Leveraging teamwork to make passion projects a reality
An interview with Zac DixonMany of us creatives have diverse interests and passions. Yet, often enough, we find ourselves spending our time and energy doing client work and leaving our passion projects on the backburner. But what if it's actually that client work that can make your personal projects a reality? Today’s guest has mastered doing just that.
In his episode, I’m chatting with Zac Dixon, the creative director and founder of IV Studio and previously the host of the Animalators Podcast. As prolific as ever, Zac has been doing a ton of awesome things including making a new board game called Moonrakers.
With so many different projects in the works at one time, Zac tells how it can only happen through the power of teamwork. Having surrounded himself with other passionate and dedicated people, Zac and his team have been able to produce some really impressive passion projects. Zac shares how he decides which projects are worth pursuing and which are going to be the most rewarding.
Creating your own work is going to require some level of marketing if you want it to make a profit. Zac has learned a lot about marketing simply by being a motion designer. This has helped him make these projects a success, but it has also helped him gain a better understanding when working with clients as well.
As someone who has been on both sides of the table, Zac shares some great thoughts on getting noticed and hired by studios and clients in a crowded field. From the best types of reels to have in your portfolio, to what type of references are most valuable, this is great advice for any freelancer looking for more work.
How do you choose which passion projects to work on? Let me know in the comments!
In this episode
- Leveraging teamwork to make passion projects a reality
- Determining which creative ideas are worth pursuing
- How being a motion designer can prepare you to do your own marketing
- How to best utilize your portfolio to get the attention of clients and studios
- Fitting in your side projects when working on other gigs
- The payoffs that come with branching out into new skillsets
- Building your company up to be bigger than just yourself
Quotes
“I really want to take as many shots as we can at making things that we love and that we’re proud of. I think that feeds into everything else that we’re doing.” [6:11]
“Anything you can do to just make sure at the very least that [potential clients] are watching what you want them to watch and reading what you want them to read is huge. They need to latch on quick.” [25:29]
“Figure out what you want to do and just chip away at it. Put a little bit into it each day and eventually, you’ll get there.” [37:46]
“Having a range of experiences will only make you a better creator. It will also give you a better pool of diverse experiences to pull into any work that you do.” [39:43]
Thanks for Listening!
To share your thoughts:
To help out the show:
Podcast music licensed by Big Waves
Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.
Recent podcast episodes:
101: How to niche down as a motion designer w/ Giuseppe Forestieri
Should you niche down as a designer? We’ve all heard this advice! So, does niching down help you to win more clients or empower you...
100: Lessons learnt from making 100 podcast episodes w/ Hayley Akins
When Motion Hatch first started it was a side hustle, now it's a company! Have you considered starting your own motion design...
99: How to create motion design side projects that complement your day job w/ Charli Marie
Charli Marie is a YouTuber, podcast host and Creative Director. She provides guidance on how to create a motion design side project that complements your day job.
98: How Giant Ant became a leading motion design studio w/ Jay Grandin
Ever wondered how motion design studios become known worldwide for their work? In today’s episode Jay Grandin explains how he...
I have been following the podcats for ages, and I have nothing to add with regards to it but absolute praise.
About the content of the podcast itself, I found this episode very nice to listen to.
Lots of great insights and Zac is pretty much a household name!
My favourite part whas when Zac told the audience what he would search for in a freelancer’s portfolio; I also enjoyed the subsequent part in which Zac explained how the way you work within a team could be even more important than your skills.