Groom Supervisor

WildBrain Studios; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 108,000 - 131,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RRSP matching

Multi-tiered benefits

Mental health resources

Team events

Job summary

WildBrain Studios is seeking a Groom Supervisor to lead our feature team on Little Santa. You will define workflows, build groom pipelines, and establish standards to drive quality, efficiency, and innovation across the department.

Reporting to the Line Producer and collaborating with VFX, Production and pipeline teams, you will mentor staff, create training materials, and help grow a high-performing Groom group capable of delivering best-in-class content.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading and supervising Groom teams on feature or episodic productions.
• Ability to build and implement scalable groom rigs and Groom libraries.
• Strong knowledge of Houdini and applying grooming techniques to complex scenes.
• Familiarity with USD in the grooming pipeline.
• Deep understanding of CG pipelines and production workflows.
• Mentoring mindset and ability to develop others into senior supervisors.

Responsibilities

• Build Houdini templates to streamline the grooming workflow in production.
• Review the artist’s work daily and provide feedback for a feature quality production.
• Create Creature and Character Grooms including fur, feather and hair.
• Define and re-evaluate Groom processes, workflows and tools to support the department.
• Partner with Groom/Asset TD to develop tools that support department needs.
• Collaborate with Heads of Departments to align goals and timelines.
• Establish training materials and create a Wiki to document process.
• Assist with recruitment and growth of the Groom department.
• Lead and mentor to build a high functioning, growth-minded team.
• Provide feedback and recommendations to Senior Management to improve Groom pipeline.
• Participate in new project bids defining capabilities, infrastructure needs, costs, and process.

Skills

Groom supervision

Houdini

Pipeline development

Mentoring

Team collaboration

Tools

Houdini

USD pipeline

XGen / Yeti

Job description

WildBrain Studios is looking for a Groom Supervisor to join our feature team on Little Santa!

As Groom Supervisor you will push creative boundaries and create new processes and standards to push innovation, quality, efficiency, and the evolution of our Groom department. This foundational role will establish and grow our Groom discipline at WildBrain, define workflows and support studio best practices for high quality productions.

Reporting to the Line Producer under the Supervision of the VFX Supervisor, the Groom Supervisor is ultimately responsible for being the architect of this discipline. They enjoy collaborating and actively participating in pipeline development, training and building out this function with the ultimate goal of producing best in class content!

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Little Santa is a new CG-animated feature for Apple Original Films, based on the beloved children's book by Jon Agee. This musical comedy adventure follows young Santa Claus on an Oz-like trek through the North Pole, meeting and inspiring the offbeat friends who will create Christmas, and remind the world to believe. The film is directed by Academy and Annie Award-winner Peter Baynton, written by Martin Hynes, produced by Julia Pistor, and features songs by Bret McKenzie.

Responsibilities & Qualifications

What You’ll Do:

• Build Houdini Templates to streamline the grooming workflow in production
• Review the artist’s work daily and provide feedback for a feature quality production
• Create Creature and Character Grooms including fur, feather and hair
• Define and re-evaluate our Groom processes, workflows and tools to support and further the department’s toolset in conjunction with production and pipeline
• Partner with Groom/Asset TD to develop tools that support the needs of the department
• Collaborate with Heads of Departments to ensure our teams continue to work together towards the same goals and timelines
• Establish training materials and creation of Wiki to document process.
• Assist with the recruitment and the growth of a Groom department to best support production
• Lead and mentor to build a high functioning, growth minded team dynamic
• Provide feedback, assessments and recommendations to Senior Management to improve the quality and performance of the Groom pipeline
• Participate in new project bids defining capabilities, infrastructure needs, costs, and process

What You’ll Bring:

• 5+ years’ experience leading and supervising Groom teams in feature and/or episodic productions
• Ability to build and implement scalable groom-rigs and Groom librariesli>
• Demonstrable knowledge of modern Groom practices in Houdini and their application in breaking down complex Groom problems finding solutions achievable within budget and schedule
• Knowledge of USD related to the Grooming pipeline
• Extensive knowledge of CG pipelines and workflows
• A passion for building up and mentoring others to be better supervisors and artists
• Good knowledge of Flow Production Tracking

Nice to Have:

• Experience working in studios with multiple concurrent projects
• Experience developing with Python, or other object-oriented programming language
• Experience defining and collaborating on tools and software in a professional environment
• Experience with XGen, Yeti or equivalent Groom software packages

This is a Union position and the terms and conditions of employment are covered by a collective agreement.

Why WildBrain

Pay Range:

$2375 to $2884 CAD per week based on a 40-hour work week.

Candidates are paid within the range posted, but their exact pay will vary based on the level, responsibilities and expectations of the role. We also take into consideration the experience and skills that individual brings, with consideration of our internal equity.

We make sure to take care of all our hard-working Wild Brains by offering a comprehensive benefits package and a workplace culture that values our employees’ wellbeing. Our staff enjoy RRSP matching, multi-tiered benefits so you can pick the coverage that’s best for you, free mental health resources, and additional perks like regular events to connect our teams virtually, and in-person.

Learn more about our benefits here and IATSE Local 938 site.

In short – life is good on the Wild side!

Visit wildbrain.com/studios to learn more!

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" WildBrain Studio provides an atmosphere free from barriers to promote inclusion, equity and diversity. We demonstrate our commitment to this by providing a supportive work environment and a culture that welcomes and encourages equal opportunities for all employees. WildBrain Studio also accommodates people with disabilities throughout the selection process. Should you require accommodation, please let us know your requirements when contacted.”