Spotlight on Our Graduates
In the month leading up to my graduation from LaSalle College, I began my career at Ubisoft Montréal, working on various projects, including Prince of Persia, Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, to name a few.
In 2009, I flew to China for 6 months with Ubisoft Chengdu, to train a new team of technical animators in the use of 3DS MAX. Once the team was trained, I took on the role of Rigging Trainer/Lead and guided them through our first video game projects.
Back in Montréal, I joined the Digital Dimension team and began work on the trailers for Warner Bros, games such as The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and Mortal Kombat.
In 2011, I was hired by WB Games Montréal to work on my first AAA game production for Xbox360 and PS3, Batman: Arkham Origins, and later on Batman: Arkham Knight.
Simon, as an 3D animation graduate, how did your education help you?
The LaSalle College program enabled me to learn about the multiple disciplines involved in a production. Starting with the storyboard concept, followed by modeling, textures, rigging, animation, lighting, special effects and compositing, I learned everything needed to create a short, from A to Z. With a solid foundation, I was able to choose a discipline for specialization. It also allowed me to understand the needs and expectations of each department during production.
Your early career is a success story, what advice would you give to our animation students?
By pushing the limits of my knowledge beyond the program and by asking the right questions, my teachers noticed me. During the last third of my training, a Rigging job opened up at Ubisoft and a teacher referred me for an interview. When students ask for my advice on entering the job market, I repeat what one of my teachers told me: "In order to succeed in the film or video game industry, you have to have 3 things: talent, passion and good contacts. Without one of the three, it’s almost impossible to make it." Over the course of my career, this advice has repeatedly proven to be true, for junior employees and industry veterans alike.
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