'Striking Out' with Leigh Hodgkinson

Introduction

[Leigh Hodgkinson - Art Director of Charlie and Lola]

'I pursued a degree in Bracket Design. I did all sorts of creative things and I enjoyed all of them. But I specialized in animation. I left uni with no knowledge of actually getting a job, but I wanted to pursue being a creative director. I then did a MA at the National Television School as I felt I didn't find my creative voice.'

'Charlie and Lola opened up more opportunities for me, such as; Noran Child.' 'Be very open with what you can do but don't shut down opportunities because you haven't done them before.' 'I took 8-10 ideas and brought it up to publishers and ended up getting one published.'

[Various works by Leigh Hodgkinson]

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Self Generated / Motivated Work

'Something will always be around the corner. In the meantime, make your own stuff and don't be pigeon holed. Just because you can do drawings, doesn't mean you can't do sewing or products. 'An accountant that has an understanding of the creative industry is invaluable. Hiring freelancers and paying them is an incredibly difficult process. So someone who knows the procedure to hire and pay people/entities in the creative industries is incredibly helpful.' 'Merch can be more lucrative than the production itself. For smaller companies, it's a lot harder as there is limited shelf space which are often taken up by Star Wars, Disney, Marvel, Pixar, etc.' 'Social Media. Do it in your free time. If you have a passion, time for it. But utilizing social medias is a job in itself.'

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Reflection Segment

"With most of the 'Striking Out' sessions, I could often take something away from it. Daniel Waterman's perspective on portfolios/showreels, Steve Burch's approach to commercial pitches, Hayden Brinkley's introduction to his work and Hayes Davidson, etc. Leigh Hodgkinson's session didn't really resonate with me. I am struggling to take anything away from this session, not to Leigh's fault. I just didn't see any connection from her career path to my own and that's okay.

Potentially her perspective on side hustles is something I might look into although her answer was rather vague. Looking into what Leigh does for side-hustles might give me a better insight as to what I need to do to achieve a successful side-hustle."

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What I've been listening to: