Meet Jordan Soler, CEO. He is talking today about how he joined Stim Studio, his vision for the company and his advice for any aspiring 3D artists. Jordan Soler supervises our groom and lookdev team from Vancouver, Canada.
Jordan Soler graduated from the 3D animation school ESMA in Montpellier in 2015. Jordan always loved video games and computers but he didn’t know at first that he would make a career in the 3D industry. He found his passion on his third year of studies working on his graduation film.
“When I started my studies, I didn’t know how to draw but I was very interested in computer science, photography and design. I went to animation school with an open mind, ready to explore different specialties. It turned out that grooming combines both of my interests: creativity and technique. You need to be able to solve technical issues and gain in-depth knowledge in this specialty. You need to become an expert in your field.”
To become an expert, Jordan had multiple international experiences in renowned animation studios. There, he was able to work on various projects, from realistic to animated feature films.
After graduating, Jordan started off his career by working for Illumination Mac Guff on Despicable Me 3. He then joined MPC in London where he worked on the blockbusters Justice League and The Mummy. Then, he got employed at Animal Logic in Sydney where he had the opportunity to work on the film Peter Rabbit. He then worked at Method Studio on Fantastic Beasts, Aquaman and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Thanks to his past experiences, he joined Image Engine where he got to help implement the whole grooming pipeline. These projects have allowed him to work on large-scale projects and to develop his skills as a grooming artist and supervisor. But Jordan knew he didn’t want to work only in companies with 2000+ employees.
Ready for new challenges and responsibilities, Jordan joined Thibaut Vuillin and Félix Ferrand in 2021 and became Stim Studio’s third CEO.
“I joined Stim Studio because I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone. I knew I could bring my expertise as well as my experience in different animation studios. Becoming a partner is an exciting challenge and it’s stimulating to be in charge of a company and its ecosystem. At Stim Studio, our goal is to make our studio grow and to keep on working on large projects for the film industry while eventually developing our own productions.”
Jordan has great advice to any artist in the making dreaming of having a career in the 3D industry. He recommends to be willing to work hard, to be prepared to spend time and energy and to always be driven by passion.
“The people we recruit at Stim Studio are all passionate about their craft. You need to love what you do and to realize that you’re lucky to have an unconventional job. This job requires passion and commitment.”
At Stim Studio, Jordan believes in trusting his team so they can trust him back. It’s important for him to push his artists to be resourceful and independent in their work.
“I’m not keen on micromanaging the team. I give them responsibilities even if they are juniors. In the recruiting process, the first thing I tell a new artist is that he or she should like to be independent and know how to trust him or herself.”
The trust also goes into building good relationship with the team. They know they can talk and share their struggles or issues with him when necessary.
“Communication is key and even if I’m not physically with my team in our office, we meet online twice a week. They know they can reach out to me if they need to. I try to be as present for them as possible.”
Inclusivity is also very important for Jordan and Stim Studio. Ensuring equal opportunities to women and men, being inclusive to people from the LGBTQIA+ community and having a caring and modern management are essential values defended by Stim Studio.