Recently I have been finding that Instagram is a really good way of connecting with people in the industry and seeing where other artists have found work. It’s really useful when big companies tag smaller studios and artists in their posts so I can find artists who have a similar skillset to me and follow their work and projects. This is how I came to be so interested in Mackinnon and Saunders, a puppet making company specialising in the construction of characters for TV, film and advertising. I found that a lot of the animator or model makers I was following had been involved with projects from this studio and it made me curious to find out more.
I had heard of Mackinnon and Saunders before since they are based in Altrincham – I was quite surprised to find out that there was such a well-known puppet studio relatively close to my home town in North Wales. Once I knew their name, I kept seeing them on social media especially with their recent work on Pinnochio. I made an effort to follow lots of the puppet makers and see what kind of jobs people do there, and have since kept myself up to date with what the studio is doing. I have been thinking about this studio a lot as I consider my career options post-graduation, and although I’m not sure how I would feel about being based in Altrincham, I would be close to home and it’s definitely worth a shot.
From looking at their website, I can see that Mackinnon and Saunders don’t advertise their jobs because of the volume of speculative applications they receive. They don’t hire runners or interns but are interested in hiring teams of people who are skilled in sculpting, mould making and general model making. I think that I would really enjoy working in any of these areas, and I feel I have some good pieces in my portfolio that demonstrate these skills. Their website suggests to include in applications images of your best work, listing the materials and methods you have used. They ask to see one link to a professional presentation of showreels or online portfolios. I haven’t had a chance to put a reel together yet but I have some good content to work with having done 4 animations with well made puppets. I didn’t realise that this studio also does full productions so they also have an animation department, however they are not currently taking on trainee or junior animators. It seems as though this studio are looking for people who have very refined skills, rather than generalists or beginners, so I might need to gain some more experience before being considered. However, I will be sure to keep my eye out for junior roles and keep sending speculative applications in case a chance comes up.