Atomic Cartoons was looking to expand the capacity of their production company, and Jennifer McCarron saw an opportunity to help grow a small creative company into something much larger.
Atomic Cartoons had been focusing primarily on classic 2D animation, and saw the industry trend moving towards 3D and computer generated animation. Experience in the latest generation of animation was something that McCarron had in spades.
With 13 years of experience helping to produce hit tv shows like Re Boot and Babar, McCarron was asked if she would like to join the team at Atomic.
“I’ve never said no when an opportunity to advance my career came along,” said McCarron. “The timing was perfect too. I was just coming off of maternity leave, and I already had a good working relationship with the guys at Atomic.”
She joined Atomic as Head of Productions and led their development team for five years before she was appointed as President in June of this year. In that time, she and the management team grew Atomic from a small team of 20 to a diverse staff of 200 to 260 people depending on their current production schedule.
Recruiting top talent is a priority for McCarron, and she says that all of the post-secondary institutions are immensely helpful when it comes to developing talent.
“We work with all of the major B.C. schools in all of their arts programs,” says McCarron. “We’ll let the schools know what specific skills we’re looking for, and they are happy to train their students to meet the demands of the current workforce.”
But if you’re looking for a career in this industry, you’ll need more than just skills.
“Attitude is paramount,” says McCarron. “Everyone can learn new skills. But attitudes are much harder to change. You need a “can do” attitude if you want to go far in this business.”