New York
Los Angeles
Representation
US
Asia & Australia
Germany
Dream Hustle
Hornet is hiring.
For over 20 years, Hornet has been a beacon of imaginative storytelling, driving creative excellence in motion design, animation, and live action. We pride ourselves on a curated diversity of talent, delivering unique, ground-breaking work for clients and collaborators. Our mission reflects an enduring passion for storytelling and the magic found in creativity.
Hornet is seeking a skilled and enthusiastic Associate Creative Director to join our esteemed Motion team. The ACD will collaborate closely with our design and creative leadership teams, offering support on diverse projects ranging from the inception of initial pitch decks, to the creation of assets for production.
The ideal candidate possesses a keen awareness of contemporary trends, while also maintaining a forward-thinking mindset; actively engaging in the exploration of new mediums, styles, and emerging technologies. This pivotal role extends beyond the creation of visually stunning work, delving into the underlying purpose of the projects, their impact, and how they align with Hornet's extensive clientele. Responsibilities at Hornet will encompass strategic planning, concept development, design, animation and leadership.
Requirements:
- Lead pitches under the direction of Hornet’s Creative Directors or roster Directors, including executing decks/treatments and vetting artists/curating teams of talent.
- Develop visually stunning and strategic concepts, ensuring they align with our clients’ vision and objectives.
- When needed, act as project lead, overseeing creative execution from inception to delivery.
- Oversee new and existing studio wide projects and campaigns, ensuring projects all meet Hornet’s standard of creating exceptional work.
- Work closely with the Motion Creative Director to execute strategic internal and campaign level projects from inception to delivery.
- Create original designs and styleframes, when necessary, and direct teams as various scales.
- Support short term and long term goals for the motion department with the Creative Director.
- Work closely with the Executive team for PR / website needs including Brand Strategy.
- Actively participate in motion talent recruitment efforts and be involved in building and nurturing a collaborative culture for the studio.
- Cultivate a highly collaborative, motivated and design-focused team environment by actively leading projects and mentoring colleagues.
- Oversee motion intern training/mentoring
- Concept and drive internal initiatives and projects that reflect Hornet Studio.
- Participate in kickoffs, check in on progress and reviews with the team as the project finalizes (as needed), streamline and conform practices and workflows with other departments.
- Stay abreast of creative trends and collaborate with Leadership and Department Heads to recommend new technologies and avenues for business growth.
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience as a Motion Designer or Motion Art Director and 2+ years leadership experience.
- Possess an expert eye for various design aesthetics with a strong aptitude for visual storytelling.
- Exemplary leadership skills which foster and promote Hornet values as guiding principles.
- Exhibit an advanced understanding of design and motion pipelines, effectively communicating this knowledge in order to lead teams on a wide range of projects.
- Works effectively and efficiently in high-pressure environments within tight deadlines.
- Self-starter, seeking to continually update his/her/their portfolio and skill set through further education, keeping abreast of new technologies and evaluating and re-designing processes (as needed) to keep the studio competitive.
- Possess an informed point of view for how to approach new projects and production challenges, ensuring the studio meets its goal of producing jobs with the best possible creative outcome.
- Solutions-oriented leader who solves problems through collaboration with team members.
- Approachable and open to feedback from managers and artists within the studio.
- A confident and positive demeanor that will contribute to a collaborative studio environment.
- Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud suite, primarily Photoshop and Illustrator.
At Hornet, we believe in actively developing and encouraging new talent. The Hornet internship program gives young artists a chance to get hands-on experience in a supportive environment. We match interns with projects based on their area of interest and level of expertise. The mission of our internship program is to prepare and inspire the top talent of tomorrow.
Interns are paid an hourly rate of $20 with overtime after forty hours worked in a week.
**Our 2024 Winter Internship application is now closed. Applications are currently under review and we will reply to everyone with their status by late November.**
Requirements:
For more information about the specific opportunities offered, please view our Hornet Internship Program Application and Overview
General Internship Information:
- Hornet offers Summer and Winter Internships.
- Our Internship Program is a full time, 40 hour a week position.
- Our studio hours are 10am - 7pm EST.
- Hornet operates on a Hybrid Schedule (3 days in office at our NYC Studio / 2 days remote).
- While remote candidates will be considered, there is preference for those who are local to the NY Metro area and can collaborate with our team in person.
- Applicants must be eligible to work in the US.
Hornet is seeking a Freelance Senior CG Lead to join the 3D department. Senior CG Leads demonstrate an ability to ensure the overall creative and budgetary goals of a CG production are met. Senior CG Leads correspond with a CG Supervisor, Creative Director, Producer, Executive Producer, and Direct to oversee all aspects of a project conforming to the wishes of the Director and Client. Senior CG Leads delegate responsibility, oversee team productivity, enforce project wide quality control standards, ensure pipeline best practices and standards are upheld, and load balance multiple tasks within a restricted time-frame.
Ideal candidates can proficiently model, look develop, and rig CG assets, as well as animate, light, and composite CG shots. Senior CG Leads work with live action footage, digital still photography, and rendered CG elements to create assets that are seamlessly integrated into assigned shotwork. Candidates should provide mentorship to all CG Artists on a given project, and must be able to provide task based guidance.
Requirements:
- Supervise the project’s CG team to deliver the expected and desired esthetic and creative outcome
- Coordinate with the CG Supervisor as to the technical feasibility of elements in the designs and suggest production-friendly solutions that will maintain the vision of the project
- Responsible for reviewing the work of each artist on a regular basis and approving shots and assets for submission to the director
- Participates as a team member in determining various aesthetic solutions provides feedback to other members of the production by attending dailies on a regular basis
- Work to meet defined milestones within a timeline
- Provide and maintain accurate assignment estimates, from bidding, to personal workload, as well as for the project’s team members
- As needed, create assets for photo-real or stylized projects by efficiently employing photo-realistic, traditional, and digital art skills
Technical Competencies:
- Extensive professional experience working in one or more of the following fields: commercial advertising, episodic production, or feature films operating in a proven leadership capacity
Strong English communication skills - Proven ability to efficiently lead projects utilizing multiple CG techniques, including modeling, look development, rigging, animation, lighting, and compositing
- Fluent with Photoshop
- Fluent with Substance Painter and building procedural shading networks
- Fluent in Maya, Houdini, Blender, or similar
- Fluent in Redshift, Arnold, or similar ray trace renderer
- Fluent in Nuke, or similar compositor
- Comparable software experience considered
Hornet is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and a member of E-Verify. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply, including people identifying as BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, gender nonconforming, living with a disability, veteran or active duty military, or any other minority group.