A Review of Natalie Nourigat's I Moved To Los Angeles To Work In Animation
/Written by Ross Webster
The cover for I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation
By: Natalie Nourigat
Published by: Boom! Studios
$9.99
A scene from pg.2 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
In 2014 Natalie Nourigat (a native of Portland Oregon) found herself at a life crossroad. Since graduating college in 2010, she had become a successful comics artist back when Portland was one of the cheapest places for young creatives to live and work on the West Coast - helping to keep the city weird and vibrant.[1] However the city soon became a victim of its own success. Rents spiked, rich incoming hipsters pushed locals out of the city, and freelancing could barely pay the bills for Natalie. At that same time, many of her cartoonist friends began trekking south to Los Angeles - lured by a slew of lucrative animation jobs which emphasized storyboarding, character design, background painting and other skills shared by comics artists. One of her artist friends invited her down to sample the good life in SoCal. Motivated by the allure of such a life and the diminishing returns of Portland, Natalie decided to attempt the seemingly insurmountable task of getting a job in animation.
A scene from pg.18 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
I Moved to Los Angeles to work in Animation is part travelogue, part insiders look at the animation industry, and little bits of tutorial on animation, finance and industry procedure. Nourigat’s minimalist yet delightfully detailed and expressive style, which is reminiscent of Japanese Manga and contemporary Disney features, lends itself well to all three objectives. Most important is her ability to - in as little as one or two panels - break down seemingly complex histories, worlds, and procedures into easily communicable images which makes her an excellent communicator and storyteller.
A scene from pg.10 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
Nourigat’s path begins with her cranking out new art, job hunting and learning new techniques like storyboarding and story tests at a furious pace - usually resulting in rejections. However, nine grueling months later, she was finally excepted into a paid trainee program at a major studio.[2]
A scene from pg.22 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
After four weeks of packing, making couch surfing arrangements, buying her first car, and bidding her Portland friends and family farewell, Nourigat headed south to all of the wonders, hardships and idiosyncrasies of life in America’s second largest metropolis and capitol of its entertainment industry. Once there, after going through the trials of securing a decent place to live in the San Fernando Valley, Nourigat explains the history and benefits of being in The Animation Guild, which is a large union for animation artists.[3] Becoming a member was something that Nourigat welcomed after years of freelance, which often comes with odd hours and the potential to get screwed over with little chance of recourse. She was able to finally secure long-term income, insurance plans, and additional perks including life drawing classes, mentorship programs and free promotional swag. Readers also get a glimpse of an average day in a major animation studio.
A scene from pg.56 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
For Nourigat, the adjustment to life in SoCal definitely had its upsides. The constant sunny weather and lack of humidity were a welcome change from the frequent dreariness of the Pacific Northwest, as were the multitude of entertainment and cultural activities available to her and friends visiting from out of town. It did not take long for the downsides of LA life to set in, though: the high cost of living; the obvious wealth gap; the oppressive heat; and of course (that most tyrannical of LA cliches) the almost total necessity of owning a car - and everything for good or ill that comes with it.
A scene from pg.34 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
However, the worst and most unanticipated downside for Nourigat was loneliness and isolation. Despite being in a field attracting so many fellow artists, Nourigat found that living in such a sprawling and decentralized city (plus a work culture where last minute flake-outs for social gatherings are the norm), meant that she spent a great deal of her first year in LA alone.
A scene from pg.36 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
The most important section of I Moved... for any aspiring animators will obviously be “How To Break In.” Admittedly, Nourigat states that she feels unqualified to answer the question as she has only her own experience to draw upon - but the most important advice she offers is apply, apply, apply. Even to the same studios.[4] Second is to constantly build your portfolio. Both are simple, but easy to forget as both ultimately boil down to a combination of luck and persistence in the heavily competitive market which can wear applicants down and erode self-confidence. Persistence paid off for Nourigat in combination with lucky breaks due to making friends in the industry, in-person networking groups, social media and even chance networking encounters at venues like SDCC. Useful also are her tips about etiquette for meeting people from studios, and how to build a portfolio even during one’s free time.
A scene from pg.51 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
While much of the breaking in and fitting in an animation studio sounds daunting, Nourigat also offers much reassurance about flexible work environments, flexibility of job movement either in studio or the industry as a whole, and the growing presence and voices of women, people of color, and LGBTQ people in the industry.
A scene from pg.66 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
Despite the initial hardships of moving, Nourigat managed to embrace all the facets of her new SoCal home - the most enriching being the spectacular hidden natural treasures on the outskirts of Los Angeles (especially Vasquez Rocks which proves to be an apt metaphor for her transition to life in her second home).
A scene from pg.68 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.72 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.78 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.75 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.80 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.83 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.70 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
A scene from pg.85 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
Since “I Moved…,” Nourigat has done quite well in the LA animation scene.[5] However rather than conclude with her story alone, Nourigat shares the POVs of several animation colleagues. People whose career paths were quite similar to hers, but came to have differing experiences in the industry and different takes on living in Los Angeles - including their career highs and lows, likes and dislikes about life in Los Angeles, and whatever advice they have to offer anyone willing to follow in their footsteps.
A scene from pg.62 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
I first discovered Natalie Nourigat on a chance discovery of her first graphic memoir, Switching Gears, about her college years in Oregon. I was then delighted to see that she was a friend of another Portland comics artist, Emi Lenox, who is the creator of one of favorite webcomics - EmiTown.[6] Since then she has entered my own personal pantheon of graphic travel memoirists.[7] I also identify with Nourigat as someone who never expected that Southern California would become their second home but came to embrace it fully as such.
A scene from pg.59 of I Moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation by Natalie Nourigat.
If there is one drawback to “I Moved...” it is that it’s short: a brisk 96 pages long. Although we get some great snippets of animation work and studio life, it is hardly an immersive experience into the industry. Likely though, a deep dive would have been unfeasible due to Nourgat’s relatively new position as well as studio restrictions on what its employees can reveal to the public at large. That and as Nourigat herself stated before, she can only speak from her own experience. Indeed, the purpose of I moved to Los Angeles to Work in Animation is not a tell-all but an invitation for anyone seeking a career in animation to get past any doubts and anxieties they may have and to make their own story, creations and lend their own voice into the field. And despite her own doubts, I can hardly think of a better guide than Natalie Nourigat.
[1] Famously celebrated and lampooned in the IFC comedy series Portlandia.
[2] The studio in question is Disney but not referred to due to copyright reasons.
[3] Where many major animation studios are located.
[4] Apparent pun accidental.
[5] Nourigat has since gone on to become a director at Disney. Her first animated short, “Exhange Student” debuted as part of the “Short Circuit” series available on Disney+. She has also been a storyboard artist on major projects like “Ralph Breaks The Internet,” and “Bee And Puppycat.”
[6] Lenox is also the artist for Jeff Lemire’s superhero-noir miniseries, Plutona.
[7] Which includes artists such as Guy Delisle, Craig Thompson, Lucy Knisley and Sarah Glidden.