Vancouver’s appeal among digital animators, visual effects studios and video game developers comes down to the “three Ts,” according to Nancy Mott.
“Talent, tax credit and time zone,” Mott, the Vancouver Economic Commission’s expert for the digital entertainment and interactive (DE&I) sector, told Business In Vancouver on Roundhouse Radio 98.3.
The demand for talent has intensified so much since 2011 that nearly 30 firms with offices in the region are descending upon the Vancouver Convention Centre on Saturday (May 14) to recruit more workers.
The Vancouver Economic Commission, which is hosting the fifth annual VFX, Animation and Video Games career fair , estimates 1,500 prospective employees will hit the floor during the event.
Mott said that while tax credits offered in B.C. aren’t the biggest in the world, the talent base has been one of the driving forces in getting more projects going.
“I was in visual effects 25 years ago when you could probably fit us all in a mini-van. And over time, we’ve built the talent base, we’ve created a great reputation of being on time and on budget,” she said.
“What’s happened as of late is that every Hollywood studio is doing tent-pole movies, so you’re seeing more and more visual effects in the movies. And then we also have the growth of the online distributors like Amazon Prime and Netflix, and they’re greenlighting tons of projects as well.”
Employers recruiting at the DE&I career fair include Electronic Arts, Zoic Studios, DHX Studios, Bardel Entertainment and Rainmaker Entertainment.
Last year, companies hired an average of two candidates they met at the fair, according to a survey from the Vancouver Economic Commission.
This year, the commission expects employers to be looking to fill up to 200 positions.
