Michael Wong just graduated from Game Art+Design at Centennial College and he already landed a job as Technical Director at the world famous Nelvana Studio.
What have you been doing since finishing Centennial?
Since I finished at Centennial I have been working at Corus Entertainment in the Nelvana Animation Department. Nelvana is responsible for popular kids TV shows such as Beyblade, Babar and Hot Wheels. I’ve also been working on personal pieces to add to my portfolio.
Where did you do your work placement and how did you like it?
My work placement was at Nelvana where I work now. It was a great learning experience, the people were supportive and welcoming. It took no time for me to become comfortable with the environment and the people around me. I was shown the ropes of the production pipeline. When you learn about the meat and potatoes of a production, you really appreciate the work that everyone puts in.
What was the most important thing you learned at Centennial?
The most important thing I learned at Centennial was the knowledge and skills all my instructors taught me. In the Games/Animations Industry there is always more than one way to do something. Learning from a different point of view and developing my skills was the reason I went to Centennial. I wanted to learn ways to make myself more efficient and knowledgeable. I wanted to be industry-ready as soon as I finished. The more versatile you make yourself, the more skills you have in your repertoire. That makes you a valuable asset to a company. Being able to pick the brains of guys who are doing big things in the industry and getting their advice is the best thing a young guy could want; who’s coming through the ranks.
What would you like to do in future?
At the moment I see my future still at Nelvana, everyday I’m learning something new and developing as a person and an artist. I’m still very young at 21, so if I am allowed develop here a bit longer, I’d like to do so. At my age the future is still open to many possibilities. One day maybe, I’d like to be involved with a Feature Film or a AAA Game, as long as I keep devoting myself and developing the skills that I’ve learned I could see that happening.
What advice would you give to current animation students?
Use your inspirations to develop your skills. Put in the time, it’s long hours and requires a lot of patience. But if you do everything right and put out your very best work within the time constraints, your hard work will pay off.
Stay humble never let your ego get in the way of learning. If someone says “that’s amazing” or “that looks great” always tell yourself, I want to do better. Don’t cheap out on anything, if you think it looks okay it will pass, then you letting yourself down. Put out your best work, but always know it can be better.
Often students want to learn and work on one thing and one thing only. There’s nothing wrong with honing your skills at one thing, but to become versatile and broadening your knowledge makes you so much more valuable to a company. If you’re great at one thing, that’s good but that’s all you can do. If you’re great at one thing and good at everything else then you’re golden. Being versatile opens up many more doors.
Best of luck to everyone involved with the program and all the students coming through.
It’s a good time to be in this industry!
Thanks Michael for your interview, we are very proud of you! If you would like to see Michael’s work please go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55cyZwVA8Ns