REVIEW: I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation (nonfiction graphic novel) by Natalie Nourigat

I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is a nonfiction graphic novel. I bought my copy new.

Review:

Natalie Nourigat has worked on Bee and Puppycat, Encanto, Raya and the Last Dragon, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and more. In this short but text-heavy graphic novel, she talks about moving from Portland to Los Angeles to pursue a career in animation. There's lots of advice, notes of caution, and more here for those interested in working in animation and considering following a similar path. Nourigat talks about finding a place to live and what she wished she'd done differently, the perks of working in animation studios in L.A. versus her time in Portland working as a freelance commercial storyboard artist, what a typical day is like for her, the pros and cons of living in L.A., advice for getting a job with an animation studio, networking advice, and lots more.

In addition, Nourigat also includes the perspectives of several others working in animation in L.A.: Angie Wang, Antoine Ettori, Dave Pimentel, Diana Huh, Drew Green, Kellye Perdue, Megan Nairn, and Sam Spina.

I don't work in animation and don't have any intention to, but this made it onto my radar after a few talks with one of my library's student workers, an art student who's about to graduate. This little volume is jam-packed with information that I imagine would be useful to anyone looking to follow a path similar to Nourigat's - honestly, her advice for applying for jobs was exactly what I'd tell library school graduates looking to get their first job as a librarian (my favorite bit: "Job postings list all of the traits of an ideal candidate, but they will take the best candidate they get. So even if you don't meet all of their criteria, you should still apply!" This, 100%.)

Nourigat clearly enjoys the work she does, and she takes the time (and several pages) to list out some amazing experiences she's had in L.A., but she doesn't shy away from presenting as complete a picture as possible. The 2-3 page sections from the perspectives of other artists flesh things out even further. Those looking for all their worries and fears to be dispelled will probably be disappointed, but there's a definite sense that everyone involved in this volume wants budding animators to be as prepared as possible so that they have a good chance of succeeding.