Manager, Storyboard Department - SFD / Cinematics

Team Name:

Creative Development

Job Title:

Manager, Storyboard Department (SFD / Cinematics)

Requisition ID:

R028200

Job Description:

Blizzard Entertainment’s Cinematics team is looking for an experienced Storyboards Department Manager to assist in creating engaging and compelling content across all our franchises. As a talented visual/narrative artist themselves, this person will lead a team of storyboard artists who support in-game and pre-render cinematic content. As a craft expert and mentor, they will successfully manage multiple projects while also balancing creative quality, budget, schedule, and business priorities.

This role is a hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Lead the Storyboard team and own the creative and technical quality of all storyboard and animatic work, holding a high bar for visual storytelling, cinematic language, staging, pacing and clarity.
• Partner with Cinematic Directors and creative stakeholders to turn their vision into clear team priorities and carry it through the storyboard and animatic process on [cinematics / animated content] across Blizzard's IP.

• Manage, mentor and grow storyboard artists through regular feedback, coaching, performance management and career development planning.

• Own resourcing and workforce planning: assign artists by production priority, skill set and growth opportunity; forecast staffing needs; identify skill gaps; and plan contractor support.

• Partner with Recruiting to hire and onboard storyboard artists, including portfolio review and candidate assessment.

• Work with Production, Writing, Editorial, Previs and fellow department leads to manage dependencies, resolve blockers and reduce risks to quality and schedules.

• Partner with Technical teams to keep artists equipped with the right tools and hardware, and find ways to improve storyboard workflows and pipelines.

• Build an inclusive, collaborative, high-performing team culture built on creative excellence and shared knowledge.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• 8+ years of experience managing a creative team of artists
• Experience in TV or feature animation; film and gaming a plus
• Professional examples of work that exhibit a strong visual storytelling sensibility

Knowledge & Skills

• Possess expert skills in cinematic storytelling, with a strong understanding of composition, camera, cinematography, staging, lenses, pacing, and continuity
• A deep understanding of the pre-production and story development process, with the ability to accurately gauge the time needed for sequences and to translate feedback into actionable milestones for the artist
• Strong, communicative draftsmanship
• Proven ability to deal with a wide range of personnel issues: recruitment, career development, salary administration, and conflict resolution
• Highly organized with exceptional project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a very dynamic environment
• A degree in Film, Animation, or Fine Arts
• Advanced knowledge of hardware and software including Flix, Cintiq, Toon Boom Storyboard Pro, and Photoshop - Blender 3D a plus

Extra Points

• Knowledge of Blizzard Entertainment IPs and games
• Experience working with franchise-driven or brand-based entertainment properties

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment.  We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to [email protected]. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $99,200.00 - $183,520.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.