanks to the Nebraska Film Office, the Eastern Nebraska Film Office, and other organizations, productions such as these are common in the state. These organizations encourage film and video production through contests, training programs, resources, and tax incentives.

The State of Kansas has fairly active film, game, and multimedia arts and animation scenes. First, the state is home to the Film Commission of Greater Kansas City, which has attracted productions such as Friday Night Lights (2004), Nurse Betty (2000), Mars Attacks (1996), Truman (1995), and Dances with Wolves (1990). And who could forget in Cold Blood (1967)? Next, the state is home to nearly 50 animation, visual effects, and production studios, hundreds of creative agencies, and more than 65 technology firms.