From animating Lil’ Elvis and the Truckstoppers in the ’90s to starting his own creative studio and later turning a hugely successful, award-winning brand film around in just six weeks as a creative director at Monster & Bear, JC Reyes has done it all. 

The night began with JC telling our audience of animation and game design students, filmmakers and producers, “I’m your peoples,” and the event certainly felt like a joyful reunion, with many AIT educators excited to catch up with an old colleague. The animation industry in Melbourne may be small in numbers, but it is mighty in spirit. 

It’s clear that apart from his impressive personal achievements, JC has also had an important impact on the careers of many other creatives. From past interns to present colleagues, half the room seemed to have some connection to JC, and everyone was keen to share in more of his wisdom. 

JC kicked off with a quote usually attributed to Albert Einstein – “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” And that’s a really good way to sum up JC Reyes’ explanation of the creative process. It’s clear that a lot of thought has gone into his creation of this framework, and for every new project, JC starts with his intellect – nutting out the problems and the parameters before committing fully to the bold, creative ideas that make the work fun.

Junior Creatives Need to Demonstrate Foundational Skills

One of the things JC really wanted our audience to take away from the talk was the importance of mastering – and then demonstrating – the foundational skills of their craft. 

This is especially important for junior animators, and something that they should take care to present in their showreels. 

“We don’t want to see perfect,” JC explained. “We want to see a good understanding of foundational skills. Animators – I want to see weight, I want to see – you know – anticipation before you move. I don’t want to see it perfectly moving – I want to see your thinking with your work.” 

While there’s a lot to be said for presenting polished work, junior animators shouldn’t overlook the pieces that show their working, and display their understanding of the principles that underpin these finished works. This is something that will demonstrate to potential employers that a junior can become a valuable member of their team.  

“Because, again, the trust thing. I know that if I get you in and I give you a project… I know that you’re going to be understanding me.” 

Will AI Replace Human Animators, Filmmakers, Writers, and Coders?

When asked about the growth of artificial intelligence and its impacts on the creative industries, JC pointed out that while AI can augment the work of creatives, it cannot completely replace them.

“We use AI a lot, as a tool,” JC said, referring to his daily work at Monster & Bear. 

“I use AI a lot. I’m dyslexic. So, when I write, I use AI to help me.” 

“We use AI sometimes for really quick storyboarding. For music, we have an AI tool that breaks music down into stems so we can rip out instruments.” 

“We keep our pulse on AI, and I use AI every day, but as a tool. I’m not scared of it. It can’t do what I can do. But it can do a lot with me. So that’s how I treat it.”

The Importance of Knowing that a “No” Isn’t Personal

“The ‘no’ is not about you. If you get a ‘no’, it means you haven’t really understood the ask.” 

Throughout your career as a creative professional, you are going to face rejection, and you are going to hear the word, “no”. No to the big idea, no to the creative direction you want to take. JC believes this is just part of the job, and that you have to look beyond the sense of rejection to figure out why the client, your boss, or your team have said no. 

“You’ll hear lots of nos, and don’t take it personally. I still work with this because I’m a very proud and passionate person.”

“But most of the nos tend to be about me not understanding what they’re asking of me. Because I’ve always wanted to present my ideas, and they’re like.. ‘I just want to advertise socks’.”

“It’s being discerning enough to go, ‘What have I not seen?’ What have I not heard from the brief?’ And then going back again.” 

And while it’s important to respect the client’s wishes, JC also pointed out that you shouldn’t give up when faced with these rejections of ideas or concepts. You can always adjust your approach and try again. 

“Don’t take no for an answer, though. Ask, ‘Can I have a go again?’ And that’s the only way. That’s the only way you can have a go. And that shows character too.”  

The Importance of Trust and Collaboration in the Creative Industries

“When you have strong ideas, you collaborate well, you innovate, and you grow with every project, you build trust.”

JC was keen for our students to know that reliability and collaborative skills will be key to their future careers. Being known for something is important, but being known as someone people want to work with is equally important. 

“I want everyone to, kind of, sit with this for a little bit,” JC told his audience. “I did a huge paper, about, maybe, eight years ago. I interviewed, maybe, 60 CMOs, CFOs, and CEOs on what it is that they’re looking for when they work with either an agency, a director, or any kind of creative outlet. And above talent, and above speed, above price, it was trust. And that really resonated with me.”

“So if you think about it, trust is your thing that helps you become top of mind.”

“When I was building my career, I was known for a few things. I was fast. I was accurate, and I had a lot of flair. So any time there was a project that had elastic characters or, you know, snappy timing, I would get that work. I was known for that.” 

“Find out what your strengths are, and really work on that. Really be known for something that you love. I love animation. I love design. So, therefore, I really extended in those things.”

“When you have trust, you have creative authority. And this is very important for us as creatives.” 

“Creative authority is something that I want you to start thinking about at this early stage of your careers because it’s very important.”

“What it really means is you have influence. Your expertise is recognised. It’s making it easier to inspire and motivate audiences. It means that you attract opportunities, maybe even high-level projects, client collaboration, freedom, and gain the ability to push boundaries.” 

What a lot of this boils down to is that films, games, and creative campaigns are all put together by teams of people. Whether those teams all work together for the same studio, or they’re made up of freelancers, solo projects are the exception, not the rule. 

By building on your strengths, creating trust, and working collaboratively, you will be able to create a long-lasting career in the industry that you love.

“You don’t have to be a lone person being creative in your room,” JC explained. “The creative industry is so big and so full of amazing people, and really quirky people, and really spicy people.” 

“This here is one of the most important things that I want you to take away today, is that collaboration base. And then efficiency. A lot of you won’t want to work full-time for a company. You want to start your own business, and you want to be a coder or a freelance animator. Efficiency is key.” 

How Do You Get Creatively “Unstuck”?

Along with the big questions of career progression and making a name for yourself, JC also gave our audience invaluable insights for their day-to-day work.

One of our guests wanted to know what to do in those moments when nothing is coming together and a project just stalls.

“If you were doing personal work,” our guest asked, “where no team is involved, and if you get stuck somewhere, what’s your process to get yourself unstuck?” 

“I have a thing that I do,” JC responded. “I’m a very mindful person. So for me to get unstuck, I have to change my environment. So whether it’s a long walk, whether it’s a little bit of exercise, whether I cook something nice, or… meditation – I do a lot of my things.” 

“When you’re stuck, it means you have more questions than answers. So sometimes you have to silence the questions and focus on one answer. So, if I’m writing a script and I don’t know what this character does – go for a walk, catch up with a friend, call your mum, whatever. Get yourself out of that environment because if you stew in that environment, you’re going to just go in circles.”

“I sometimes draw, or I dance with my son. We have a dance party. That works.” 

Dance parties, foundational skills, collaboration, and trust. That sounds like pretty good advice. 

If you’re pursuing a career (or already working) in the creative industries, then you might want to keep an eye on future MasterTalk events at AIT. You’ll gain insights into the industry and learn about the processes of experienced industry professionals who work in animation, film, game design, and more.