Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Geckler.
Hi Jack, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my career back at Disney World in entertainment back in the mid-’90s working at what was MGM Studios in Orlando but is now called the Hollywood Studios. I left that job to go back to school to take a chance on a new career field called computer animation at a school that was local to me in Orlando, Full Sail University. The school had just started the program and I was part of one of the initial classes taking it. I knew I had a love for movies, computers, and entertainment and wanted a way to bring all those loves together. The idea of getting to work on a huge Hollywood blockbuster seemed so far-fetched for someone living in Florida but I knew I wanted more out of life so took the leap of faith. Fast forward to graduating in 2000 and then sticking around the college for a few more years helping teach what I had just learned. I realized that teaching wasn’t why I went to school and If I genuinely wanted to make my dream happen I was going to have to put myself in the best position I could to get a job in the industry.
In the early 2000s, this meant moving to Los Angeles, CA, and being in the thick of it and surrounded by all the top VFX studios, Animation Studios, and Game Studios. Once again, I took a risk and in late 2003 I packed up my car and drove across the country by myself to try and make that dream a reality. I was lucky enough to have a friend who was already living in LA and had offered me a couch to sleep on while I got established. I had only $1200 to my name and a willingness to not fail. Prior to deciding to make the move I had multiple friends who had made the same journey only to move back to Florida realizing they couldn’t cut it or it wasn’t for them. With that said, I set out with different goals….I was NOT going to be coming back unless it was on my terms or with my goals achieved no matter the cost. I spent the next 3 months on a couch in North Hollywood sending out demo reels and resumes every day and doing my best to not be a burden on my friend who was letting me stay with him. I was fortunate enough that after that time and daily effort I was able to land an animation job at a video game startup Genuine Games in Woodland Hills, CA. They had just got the license to Fight Club the movie and were making a fighting game around that. As a huge fan of the movie I was super excited and even more so to be starting my animation career. Though not in movies it was a step in the right direction.
Over the next year and a half, we were able to ship that game and started working on a new game for 50 Cent. Also around that time, I had a friend who had moved out as well and was working for a VFX Studio in Santa Monica, CA called AsylumFX. He contacted me and asked me to play paintball with the team from the studio. Clearly, at first, I had no idea how this would be helping me in my career but later realized that it was more of a first initial interview to see if they even wanted to be around me. That experience led to an onsite interview and an offer to be an animator on Disney’s Sky High. So once again I took a risk and left my steady job at Genuine Games to follow my dreams of working on feature films. Since then I’ve had the opportunity to work at some of my dream studios like Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Imageworks, Dreamworks Animation, Digital Domain, and Walt Disney Animation Studios as well as working on dream projects like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, How To Train Your Dragon 1 & 2, Frozen 2, Avatar 2 & 3, and many others!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I wish I could tell you that it was all smooth and everything just came easy after graduating and the job offers rolled in….but unfortunately, that was not the case. The computer animation industry is a very small industry and although it supports video games, visual effects, animation, theme park rides, and many other fields, there is still a limited amount of jobs to go around. With the number of schools teaching computer animation the field has become very competitive. I personally love the competition as it keeps me in learning mode and trying to better myself but there is always someone around the corner trying to get your job. Another struggle I ran into early on in my VFX film career was how that industry goes in cycles and that studios only typically keep a skeleton crew on during downtime or when they don’t have a project. This hit me hard after I landed my first job at Asylum FX ( Which unfortunately now is no longer around) as an animator on Disney’s “Sky High”. I thought when I accepted the job that as long as I did a great job they would keep me around for as long as I wanted. Oh, how naive I was….I managed to stick around for 11 months working on other projects like “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and various Nintendo Commercials. Unfortunately, the end of summer hit, and the studio had run out of projects as the only studios working during August through December are studios delivering holiday movies or the rare commercial. Asylum FX had neither and they were forced to let me go. I found myself back where I was when I first moved out and spent the next 2 months looking for work. Luckily I was able to land a job at Sony Imageworks on “Beowulf” and went back into the mix. I’ve also been put in the position to have to move to other states for work as well. I spent 6 months back in Orlando, FL working at EA on a Madden Football title as well as moving to NY and working for Bluesky Studios on “Spies in Disguise”. Both experiences were great but it forced me to leave my children and spend at least two times a month flying back and forth to visit them. I’m fortunate to be back working at Disney Animation Studios and living back in Los Angeles so that I’m close to them. This industry is not for everyone and I’ve had many friends walk away to pursue other fields of interest that are more stable. Regardless of the challenges I still feel very blessed to get to do what I love and now share that with my kids.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Currently, I’m a Crowds Artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Crowds are typically characters (humans, animals, creatures) or even vehicles that aren’t the main characters in a movie or other project. Now, this could be as simple as 2 characters standing next to the main characters in an animated movie or thousands like a charging army as seen in many live-action movies like in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We typically are a division of the FX department or the Animation department. Most of the people I work with have degrees in computer science as we do a lot of our own software development and tool building for the software we use but my background is actually in animation. I’ve been fortunate enough to jump around and animating at some studios and being a crowds artist at others. Being a crowds artist is a perfect mix of technical and artistic which makes it a fun and challenging career.
I’m typically known for my work in animation, crowds, previs, layout, and motion capture. I’ve been lucky enough to spend some time in all those roles and I think it all adds to the artist I am today.
I’m most proud of a few moments in my career which have included being the crowd supervisor on the Power Rangers movie and getting to explore how much I enjoy mentoring and being the supervisor I always wish I had. Another proud moment would be getting to animate on “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. As a kid, the thought of getting to work on a Star Wars film seemed on par with winning the lottery. I spent close to six months in San Fransico working at ILM on the project and loving every second of it! Oh last but not least, being inducted into my college’s Hall of Fame was the icing on the cake! Having gone to an entertainment-based school like Full Sail University, it was very humbling to be surrounded by other industry professionals who are the top at what they do but something I’m incredibly proud of.
As far as what sets me apart, I think that comes down to my attitude and personality. I’m constantly surrounded by talented artists but I find most of them are introverted or occasionally have grown to have an ego towards their work and others. I strive to be a voice and personality that people want to work with. We work such long hours that it’s very important to get along with the people around us. I also love mentoring and leading! Being able to give back to a new artist or even a seasoned artist who is just looking to be heard can be so rewarding and something I really enjoy.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I feel like so much in this industry is based on luck but really timing. I remember working at Dreamworks Animation where I was at for six years and thought I could easily see myself ending my career there but like most tech or entertainment industry jobs I was sadly mistaken and I found myself part of a mass layoff that also included the studio closing there San Fransico division PDI. Luckily for me, this was not my first rodeo and I was constantly prepared for the rug to be pulled out from underneath me so I started searching for what else could be out there. Luckily for me, the timing worked out perfectly with ILM looking for animators for a new Star Wars movie being directed by JJ Abrahams. After a very short interview, I was given the offer to go up to San Francisco to work on my dream film! I wrapped up at Dreamworks on a Friday and I was up at ILM that Monday practicing on a test shot that included Tie Fighters and the Millenium Falcon!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jackgeckler.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacktastic4d/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackgeckler
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jacktastic3d
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jackgeckler
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1879390/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk
