Breaking Into The Animation World: Pt. 3 - Getting The Job And How It All Went Down

Luccy and I walking into work (This was my first day on the job). Photo taken by Michael Baillie Jr. 2019.

Continuing from Pt. 2 of my post, I was in the waiting to hear back about my test for Let’s Go Luna. It was a couple weeks after I turned it in when Luccy emailed me…. I found out I made it on the short list for interviews!

The Interview

I got the email while I was on a bachelorette party… and my mind definitely left the party the rest of the trip! All I could think about was how to make the best impression and kill the interview. Luccy set up a google chat meeting for my interview with Joe (the creator and show runner). I got all the nerves you’d expect to get before interviewing.

Joe also created a show I grew up watching (Rocko’s Modern Life) and I’ve always been inspired by his work and art style. When it was time to interview, I gave myself those pep talks of “just be yourself“… not sure if that worked but I tried.

After a 30 min. interview, he said he had narrowed it down between a few people and he would get back to me in the next day or 2 since the job would be starting in 2 weeks. We logged off the google chat and I felt like I did the best I could to show my enthusiasm for the job. I also explained how we were moving whether I go the job or not… it might have sounded crazy but Tyler and I were committed to making something happen.

It was exciting and scary to know that in the next day or two, I would get an email that would determine how the start of our 2019 year was gonna go. I would either get the job and we’d be ok, or I wouldn’t get the job and we would ration the profits of the house to get started in LA and eat rice and beans while I tried to find a job.

The Most Insane Week of 2018

Let me back up and break down the week of the interview with everything that was going on….

Our house was under contract for a 14 day period. We were hoping everything would go through with this buyer since we had the house on the market for months with little activity happening.

Friday I got the email about the interview on that Bachelorette trip. My interview was set up for Monday.

Saturday I come home from the trip and we find out the buyer backed out of the contract. Saturday was the end of that 14 day period.

Sunday Tyler and I prayed together that something would work out with the house. I knew my interview was the next day and now my mind was thinking “what if I get the job and the house doesn’t sell?“… Later that day the buyer actually came back to our cul-de-sac, looked at the house and had a change of heart. They decided to come back in on the contract and buy the house!

Monday I had my interview and I felt like it went well. I waited for that promised email.

Tuesday night I got the email… They decided to go with a different candidate but if things didn’t work out then I was next in line.

I.. was.. crushed. I wanted that job more than anyone and I felt like it was MY job. Tyler was there for me and told me everything would work out. I was like “Cool.. We sold the house, I didn’t get the job and now we’re really doing this… We’re really moving without any jobs lined up“.

I emailed back thanking them for the opportunity to test and asked for feedback. Joe was really nice and gave me some pointers and areas to improve on but said that if things didn’t work out with the other artist then he’d reach out to me. In my mind I was like “Fat chance… they found their person and now I have to keep going.“ I let myself feel all the feelings that night and knew that I would get up the next day determined to move forward.

Wednesday I’m out and about with Tyler and I get an email from Joe to call him. I freaked out because why would he want to talk to me unless something changed… Well apparently something fell through with the other candidate and I was offered the job. WHAT! I was over the moon and accepted the job! I found out my start date was the first week of January and we had 2 weeks to pick up, enjoy Christmas with our families and fly out there.

After the phone call, Tyler told me that he had prayed that what happened with the house would happen with my job! How is it that 2 major events unfold in the same way all within 4 days?! The house fell through and then came back… the job fell through and then came back. I had been joking around saying “Wouldn’t it be a Christmas miracle if we sold the house and got the job all before Christmas?“ Well I still can’t believe it actually happened. God makes a way even when you can’t see it.

The Whirlwind of Transition

If one thing is for sure in animation, it’s that things can happen really fast. If someone leaves in the middle of the show, then they have to fill the roll asap… this is probably why it’s beneficial to already live in LA and know people. You can’t really plan that kind of stuff. Part of it is being prepared for opportunities and then part of it is being in the right place at the right time.

Tyler and I had those 2 weeks to figure out how we were going to make this whole thing happen. We were thinking about making the road trip in my car and taking a u-haul, but then our parents offered to help us as a moving gift. We got plane tickets and set up everything to ship my car.

We sold our furniture and got rid of a lot of stuff. It was almost like we were having the slate wiped clean to start fresh once we landed. We didn’t know where we would live or how much space we would have, so it only made sense to bring clothes and a few sentimental things. Our families threw a sweet going away party too, and we were able to soak up seeing all our loved ones right before we left.

Saying Goodbyes and Flying from ATL to LA

(Not the best photo) but here we are getting dropped off at the airport with all our bags. Dec 29, 2018.

Tyler and I grew up in Georgia. I had only visited LA once back in 2011 and Tyler had never been to California. I guess it was a risk to move to a new place without really scoping it out… but it was also really exciting. It was really hard to say goodbye to our families. We made our rounds the night before to hug and kiss everyone.

The next morning we were dropped off at the airport with our 8 bags to catch our plane. It was a surreal feeling sitting on that plane. You sit there knowing your life is about to change and not knowing what’s on the other side. All we knew was that we had a back room in Michael and Luccy’s house waiting for us. When we landed, we hopped on a Lyft to our new home base .

We had a week to recover from jet lag and get familiar with the area before my start date. Michael and Luccy were out of town but let us stay in their back room while we transitioned and found an apartment. They were instrumental in our move and I’m forever grateful for their friendship and support.

The top photo was taken on my first day at the new job. I jumped right in at the end of season 1 on Let’s Go Luna and as they say… that’s all she wrote.