Joining the discussion was Raha Dabiri (storyboard artist), Todd Hoppmeyer (storyboard artist and animator), and Vinod Krishnan (technical director on The Simpsons), moderated by Megan Davis from Wacom.

Key Takeaways & Memorable Quotes from the Round Table:

Breaking Into the Industry:

All three panelists emphasized that relationships and genuine connections are crucial. As Todd put it: “I think networking has kind of a cold connotation to it. I think it’s about building relationships.” Vinod added that it’s about “making friends and having good conversation,” rather than traditional networking.

Essential Skills & Portfolio Advice:

Todd stressed the importance of fundamentals: “I think foundations stand out. I think if you understand core basics, it really makes you stand out. Understanding things like perspective.” Vinod emphasized personality in portfolios, noting recruiters look for “what kind of person they are through their branding, through their way they carry themselves, the way the fonts they use.”

Industry Wisdom:

Vinod shared a particularly insightful perspective: “We’re not looking for Disney artists… We can elevate you in time, but it’s the mentality you carry.” He emphasized being open to learning and making mistakes.

Work-Life Balance & Personal Projects:

The panel honestly discussed the challenge of personal work, with Vinod admitting to having “about 130 unfinished PSD files.” They recommended scheduled creative time and the mantra “finish not perfect” from Jake Parker.

Staying Adaptable:

Raha emphasized curiosity: “I think recently I’ve been learning more about myself and prioritizing myself and what excites me.” The group agreed that soft skills, and understanding that there are always new things to learn, are as important as overall artistic ability.

Community Building:

For those outside LA, they strongly recommend Discord communities, fan projects, and online engagement. Todd shared a success story of a Portland artist who connected him with Disney artists through fan art forums that eventually led to him securing a job.

Pickathon has been running since 1999 and has grown and evolved as the years go by. The Wacom Core Community Engagement team was looped into the 2024 festivities by our good friend, and globally renowned artist, Nicolas Barrome Forgues, also known as Nico. Nico concepted, designed, and helped fabricate the ‘Grove Neighborhood’ stage at Pickathon, which included his trademark ‘mischievous creatures’, which appeared larger than life and welcomed over 4,000 attendees to the Grove Stage.

Adjacent to the stage was the ‘Grove Lounge’. Which is where attendees of all ages were introduced to the ‘Wacom Drawing Circle’ – a cool place to chill, take a breath between bands, and draw your dreams, experiences, and feelings.

Staying true to the mission of the Core Community Engagement team, we not only made meaningful connections with our extended community of emerging artists (and plenty of professionals). We also brought along some Wacom Employees to help support the drawing station and engage with the creative community.

We are preparing discussions with the Pickathon nonprofit for deeper involvement next year, which will include collaborations with the PSU (Portland State University) Architecture Grad Program, as well as the OSU (Oregon State University) Architecture program.  

I want to give a huge shout-out to colleagues Caylie Seeger, Tina Eddy, and Gray Whelan (and his lovely wife Lynn) for supporting the team and helping make our first year at Pickathon a success.