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Creative Director of Animation (Volunteer)

Mentor A Promise · New York, NY · Yesterday
Art & CreativeVolunteer

About Mentor A Promise

Mentor A Promise (MAP) is a New York City–based nonprofit supporting children and youth ages 5–18 experiencing housing instability through mentorship, education, literacy, social-emotional learning, creative expression, career development, storytelling, and community-centered opportunity. Through PromiseStudios, MAP is building an original creative studio where artists, filmmakers, animators, writers, musicians, and other creators can develop meaningful work while advancing stories rooted in imagination, dignity, possibility, and human connection.

About PromiseStudios Animation

The Animation Department is PromiseStudios' home for animated storytelling and visual development. The department may develop work across 2D animation, 3D animation, stop-motion, character animation, animated short films, mixed-media animation, experimental animation, educational animation, animated adaptations, original characters and worlds, and visual development and concept art. Animation may support projects originating within PromiseStudios as well as collaborations with PromisePages and other MAP divisions. As the department grows, it should become capable not merely of producing individual animated pieces, but of developing original animated intellectual property, characters, stories, worlds, and creative franchises.

Role Overview

Mentor A Promise is seeking an exceptional Creative Director of Animation to build and lead the artistic vision of the PromiseStudios Animation Department. This is not simply a senior animator position. The Creative Director is responsible for answering a larger question: What should animation from PromiseStudios look, feel, sound, and mean? The Director will establish creative standards, develop original projects, guide visual development, recruit and mentor animation talent, review work throughout production, and help transform promising concepts into emotionally resonant animated experiences. This leader should be capable of protecting artistic quality while creating an environment where other artists can produce their best work. The Creative Director does not need to personally animate every frame. Their responsibility is to build the vision, build the team, and elevate the work.

Key Responsibilities

  • Creative Direction
    • Establish the artistic vision and creative standards for PromiseStudios Animation.
    • Define the visual and storytelling principles that distinguish PromiseStudios' animated work.
    • Provide creative direction from concept through final delivery.
    • Guide decisions involving visual language, tone, character, environment, movement, composition, pacing, and emotional storytelling.
    • Review creative work at appropriate milestones and provide clear, actionable feedback.
    • Protect consistency and quality without unnecessarily limiting individual artists' creative voices.
    • Continually raise the artistic ambitions of the department.
  • Original Animation Development
    • Identify and develop original animated concepts.
    • Collaborate with writers, directors, artists, and Creative Development to evaluate ideas.
    • Help determine which concepts should advance into development and production.
    • Guide projects through concept development, story development, visual development, storyboarding, animatics, production, post-production, and final delivery.
    • Explore opportunities for animated shorts, series concepts, educational projects, adaptations, and experimental work.
    • Help build a long-term portfolio of PromiseStudios Originals.
  • Visual Development & Worldbuilding
    • Guide the development of characters, environments, props, color and visual language, storyboards, style frames, concept art, mood boards, and visual references.
    • Work with artists to ensure visual decisions emerge from the needs of the story rather than aesthetics alone.
    • Ensure the visual world helps tell the story.
  • Build & Lead the Animation Team
    • Help build a multidisciplinary Animation Department including Animation Directors, Visual Development Artists, Concept Artists, Character Designers, Environment Designers, Storyboard Artists, Story Artists, 2D Animation Lead, 2D Animators, Character Animators, Background Artists, Layout Artists, Cleanup Artists, 3D Animation Lead, 3D Animators, Modelers, Riggers, Texture Artists, Lighting Artists, Stop-Motion Directors, Stop-Motion Animators, Puppet / Model Artists, Set Designers, and Fabrication Artists.
    • The exact structure should evolve based on MAP's projects, talent, and production capacity.
  • Develop Creative Talent
    • Recruit talented animators and visual artists.
    • Help identify emerging artists with exceptional potential.
    • Mentor Animation Directors, Leads, and other creative team members.
    • Provide constructive critiques that strengthen both the project and the artist.
    • Create opportunities for artists to experiment and develop their creative identities.
    • Build pathways for strong contributors to assume greater creative responsibility.
    • Establish a culture where critique is thoughtful, specific, respectful, and focused on making the work stronger.
  • Storytelling
    • Work closely with writers, filmmakers, and development teams to ensure animation serves the emotional and narrative needs of each project.
    • Encourage storytelling in which character, movement, sound, silence, environment, composition, and visual metaphor all contribute.
  • Production Collaboration
    • Partner closely with Creative Production to translate artistic ambition into executable production plans.
    • Creative Direction owns the artistic destination. Production owns the systems, schedules, resources, and coordination required to reach it.
    • Together, determine how to create exceptional work within MAP's actual resources and capacity.
  • Cross-Studio Collaboration
    • Collaborate with Creative Development on original concepts and story development.
    • Collaborate with PromiseShorts / Film on hybrid live-action and animated projects.
    • Collaborate with Music & Sound on scoring, sound design, and sonic storytelling.
    • Collaborate with Post-Production on editing, finishing, and delivery.
    • Collaborate with Motion Design & VFX where disciplines intersect.
    • Collaborate with PromisePages on adaptations and story development.
    • Collaborate with PromiseBrands when animation supports campaigns or products.
  • Youth-Centered & Ethical Storytelling
    • Establish storytelling standards that protect dignity and reject exploitative, sensationalized, or unnecessarily traumatic representations of children and families.
    • Ensure projects involving youth stories, likenesses, voices, creative contributions, or intellectual property follow MAP's applicable safeguarding, consent, privacy, attribution, and organizational review requirements.

Ideal Candidate

Strong candidates may bring experience in animation direction, creative direction, 2D or 3D animation, stop-motion, visual development, storyboarding, character animation, animated filmmaking, or art direction. The strongest candidates will demonstrate:

  • Exceptional visual and storytelling judgment.
  • Strong understanding of animation principles.
  • Experience leading multidisciplinary creative teams.
  • Ability to give precise and constructive creative feedback.
  • Strong understanding of story, character, composition, movement, and pacing.
  • Experience moving animated work from concept through completion.
  • Ability to balance artistic ambition with production realities.
  • Strong mentoring and team-development capabilities.
  • Collaborative leadership style.
  • High standards without destructive perfectionism.
  • Curiosity across different animation techniques and artistic traditions.
  • Commitment to ethical, dignity-centered storytelling.
  • Alignment with MAP's mission.

A strong portfolio or reel demonstrating animation, direction, visual development, or related creative leadership is expected.

What Success Looks Like

  • PromiseStudios develops a recognizable animation identity.
  • Original animated projects move successfully from concept to completion.
  • Creative standards become consistently stronger.
  • Artists receive meaningful direction and development.
  • Emerging creative leaders are identified and mentored.
  • Production becomes increasingly organized and repeatable.
  • Animation teams collaborate effectively with writers, composers, editors, producers, and other disciplines.
  • Original characters and worlds have opportunities to grow beyond individual projects.
  • Young audiences encounter stories that respect their intelligence and imagination.
  • MAP builds animated work people genuinely want to watch, remember, revisit, and share.

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