DreamWorks Animation is a Campus Forward Award Winner

DreamWorks creates a diverse array of original content in a variety of formats, delivering compelling stories with unique characters. They place tremendous value on the experiences our talent brings to the table from their own non-traditional paths to success. They believe in frequent communication and that transparency and trust yield the best work. They are a community of artists, technologists, innovators, and creators, who are passionate about animation and also happen to love eating lunch together.

Visit DreamWorks Animation's Career page here.

Building an Innovative and Multi-Faceted Approach to University Recruiting

Pivoting to virtual recruitment presented its unique challenges but the DreamWorks Early Careers team saw this as an opportunity to get creative and design new recruitment strategies. Not only did they increase the amount of HBCU engagement which led to more HBCU intern hires, they created an altogether new initiative called Summer Speaker Series, which offers 8 virtual panels featuring producers, directors and artists and had a global audience, reaching nearly 30,000 across the world! In addition to this, they enhanced their intern program by implementing 3-4 intern ambassadors in every cohort who are responsible for holding info sessions at their school to share their experience.

Crafting a Standout Candidate Experience

The early careers team at DreamWorks Animation is passionate about executing a strong and seamless candidate experience. Their full cycle recruiting process is continuously improving and implementing any constructive feedback it receives. The team has mastered their craft by implementing a few key pieces: they offer multiple points of contact between candidate and recruiter; give space for the candidate to ask questions; help candidates prepare for their interview by offering links/resources prior to; offer virtual interviewing tips one sheet; following the interview they offer updates and provide timely feedback.

Moving the Needle on Diversity & Inclusion

The early careers team at DreamWorks is moving the needle towards creating a more equitable workforce at the studio. The team formalized its commitment to DEI recruiting by adding Diversity Outreach to its team name and hiring a member dedicated to sourcing and recruiting historically underrepresented artists. In addition, the team has forged new relationships with HBCUs and HSIs and is rolling out its first-ever HBCU Fellowship Program in partnership with an HBCU diversity partner organization. The early careers team is excited and proud for what they have accomplished thus far and are working hard to design and execute creative approaches to DEI.

Investing in Impactful Internship Programs

At DreamWorks Animation, interns are offered a program that is designed with their success in mind. The skills and experience they walk away with leaves them ready for full time roles at the studio. On top of working on a TV animated show or CG feature film, interns are offered weekly executive speaker series, artistic workshops, an intern community outreach project, intern socials/game nights, mentorship program, ERG week, portfolio reviews, art practice tests, and cross-company events with their parent company NBCUniversal. The interns are left with a standout experience, contributing to a conversion rate of over 50% an a return offer acceptance rate of 98%.

Supporting the Growth and Development of Entry-Level Talent

DreamWorks Animation is proud of its long-standing family-like culture and goes above and beyond to make an inclusive working environment for its artists and employees. Starting with a carefully crafted onboarding experience, new hires are invited to a welcoming and fun New Hire Bonfire, are provided with toolkits and resources to be successful in their roles, are offered a Coffee Connections list of employees who are willing to meet with them and network, and are introduced to the studio's several ERGs to get involved in. The studio offers an inclusive professional development program for entry level employees of color to help them battle imposter syndrome and find their voice.

Congratulations to the team at DreamWorks Animation for being selected as one of the winners of RippleMatch's 2022 Campus Forward Awards!

RippleMatch's Campus Forward Awards recognizes the top early career teams and programs in the nation. Through a detailed application process, early career teams shared their approach to recruitment, candidate experience, D&I, and internship & entry-level programming. The programs picked for this award represent the best of the best, selected from applications submitted by campus recruiting teams across industries.

See all Award Winners for the category of Mid-Size Early Career Programs below