Events

We’ve recently launched a new YouTube show called “Get Hired,” where we engage with Art Leads and Directors. In this show, you won’t just find “the best tips from the Internet” but also hear the real-life stories of accomplished professionals who have achieved their goals through perseverance and action. Rest assured, they are well-versed in and share practical secrets.

If you’ve already watched the first episode of “Get Hired” on the Devoted Studios YouTube channel, you’ve already had the chance to meet our first guest, Jeremy Fenske, Art Director at Palia. Jeremy is renowned for his exquisite concept collections in Elder Scrolls and Destiny 2. However, he didn’t start his career with famous companies. Like all of us, he began early in his career, and certain decisions were pivotal in his journey. That is why we’ve compiled the top 5 tips from Jeremy on how to become the most competitive candidate.

1. Put in More Effort, and You’ll Reap the Rewards

Portfolios don’t magically materialize; they are born from a genuine passion for one’s craft. At the outset of his professional journey, Jeremy actively worked and acquired real-world experience instead of waiting to complete formal training. This proactive approach allowed him to amass a substantial portfolio, ultimately securing a position at Elder Scrolls.

2. Don’t Wait, but Act

Jeremy revealed that he started sending out his portfolio before completing art school. Like all newcomers, he, too, had doubts. However, summoning your inner boldness is essential to secure more opportunities. Interestingly, this tactic enabled Jeremy to receive multiple job offers and ultimately choose his desired career path.

3. Don’t Worry About Failure – Try Again

When you’re a Junior Artist and apply to numerous job openings, you will encounter your fair share of rejections. It can be pretty demoralizing, and if you’ve already faced such setbacks, you understand the feeling. However, reminding yourself that every rejection doesn’t define your skills or diminish your experience is crucial.

Each rejection isn’t a personal judgment or an indictment of your abilities. Instead, it’s typically a business decision made on a case-by-case basis. Therefore, Jeremy and we strongly recommend not dwelling on these rejections but persevering in your pursuit of opportunities.

4. Take Pride in Being a Junior Artist

Large companies require Junior specialists for three critical reasons:

Fresh Ideas and Energy: Young colleagues bring a constant flow of new ideas and enthusiasm, invigorating the creative process within the company.

Skill Development: Junior Artists provide the opportunity to nurture and mentor individuals, enhancing the growth and development of Middle and Senior Artists. Teaching someone is a form of self-learning.

Scaling for Ambitious Goals: Hiring Junior specialists contributes to the company’s ability to scale its operations and pursue more ambitious objectives effectively.

It’s essential to remember that even the most accomplished Lead or Senior Artist started as a Junior with minimal experience. Countless mistakes and failures marked their journey, but precisely, these experiences ultimately led them to become the best in their field.

5. How to Get Hired at Singularity 6

That’s the most pressing question on your mind. Jeremy provided a clear and concise answer: write to him now, and he will arrange everything (it was a joke). Actually, contact the recruiters and submit your resume through S6’s career page. Be encouraged if you receive an immediate response. Your CV will undoubtedly be reviewed, and if your experience aligns with the company’s requirements, you may be invited for an interview.

Final Thoughts: Watchfulness Makes Sense

If you’ve already watched “Get Hired with Jeremy,” you’ve witnessed how Jeremy professionally evaluates other artists’ portfolios. Forget the approach where Lead managers critique the work. With a keen sense of detail, you can appreciate the strengths in the creations of fellow professionals and integrate them into your work.

You can find many more detailed tips in the “Get Hired” show. Make sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel and stay updated with the latest releases.

If you enjoy playing exciting games on your computer or gaming consoles, you may have considered creating your unique game or being a part of the game development process at a GameDev sphere. You may be already working in such a team.

If so, you will gain essential information from Art Directors, Art Leads, and other upper-echelon individuals within the GameDev. We are confident we will invite them to the Devoted Studies YouTube channel. We shared secrets and life hacks for the best candidate in the profession.

What would you like to talk about?

It was the very question we pondered before meeting our first guest. We’re sure you wouldn’t want to miss the chance to acquire insights on how GameDev companies and studios hire the perfect candidate, so we’ve thoroughly prepared ourselves for this occasion.

During this interview, you’ll have the opportunity to delve into:

We’re also thrilled to introduce you to Jeremy Fenske (Art Director in Palia), a renowned figure known for his vibrant and captivating concept art in Destiny 2, Elder Scrolls Online, and other games.

A Bit About Jeremy Fenske

Jeremy possesses extensive expertise in creating exceptional concept art and the art of candidate selection. With numerous successful and unsuccessful interviews, he has a wealth of experiences and insights to share.

We highly recommend watching this genuinely unique interview with Jeremy, conducted by Ninel Anderson, CEO of Devoted Studios.

By watching it through to the end, you’ll discover:

This interview promises to be a treasure trove of knowledge for your future success.

Devoted SpeakEasy: Thanksgiving Edition

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”  – Helen Keller

Devoted Studios have always been a part of a beautiful and powerful community, and we see one of our goals in supporting the industry by bringing everyone together. Sometimes we collaborate and create some great projects together, sometimes we network to exchange opinions and experience, but also we celebrate and have fun together.

Recently we gathered together at the Devoted Speakeasy: Thanksgiving Edition to celebrate the holiday and give thanks to each other for creating the environment of support and encouragement. It was the first event after two years’ brake caused by pandemics, and this fact made the party so special for us.

We chose “Roaring 20th” as a main theme of the event in order to dive into the rebellious yet elegant atmosphere of speakeasy bars during the Prohibition. And The Obscure, unique distillery in LA became a perfect location for our setting.

Hosted by the CEO of Devoted Studios, Ninel (Gryuner) Anderson the event was visited by about 50 game industry professionals who reside in Los Angeles. That was a great joy to meet old friends, make new ones , and share this great experience together.

We are looking forward to meeting you soon at our upcoming events!

Devoted Studios at External Development Summit 2022

Building a strong community is an essential goal for Devoted Studios, that is why we do our best to keep in touch with industry-main events and take every opportunity to network, share our experience and collaborate with game art leaders and trendsetters. For this reason, being a part of XDS Summit 2022 was important and honorable to us, especially because this is the annual event with a primary focus on external development. Ninel (Gryuner) Anderson, the CEO of Devoted Studios attended the Summit as the speaker for the panel “Right Person, Right Place: The Golden Age of Global Mobility”. Read further to know more about this amazing event.

What Is XDS?

For 10 years already External Development Summit has gathered professionals from over 45 countries who specialize in external game development producing art, animation, software engineering, QA, audio, and localization. This year the conference took place in Vancouver, Canada, and lasted for 4 days full of unique events, panels, and discussions. The Summit aims at building the community with a focus on sharing knowledge, B2B networking, collaboration, and industry stewardship.

It is a professional event attended by game developers, service providers, and middleware providers, as well as influencers and decision-makers in the sphere of external development. The XDS community includes more than 14K contacts worldwide and is considered one of the industry’s best events and award-winner as the Most Outstanding Virtual Event in 2021.

Devoted Studios at XDS 2022

Ninel Anderson, the CEO of Devoted Studios, who represented the company at XDS 2022, has shared that she had a nightmare the night before the conference that she was late for all of the appointments she had for the Summit. But at the end of the day, the event turned out to be very successful for Devoted Studios.

The team of Business Development Managers that arrived at the summit together with Ninel carried out more than 50 productive meetings, secured some thrilling collaborations, met old and new friends, and got a bunch of precious insights.

Right Person, Right Place: The Golden Age of Global Mobility

On Thursday, September 8th, there was a panel “Right Person, Right Place: The Golden Age of Global Mobility” with Ninel Anderson as one of the speakers. Together with Eric Nofsinger (CCO, High Voltage Software), Jeaneane Falkler (President, Technicolor Games), Marc Henry de Frahan (Director, EA Operations & Strategy, Electronic Arts), and Dan Prigg (Executive Vice President, Head of Studio, Skydance Interactive) they discussed the nowadays abilities of multinational companies.

Global Mobility has a golden moment to align more closely with top AAA talent. Now companies are capable of sharing resources all over the globe and leveraging talent for success and strategic development advantages. They can now enhance attraction for top talent, deployment of capable employees, knowledge sharing, and talent retention. The speakers discussed the current tendencies in the full-time remote schedule, exchanged their companies’ best practices, and shared their insights on this topic.

After the event, Ninel wrote on her LinkedIn account that the event was bright and insightful and thanked her colleagues for the beautiful discussion.