Trevor Gustafson

Trevor Gustafson

Job Description

I draw storyboards and animatics for many of the commercials you see on TV.

Before a TV commercial is made, a script must be written first. After the script is written, it needs to be STORYBOARDED, so the client and everyone at the ad agency can see and understand it clearly. Sometimes they make a rough commercial video with the storyboards, to get an idea how the commercial might look like. This is called an animatic.

These storyboards and animatics are tested to see how an audience might react. If they test well, and the client is happy with the idea, the commercial moves to full production and is created for final broadcast.

My job is to draw/create the storyboards and animatics. My clients give me the scripts, tell me what they would like to see, and I draw it for them. I draw by hand, but digitally with a stylus pen. I need to be able to draw whatever my clients need to see. I need to be able to draw quickly, and accurately.

I work from home.

Relevant School Subjects

Arts

Areas Of Expertise

Arts & Culture

Career Story

Graduated High School

Took 1 year off.

Went to University of Waterloo.
Quit after completing 1st year, unsatisfied with my career path.

Took a few more years off, travelled, and thought more about what I wanted to do.

Was inspired by ANIMATION.
Discovered Sheridan College Classical Animation Program.

Accepted to 1-year ‘Arts Fundamentals’ program at Sheridan.

Continued to be accepted into Classical Animation Program at Sheridan.

Graduated Animation program at Sheridan.
At this point my favourite part of the program was STORYBOARDING.

Searched for storyboarding jobs.
Discovered that Advertising Agencies use storyboard artists all the time.

Got a job at BBDO Toronto, a big ad agency, to create in-house advertising storyboards.

After 3 years, I discovered that freelancers were making more money than I was being paid.
I left BBDO to create my own company, and went freelance.

I have been working freelance from home for 19 years.

Recently I teamed up with another illustrator to create SPEEDBOARDS, a premium storyboard service for Ad producers
www.Speedboards.ca