A while ago, I created a series of five short videos outlining a basic path for anyone interested in getting into the toy and collectibles industry.
I used a similar system as my career transitioned from freelance sculptor to creative director. Since “How do I get my start in the industry?” seems to be my most frequently asked question, I want to take a moment to elaborate on this series.
If you want to get into the collectibles industry, the first decision you need to make is, “What do I want to do?” Do you want to sculpt, paint, or design packaging? If you want to sculpt, you need to learn digital sculpting. Even as recently as 15 years ago when I started, people were leery of digital sculptors. Clearly, it was the future, but at the time, 3D printing was expensive and in its infancy. The prints weren’t as clean as they are today, and they required a lot of handwork to get them production-ready. Now, we live in a world of amazing $300 consumer printers, and digital sculpting is essentially mandatory. Most sculptors use the 3D software ZBrush (https://www.maxon.net/en/zbrush), which has a vast user community that can help you learn and troubleshoot. If you have a few extra bucks to put toward classes, there is no shortage of those either.
If you want to create paint masters, buy resin busts and model kits, and learn how to use an airbrush, as well as the basics of dry brushing and paint washes. If you want to do packaging design, learn both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. For some reason, every factory I have ever used requires Illustrator files.
And practice.
Practice and practice and practice until you have some work that you think is worth showcasing.
This is where you build your portfolio site! My personal preference is to find a site builder like Wix.com or Squarespace.com and register your own URL. Make it your name, or if that is taken, something like <yournameart.com>. You can generally get this set up for around $200 to cover the year. Hey, I get it—$200 can be a lot of money at times, so if you can’t afford that, there are tons of free portfolio options out there. I just prefer the custom version.
And here is why.
When you have your own custom site and portfolio, you can showcase a lot of your personality. Your story. Why is that important? Because when hiring a sculptor or a packaging designer, there are infinite options. If all else is equal, and I know your story and like it, I’m going with you. It’s a competitive landscape out there, so give yourself every advantage.
The next step is one every artist seems to hate, but I can never figure out why: setting up a LinkedIn profile. For some reason, LinkedIn is like artist kryptonite, but where else are you going to find a free tool that can literally connect you to anyone you could imagine, working in the field of your dreams? So go—get a good headshot taken, make a cool banner, and get to work.
You already have your portfolio done, so set up a LinkedIn business page. You don’t need a clever name; just use your name and “Design” or something similar. Insert your logo (if you don’t have one, there’s a site called Fiverr.com—someone there can make you a logo in a few days for generally under $50).
Now, go to your LinkedIn profile, add your business as experience, and give a description of what you have done along with a link to your portfolio site. What you have done here is create a polished and “official” looking “freelance” section. I literally have two sections like this on my LinkedIn right now:
Now, here is the fun part—your LinkedIn looks good, so now you NETWORK! Look up companies you want to work for and people with the jobs you want, and try to connect with as many of them as possible. Not everyone will accept the connection—maybe not even half! But some will, and this is where the good stuff happens!
LinkedIn has a feature called InMail, where you can send messages to your connections. This is also why it’s important for you to have a polished profile page: because a lot of LinkedIn InMail is junk mail. You need to look professional, so people can tell the good (you) from the spam (not you).
Now that you have a few connections, reach out. Be polite; don’t be pushy. Even a note as simple as:
“Hey [Name], nice to meet you and thanks for connecting. I saw that you are a sculptor at Hasbro. I have been learning how to sculpt and would love to work for Hasbro myself one day. I was wondering if you had time to chat for 10 minutes or wouldn’t mind taking a look at my portfolio. Thank you.”
That’s all it takes. Again, not everyone will respond, but some will—and just like that, you have a connection in the company and department you want to work in. They can help guide your portfolio, maybe even tell you areas to focus on, and when and if a position you feel is right for opens, you can reach out and say, “Hey, I saw this position opened. Do you think I would be a good fit?” More than likely, they will a) be honest and b) help by sending a message to the recruiter on your behalf. It’s not foolproof, but it is a method that helps tremendously for jobs with very high application rates.
And now, let’s say everything has gone right.
Congratulations! You have your first job in the toy industry. You have just done the hardest part: getting your foot in the door. Like most creative industries, often the first job you get isn’t necessarily the one you want. That is okay, though, because now you can take what you have just learned and start again!
Keep practicing. Keep learning. Keep refining your skills. Keep your portfolio updated—now with “professional” work. Network with the people in the company. Add them on LinkedIn. Keep your ears open for jobs coming up inside the company. At some point, it may be time to move on to a new company, so keep making those LinkedIn connections and keep reaching out. This system can be repeated indefinitely!
Good luck! If you took anything from this post or video, please leave a note below. Also, if you followed any of these steps and had success, I would love to hear about that as well!
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