Assistant Director

Brown Bag Films; Toronto; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading animation studio in Toronto is seeking an experienced Assistant Director to deliver high-quality animation and lead creative teams. The role involves managing storyboards, collaborating with producers, and ensuring all production phases meet quality expectations. The ideal candidate has extensive experience in animation, strong leadership skills, and a passion for storytelling. This position offers competitive compensation and a supportive work environment.

Benefits

First-rate health and dental benefits

Summer hours

Paid Health and Wellness Days

Vacations that multiply with tenure

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in storyboarding or directing, on at least 3 long-form animation productions.
• Strong experience in creatively leading all levels of crew and artistic staff.
• Previous work on a comedic series is a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality storyboards and edits, from animatic through locked animation.
• Collaborate with the Director and Producer to tackle creative challenges.
• Attend offline edits and provide edit and retake notes.

Skills

2D and/or 3D animation pipeline understanding

Storyboarding

Animation timing

Team collaboration

Education

Tertiary qualification in film or related field

Tools

Harmony Toonboom

Storyboard Pro

Shotgrid/Database Tracking software

Job description

Join to apply for the Assistant Director role at Brown Bag Films

At Brown Bag Films, our motto is simple: “We love animation.” We put our artists at the heart of everything we do! We are looking for someone to join our team who shares our vision and has a passion for creating high-quality content.

Reporting to: Director

Purpose: To deliver high-quality animation within the agreed scope by providing creative leadership for the teams and working closely with your Director, Producer, Broadcasters, and key production stakeholders.

Delivery: What you produce

• High-quality storyboards and edits, from animatic through locked animation
• Clearly defined actions based on director/stakeholder notes and feedback
• Manage solutions for problems arising
• Provide creative notes and feedback across all phases, including post-production (if applicable)
• Provide audio spotting notes, premix, and mix notes (if applicable)

Measurements: How we measure it

• High-quality, on-schedule delivery of episodes through all phases within the project scope
• Feedback from Creative Director, Director, Director of Production/SVP of Production, Stakeholders, Producer & Supervisors
• Engaging episodes that flow, are emotionally engaging, and provide genuine laughs

Responsibilities:

• Leading effective collaboration with the Producer, Creator, Development, Episodic Director/Series Director, and Department Heads to create the highest quality production within budget and schedule constraints
• Collaborating with the Episodic Director/Series Director/Storyboard Supervisor to launch storyboards
• Supervising edits at animatic, through animation, and providing notes
• Attending offline edits and providing edit and retake notes
• Locking animatics and implementing all agreed director/network notes
• Working with the Director and Producer to address creative challenges and deliver on time
• Reviewing episode scripts and providing directorial vision
• Driving discussions with key creative leads
• Providing feedback and sign-off on visual deliveries
• Ensuring quality standards are met in all deliveries
• Attending voice recordings and online sessions as applicable
• Implementing director/stakeholder notes across all passes
• Providing feedback on animation passes and signing off where applicable
• Working with Animation Directors to ensure style, performance, and quality
• Collaborating with sound engineers and composers on audio aspects
• Participating in post-mortem reviews for continuous improvement
• Balancing aesthetic sensibilities with technical expertise in 2D animation

Essential Knowledge:

• Understanding of 2D/3D animation pipelines and processes
• Strong skills in storyboarding, animation timing, and storytelling
• Knowledge of animation and post-production terminology
• Relevant tertiary qualification (desirable)

Experience:

• Extensive experience in storyboarding or directing on at least 3 long-form film/TV animation productions, with at least 2 as a Storyboard Supervisor
• Proven ability to lead creative teams and work with stakeholders and executive leadership
• Experience on comedic series is a bonus

Technical Skills:

• Knowledge of Harmony Toonboom
• Expertise in Storyboard Pro
• Familiarity with Shotgrid or similar database tracking software

Why work with us?

We offer a great work environment, health and dental benefits, summer hours, wellness days, and a competitive salary. Our Toronto office is in Liberty Village, home to over 200 artists working on award-winning content. We value diversity and inclusion and encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

Legal Eligibility: Applicants must be legally eligible to work in Canada.

We appreciate all applicants' interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, welcoming candidates from diverse backgrounds and providing accommodations during the recruitment process.

Seniority level: Mid-Senior level

Employment type: Contract

Job function: Art / Creative

Industries: Animation, Post-production, Broadcast Media