Mainframe Studios FAQ

Pros

Work-Life Balance, Good team, respected environment

Cons

Nothing Major, No health insurance added

Pros

The culture is great compared to a lot of other studios where you feel like just a number on a spreadsheet here you actually feel like a person

Cons

The benefits program offered is probably the worst of any studio I've worked at.

Advice to Management

Benefits could be improved to be more competitive with the other studios in town.

Pros

Great work life balance Opportunities for everyone Great people Everyone very helpful and they really value the artists

Cons

Probably the most lackluster health plan and overall benefits from all the Vancouver animation studios

Pros

-Great company culture: beer Fridays, pancake breakfasts, bake sales, summer party, Christmas party, just to name some events that happen year round. -Great place for junior artists to start their career, mentorship program available through the FPA position. -One of the best pipelines in the industry with a strong technical team creating tools other studios can only dream of. -Good work location, plenty of cafes around the neighborhood, dessert places and restaurants. Clinic and pharmacy on the ground floor in the same building. Less than a 10 min walk away from West 4th. -Gated underground parking available -Good internal facilities, free coffee, vending machines, two kitchens, good washrooms, small gym on the ground floor. -Good benefits. -Never had overtime in years (although animators and lighters could see OT)

Cons

-Low pay may be the biggest reason people come and go. -Short contract at times, depending on department. The animation and lighting department seem to have the highest turnaround but in recent years it's gotten better. -Some projects may seem boring. -Commuting in by the 99 bus is no fun. -No overtime pay - you only get a $20 dinner as compensation. -In recent years there have been little communication between corporate and the artists, whereas 3 years ago every few months we would get an update in the form of a town hall meeting on the studio situation and what to expect in the coming months in terms of projects.

Advice to Management

Get more interesting projects, maybe expand into the teenage and young adults demographic. Also pay intermediate and lead/senior artists like how other, similar studios around town pay them.

Pros

- Good Location (when we worked in studio) - Decent projects - Stable employment, there are lots of TV series in production, with more on the way, many people have been with the studio for years - The studio keeps growing so there are a number of opportunities for advancement - The studio is getting more and more ambitious with the TV series they are producing, and thus the quality level the animation continues to improve - Competitive pay, a bit on the lower side - There are some health benefits - Decent place to learn and grow

Cons

- Mainframe’s biggest weak point is - pre production… Very little is ready when a new project launches into full-production, and thus fundamental framework doesn’t get put in place until way late in the production... if ever. - Management appears to be applying old templates from previous basic projects and applying them to new much more ambitious and complicated projects. --- Expecting artists to deliver advanced materials in the same amount of time the studio previously delivered something basic. - Lots of talk about the studio burning out their crew on all the newer projects. (Barbie projects being the exception as they have had more than a decade to streamline things and build up resources)

Advice to Management

- Invest more time in pre production, so your projects have a stronger foundation to work off of. - Schedules and resources need to evolve with your ambitions - Avoid burning out your crew