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Animator in Youngstown, OH

Animator Job Description

Animators breathe life and personality into characters, scenes and other animation elements used to tell stories in cartoons, films, video games, commercials, social media and more. These creative professionals create and sequence multiple images, referred to as “frames,” to give the illusion of movement. An animator might employ digital images, hand-drawn illustrations, models or other types of images and props to create special effects and other animations using computer-generated animation, 2D or 3D model-making, or stop-frame tools and techniques. Employers seek animators with a vivid imagination who are collaborative and receptive to feedback and can work diligently under pressure. Multimedia experience, including in emerging areas like virtual reality (VR), and video editing expertise are highly valued. A bachelor’s degree in computer animation, fine arts or graphic arts is often preferred for this role. Most employers will require candidates to provide a solid portfolio of relevant creative work, including hand-drawn character designs and animation clips.

Typical animator duties:

Creating character sketches, designing backgrounds and other elements, and developing storyboards for animation projectsReading through scripts, and brainstorming and conceptualizing compelling images to help tell stories in an engaging, memorable wayWorking closely with a wide range of team members throughout projects, including artists, story editors, photographers, designers, other animators, voice actors and producersEnsuring final deliverables are high quality and delivered on time and on budget

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Salary for Animator in Youngstown, OH

56233 - 81340

Low
56233
The candidate is new to the role or has limited experience and is building necessary skills.
Mid
66193
The candidate has moderate experience in the role, meets most requirements or has equivalent transferable skills, and may also have relevant certifications.
High
81340
The candidate has extensive experience and advanced skills for the role, and may also have specialized certifications.
Projected salaries for related positions Job title Low Mid High Creative Director 84660 110598 134875 Art Director 69098 84660 101675 Creative Services Manager 63910 79265 95035 Instructional Designer 63703 80095 101883 Motion Designer 63288 74285 88810 Digital Designer 55818 66815 81963 Presentation Designer 51668 63910 72625 3D Modeler 50008 62043 76153 Package Designer 46273 56025 68683 Graphic Designer 43160 55818 65985 Illustrator / Infographics Designer 45443 53950 64325 Video Producer 54780 73455 87358 Video Editor 49800 59345 73870 Studio Manager 50008 59760 73248 Digital Asset Manager 47518 59760 72625 Production Manager 46273 57063 65155 Production Artist 44198 53328 60590 Production Coordinator 38803 42745 50215 Photographer 37143 48970 61628

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Our starting salary projections come from a rigorous, multistep process so that our numbers accurately reflect the marketplace. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has matched with employers across the country and third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use to independently validate the salary levels. Starting compensation—pay for someone new to a role—can vary significantly based on a candidate’s skills, experience and certifications, as well as other factors including industry, company size and revenue, and demand for the role. To reflect this variability, we report our salary data in three levels: low, mid and high.