Financial crisis

[stathis]

Any thoughts on how this stupid worldwide financial crisis will affect the concept art job market?

[aesir]

People won't be hiring as much and some companies (like EA) have laid off workers. Dont expect the entertainment industry to be hit nearly as hard as everywhere else.

If Obama wins I think I heard something about a tax break for hiring new workers, so you might see some increased jobs soon.

[stathis]

Thanx!
If Obama wins its good news for the US I guess but I am located in Europe so, what's the story on the concept art hiring scene in the UK and Europe now that recession is setting in? Anyone?.... Anyone?...

[Blue]

Dont expect the entertainment industry to be hit nearly as hard as everywhere else..

Really? I thought they'd be 1st to get hit.

[aesir]

Really? I thought they'd be 1st to get hit.

Historically during depressions/recessions people still shell out the money to see entertainment/movies/etc.

[skullsquid]

People need distracting while they head out to the poor house.

Job safety...guaranteed.

almost

[Peter Coene]

People will still be shelling out the money for entertainment but still durring economic crises most companies tend to play on the safe side with the cash that they have, so I wouldn't expect them to be hiring a whole bunch. Also it sucks for me as they probably will stick to the artists they know and have worked with, rather than the guys trying to get noticed and get their foot in the door.

[stathis]

I agree with you Peter. I think it's really going to be hard for people trying to get into the industry. It sucks that just when I will be ready to send out portfolio samples, the crisis will be going strong... It sucks really bad!!!! I don't know what else to say... We're just unlucky that way...

[Volchiha]

I'll just go back to Russia until it dies down. =D

But as history and philosophy has taught us - any dominant economic system eventually crashes, even if once in a while.

[stathis]

Like I said, we're just unlucky it had to happen now that some of us are getting ready to dive into it all.... Really unlucky!!!!

[Alex Chow]

Also it sucks for me as they probably will stick to the artists they know and have worked with, rather than the guys trying to get noticed and get their foot in the door.

This is my biggest concern. I don't know if it's going to happen for sure since I'm not very good with this stuff but, if it does, I'm in for a lot of pain.

[Peter Coene]

well the timing for me is horrible, and the family drama with being kicked out of the house and all that isn't helping. Not even the normal non-art mundane places seem to be hiring.

[Arshes Nei]

Right, I think it's going to affect new hires more than anything else. Even with supposed tax breaks that's not enough to hire a new person on staff considering you may have to pay for benefits etc...

Remember they said the banks aren't loaning money. If a person is trying to gain capital for their company this is difficult as it generally takes about 10 years to see profit in at least the average US scenario. If they were using that loan money to help with new projects, that means those projects will get canceled. Some of these effects right now aren't visible until quarters to come.

[Peter Coene]

Right, I think it's going to affect new hires more than anything else. Even with supposed tax breaks that's not enough to hire a new person on staff considering you may have to pay for benefits etc...

Great, I'm f*cked. And not in the fun way

[stathis]

I know times are tough but don't let it bring you down.
Remember, hope dies last... or something...

If anyone has anything positive and uplifting to say, now is the time

[Arshes Nei]

Great, I'm f*cked. And not in the fun way

I've gone through your situation in the last recession (it was bad timing and hard to get jobs). All I have to say is keep at least a resume up to show you have other skills than just art at this time. Always have a fallback even though times will be more difficult.

[rorke]

I know times are tough but don't let it bring you down.
Remember, hope dies last... or something...

If anyone has anything positive and uplifting to say, now is the time

Well Here is how I see it...(On a high note anyways) At least you have a talent or something that can generate cash in some way where there is a big chunk of the population out there that has ZERO skills and thus are probably going to be the first to get there piggy banks raided. At least you have something to offer.

Anyways you get into this business long enough and people just start b*tching and moaning about they have no time to work on their own projects. Well say hello to StarvingArtistVille and yay to that extra time to work on your own concepts for a few years while you try to get work at some print shop somewhere....or ink/copier place (god forbid). Turn this into a chance to improve even far beyond what you can do now. That or try to hire on yourself for a change…. Take that project you were too afraid to work on all by your lonesome and try to generate your own cash. Get published spread your ideas around…break off from people and be your own boss…. I mean if no one is going to hire you anyways cause of a recession… what else do you have to do with your time. Try to make it work. And if it doesn’t kill you… and you don’t starve to death… well it only makes you stronger.

[stathis]

Spoken like a true optimist Rorke, thanx!

[Peter Coene]

I mean if no one is going to hire you anyways cause of a recession… what else do you have to do with your time?

Shoot pigeons with a bb gun when nobody is looking and cook them. Try to find/build reliable shelter... that's always a good one too.

[VulgarDragon]

It's the beginning of the end of the civilization as we know.

EDIT: Oh, it's about how it will affect concept art jobs. Never mind then....have fun.

[Interceptor]

You look around at studio websites now though.. there's still lots of hiring going on. And they're more than hapy to get back to about jobs. It's not all hopeless.

[Peter Coene]

You look around at studio websites now though.. there's still lots of hiring going on. And they're more than happy to get back to about jobs. It's not all hopeless.

I have been looking. I've been applying too, and every time if I get a response its the same thing. "Thank you for your interest, but we found someone with more experience/ a 'better resume' (read "more experience")/ who better matched what we are looking for."

edit: I agree though, I don't think its entirely hopeless. If that were the case I'd invest in a glock and 1 bullet.

[skullsquid]

Then obviously the fact that they are turning you down has nothing to do with the recession and everything with what they apparently told you numerous times before.

[stathis]

New day here in Europe! That means revamped optimism.

By the way, is there a list of companies that are in a position to hire concept artists here on conceptart.org?

[Jason Ross]

Learning how banks create money out of thin air makes you understand that a crisis like this is more about when not if. It's sick that the fed then has to create even more money out of thin air to bail out money created out of thin air.

[Peter Coene]

Then obviously the fact that they are turning you down has nothing to do with the recession and everything with what they apparently told you numerous times before.

Please read the whole thread. That post was a continuation on a point that was made that the recession would hurt people trying to get into the industry to start out with. Yeah, I didn't have much luck before, however now it is looking like things are getting worse, and that it illustrates the type of predicament that the current economic slump tends to exacerbate.

[skullsquid]

MMM yes I wonder what I have been doing up until now.

Let me remove the mortadella slices off of my eyes.

Your signature says it all.

Not to mention that entertainment as mentioned before is one of the industries that are most resilient to recession.
If you were in manufacturing then I would worry a whole lot more, but it's easy to blame the inability to access the entertainment industry on a recession.
If you're up to par it doesn't matter what's going on. Artists are always in demand.

It's like blaming the lack of job offers on your diploma.

[stathis]

Not to mention that entertainment as mentioned before is one of the industries that are most resilient to recession.
If you were in manufacturing then I would worry a whole lot more, but it's easy to blame the inability to access the entertainment industry on a recession.
If you're up to par it doesn't matter what's going on. Artists are always in demand.

It's like blaming the lack of job offers on your diploma.[/QUOTE]


Your quote gives us all hope...

[skullsquid]

Much obliged.