Netflix And Bento Box Both Make Pushes For New Talent As Animation Boom Goes Kinetic But Union Voice Actors Not Happy With Freelancers

Whether it’s broadcast, cable, or streaming, adult animation is going bananas now. This is providing for all sorts of job opportunities in the animation industry pretty much across the board but it also makes the need for talent that much more competitive. Expect salaries to increase and go bananas sooner rather than later, but as you’ll see some of the competition for talent is getting personal.

First up, Bento Box Entertainment has announced Brooke Keesling as Head of Animation Talent Development, and Caitlin Winiarski, a Creative Executive that will be tasked with developing projects from unknown talent. Both jobs will be key in not only getting talent, but the best talent, which will help Bento in it’s litany of projects which span FOX, Netflix, Comedy Central, and more.

Netflix has a hiring initiative of it’s own going on right now, having announced an “Emerging Talent Program” that you can get more details here.  The Netflix Emerging Animation Talent program is dedicated to helping those with limited production experience to improve their skills that will provide an opportunity for participants to hone their craft with the mentorship of some of the Animation industries’ most talented artists.

The increase in production is also demanding an increase in working voice actors. This has caused producers to not only consider but heavily recruit voice actors that are not affiliated with SAG. As a result, some SAG actors are speaking out about freelance voice actors potentially getting prospective job offers for a fraction of the cost. On one hand, SAG actors note that this may hurt the industry. On the other hand, supply and demand and the fact that the average rent in Los Angeles is increasing year over year would make for good arguments for the freelance community. We’ve also seen the effects union labor can have on the possibility of animated series getting renewed, so there’s longevity to consider.