AHS Cool Jobs | Applied Health Sciences | University of Waterloo
COOL JOBS IN KINESIOLOGY!
TJ Galda 3D Modelling Supervisor, Nelvana Ltd. 1999 Kinesiology Graduate
What does a typical day of work entail for you?
As the modeling supervisor, I am responsible for the modeling department and character rigging department both meeting their deadlines and producing quality work. Although we work with flexible hours, I am normally at work prior to 9am and try to catch up on where the team left off the day before and update production schedules accordingly. By 10 am, everyone is in, and I make my rounds, checking with the artists on my team, talking over progress, strategies, challenges, and outline the details of the next several tasks on their plate. The size of the team I manage depends on the project, but can range anywhere from 12 to 25 people working on 2 or 3 different projects simultaneously. It is quite demanding staying on top of things. Usually I will have several meetings to attend throughout the day that are mixed into that time as well.
Often I meet with clients, producers, and other department supervisors. Each day we will carefully view production stills and artwork to ensure we are both on track, and in-line with the project's look and feel. As well, any modeling issues or problems are brought to light in order to pass on to the team to correct. Beyond ensuring the team is functioning well, when I find time, I take on tasks still pending, in order to try and fill in any gaps. I write a lot of scripts [short programs and specific tools to speed up production], problem solve, participate in production pipeline planning, complete R&D on upcoming projects, and even pitch in with modeling, character setup, special effects work, and a variety of other things. As a senior manager, other tasks will arise from time to time as well, such as employee reviews, etcetera. My main goal throughout the day is to ensure that the modeling team is on track, and meeting their deadlines with quality work, as well as to keep an eye open for any time saving techniques or tools that could be developed in order to further streamline procedures.
What aspects of your current job do you enjoy the most?
That is hard to narrow down. I honestly could not picture ever wanting to change careers. I still marvel that I am employed to watch cartoons, interact in a fun and goofy environment, and be creative. Of course, there is lots of work to be done and it is often stressful and challenging, but I get paid to create cartoons. Wow.
In what ways has your Kin degree prepared you for your new careers?
There are many obvious and directly related areas such as anatomy, biomechanics, physiology, physics, calculus, programming, mathematics, and my electives in fine arts, that tie directly into things I do on a daily basis at work. Moving characters around in a computer could easily be compared to taking those courses, and applying them digitally. However, beyond that, there are several under-rated and yet extremely important skills I learned at UW. Things like: how the demanding pace of UW hones your memory skills and work speed; how lab work and interacting with fellow students prepares you for dealing with a variety of opinions and points of view that you encounter at work, especially in management; how university demands a strong commitment and self-motivation; how heavy course loads teach you the importance of time and project management. I have found these skills have allowed me to strive hard, work quickly, and excel in my field.
After graduating from Kinesiology, you took a course in computer animation, ultimately leading to employment working on Ford automobile commercials, and later character animation. What motivated you to pursue this path after obtaining a degree from UW?
Even by the middle of my studies at Waterloo, I realized that I did not love medicine enough to become an enthusiastic doctor. Despite knowing so early on in my studies, I chose to finish my degree and am thankful I did. I doubt I would have progressed to where I am without it. During my second year at UW, my sister who had completed her degree of architecture at UW, introduced me to one of her friends in computer science. He was programming for a large 3D animation company, and later went to work for a film effects company. After talking with him and going on a tour of his work, I was amazed that people were actually paid to do his “job”. I immediately fell in love with the field and it was a natural step to take the digital animation course at Centennial College [www.bccc.com]. There is a great respect for Centennial's digital animation course amongst the local studios, largely impart to their co-op program and alumni working in the field, much like Waterloo. I quickly found this out by researching and talking to various studios in Toronto. During the last week of my course there, I was offered employment and have been progressing ever since.
What advice would you give to students considering Kinesiology?
One should research as much as possible into what career they hope to pursue, no matter what that may be. There is always someone working in that exact field willing to answer questions about their career. In the many different fields related to Kinesiology, more often than not, UW will be ranked as the best school in Canada, if not North America, to help them obtain that dream. Most importantly, even if your goal changes during your studies, strongly consider completing the degree. With a few carefully chosen electives, a Kin degree can pertain to an enormously wide variety of jobs. Although what seems to be an unrelated and an entirely different career than the typical Kin graduate, I use what I have learned at UW on a daily basis. I am very happy I chose to finish my degree and it has helped me greatly along the way.
