Animation Career Advice with Jason Shum: Senior Animator at Riot | EP. 51 Animation Podcast

In this episode of the iAnimate Animation Podcast, Jason Shum shares real-world animation career advice from his journey as a Senior Animator at Riot Games and an iAnimate Games instructor. Episode 51 of the iAnimate Animation Podcast features Jason Shum, a Senior Animator at Riot Games and instructor in the iAnimate Games workshop. In this insightful conversation, Jason offers animation career advice drawn from nearly two decades in the industry—from teaching himself 3D at Vancouver Film School to animating on major game titles like League of Legends, The Order: 1886, and Mercenaries. Listeners get an inside look at breaking into the animation industry, especially in game animation, and how Jason transitioned between studios like Blur, EA, and Ready At Dawn. He shares how he honed his skills, handled demo reel rejections, and improved his work to land his first job at Volition. The discussion also covers the differences between film and game animation, how to adjust to realistic vs stylized animation styles, and what senior animators actually do—setting quality bars, mentoring, and contributing to team culture. Jason also dives deep into feedback culture, studio collaboration, and what Riot looks for in new hires, including tips on having a growth mindset. Whether you're building your animation portfolio, trying to understand entry-level animation jobs, or looking for ways to level up your craft, this episode is packed with real talk, insights, and encouragement for animators at every stage. 📌 YouTube Chapters: Animation Career Advice with Jason Shum: Senior Animator at Riot 00:00 – Introduction to the iAnimate Podcast 00:38 – Meet Jason Shum: Senior Animator at Riot Games 01:34 – How Jason got into animation 04:02 – The moment Jason reconsidered fine arts 06:38 – Discovering 3D animation at Vancouver Film School 08:22 – Struggles after graduation and early rejection 11:09 – Teaching at a 3D school and refining his reel 13:16 – First job in games: Getting hired at Volition 14:56 – The importance of growth and improvement in demo reels 16:16 – Transitioning to LA and Pandemic Studios 17:23 – Being laid off and pivoting to film and cinematics 18:56 – Animation workflows in games vs. film 20:19 – Adapting to new animation pipelines and collaboration 21:44 – Returning to games for stability and family 22:19 – Working on The Order: 1886 23:25 – Moving to Riot Games and working on League of Legends 25:01 – Skins and personalization team explained 28:08 – Senior animator responsibilities and mentorship 29:16 – What Riot looks for in junior animators 30:58 – Growth mindset and team collaboration 32:06 – Riot's feedback culture and team alignment 33:38 – Who approves animation at Riot? 34:36 – Animation as a game developer 36:16 – Building critique resilience 38:10 – Feedback process at Riot Games 40:05 – Working at Blur Studio and cinematic culture 42:08 – Learning to polish animation 44:13 – Training the animator's eye 47:09 – Tight-knit culture and trust at Blur 49:11 – Most challenging projects and mental blocks 52:58 – Adapting from realism to stylized animation at Riot 55:08 – Using reference in stylized game animation 57:16 – Using social media to share squash and stretch 58:18 – Teaching at iAnimate and dedicated students 1:00:10 – Mentorship and lightbulb moments 1:01:35 – The story behind Jason’s "Anim Breaks" 1:04:48 – Spine control technique that changed Jason's workflow 1:06:22 – Why breaking-in stories matter to students 1:07:42 – Final thoughts: hard work, growth, and no shortcuts 1:09:07 – Wrap-up and where to find more iAnimate content 🎓 Learn Game Animation with Jason and others at iAnimate: 🔹 https://ianimate.net/workshops/game-a... 🌐 Explore iAnimate: https://ianimate.net/ 💻 Online Animation Training & Workshops: https://ianimate.net/workshops 👉 If you enjoyed this episode, hit Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next one! 💬 What did you think of Jason Shum’s advice on growing your animation career? Drop your thoughts in the comments — we’d love to hear your take! 👍 Like this video if you learned something new, and share it with fellow animators looking for guidance. #AnimationCareerAdvice #gameanimation #ianimateanimationpodcast #JasonShum #RiotGamesAnimator #animationpodcast