Nick Patronella’s Post

Post-layoff suspended animation: putting a regular life on pause while you find another job. Life after the layoff, part II: Day 127. As the time in a layoff drags on, you really start to get a sense that things are on hold. It's like someone pressed the pause button. ⏸️ My regular car-dealer person has contacted me a few times about starting a new lease early, as my old one is nearing the end. He’s sent texts, voicemails, and emails. I’m waiting for an inMail message from him right here on LinkedIn. I’d rather wait until I’m in a new role before doing that paperwork. One of our family’s greatest passions is traveling. It’s on hold, too. We are big fans of boarding a plane for Europe, hopping a train, and seeking out attractions for each of our niche interests. Though we absolutely love the planning and execution of these adventures, the smart move, once again, is to wait until I have a job before planning the next one. Wikipedia tells me that suspended animation is “...the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved.” Feels like a pretty apt metaphor for what’s going on at the moment. And it’s not just the financial-dependent things, either. As someone that really enjoys practicing content design and UX writing, this spell between real projects grows more noticeable. I love doing the work and I love collaborating with a like-minded team. For now, it’s on pause. Soon, I hope to be back at it again, resuming all of the things. ❦ Let me know if you are looking for a Staff Content Designer, as I'm open to work! #uxwriter #contentdesign #UXdesign #contentstrategy ❦

Back to freelancing as a Game Designer 🎮 and System Design Specialist 🎯—and it feels amazing! Over the years, I’ve worn many hats 🎩: The adaptable freelancer navigating diverse client projects 🌍 and the corporate professional driving structured, long-term visions 🏢. Each role sharpened my skills in crafting engaging gameplay systems 🕹️, managing client relationships 🤝, and balancing creativity with strategy 🧠. Freelancing taught me adaptability ⚡, precision 🔍, and the ability to deliver on tight timelines ⏳. Corporate roles honed my expertise in team collaboration 🤝, big-picture thinking 🌟, and building sustainable systems 🔧. Together, these experiences make me a versatile professional ready to tackle any challenge 💪. While I’m loving the freelance hustle 🚀, I’m also open to opportunities in the corporate sector as a Game Designer, Producer, Business Developer, or Client Success Manager. Let’s connect and build something amazing! 🚀✨ #opentowork #opentocollaborate #GameDesign #FreelanceLife #CorporateExperience #GameDevelopment #BusinessDevelopment #GameProducer #ClientSuccess #CreativeLeadership #VersatileDesigner #OpenToWork #CareerGrowth #GamingIndustry #GameSystems #Hustle #Adaptability

Hi LinkedIn Followers and Connections. I am currently searching and applying for full-time, part-time, remote, contract, hybrid, and/or freelance jobs and internships relating to the Film, Television, Video Games and/or Media Industries while learning CG Generalist TD and Post-Production skill sets to upskill, improve and develop my reels and portfolio. Here are some of the links to my latest reels, portfolio and resume: Work Resume: https://lnkd.in/gsgssxGA Linktree: https://linktr.ee/lauhoein 3D Animation/CG Generalist Reel: https://lnkd.in/g-YsSv5g 3D Animation Reel: https://lnkd.in/gQrGhQ9C Visual Effects Reel: https://lnkd.in/gF92EpiJ Editorial Reel: https://lnkd.in/gbZUFHW2 Motion Graphics and Design Reel: https://lnkd.in/gKw-taJx I may need a lot of career help, career mentorship, career advice and career guidance because I may have been facing a lot of difficulties and unsure of how to solve them such as onto making decisions of what to choose for as my career path in the creative industry as I realized myself that I may be focusing on too many disciplines at once that I got exhausted and lost in the process, maybe I may be lacking on applying the fundamental skillsets into my work projects and maybe I have been learning and collecting so much knowledge, but when comes to the actual work projects, I struggled to cope because maybe I have a lack of actual creative industry work experience. I realized that I may have make crucial mistakes along my career path for the creative industry such as maybe I should not have my ongoing gap year time period for so long of my professional development and health and well-being issues to get back in the creative industry's workforce that I may be proven unreliable on the creative industry's workforce, maybe I have problems on developing my work resume and maybe I may need to be more open-minded and surveying other options on how to get myself back into the creative industry's workforce or something else. I have been trying to apply for jobs in the creative industry before, during and after my rather a long gap year time period and I'm not sure whether I'm ghosted out because maybe I am not be good enough for the creative industry job position because maybe my reels, portfolio and resume are not up to standards for the creative industry or something else that I struggle to cope with self-doubt, anxiety and imposter syndrome of my abilities as a creative artist and so on. To be honest, I may have messed up badly for my creative industry career path that I really don't know how to get my confidence back into the creative industry's workforce and I need help, support, guidance and mentorship on it. #lauhoein #artist #computergraphics #generalist #animator #videoeditor #motiongraphicsartist #postproductionartist #opentowork #needhelp #needsupport #needadvice #needguidance #needmentorship #careerhelp #careeradvice #careerguidance #careermentorship #gettingbackintotheworkforce #creativeindustry

The VFX industry has faced significant layoffs, leaving many professionals uncertain about their future. This post provides a realistic guide to navigating life after a layoff, with steps to reflect, explore new career options, upskill, and reconnect with your network. Whether transitioning to new industries like gaming, AR, or digital marketing, or pursuing freelancing, staying proactive is key. Focus on self-care, financial planning, and setting clear goals to turn this challenge into an opportunity for growth and career pivoting. Full read on our blog: https://lnkd.in/ezmcBnqP #VFXLayoff #CareerTransition #SkillDevelopment #Networking #Freelancing #MentalHealth #ProfessionalGrowth #VFXIndustry #CareerPivot #VisualEffects #DigitalTransformation #CreativeCareers #CareerTransition #FreelanceLife #Upskilling

I’ve been unemployed for 56 days. Here is what I‘ve noticed about the job market for creatives: Businesses large and small alike are undervaluing the expertise of creative professionals. I’ve already seen numerous jobs expecting creatives to quite literally do it all, for low pay, and expecting quality on all fronts. Graphic designers are not video editors. Content writers are not marketing strategists. Social media managers are not animators. UI/UX designers are not web developers. Do those hiring have any idea what the mental toll is to give full creative effort in just one of these areas, or how much time and training it took us to become skilled in one of these jobs? Many of us have overlapping skill sets, depending on our schooling, but only having inch-deep knowledge and being a Jill-of-All-Trades can only get a person and business so far. What are we to do as job seekers? Do we cave in and attempt to learn multiple full-time jobs for the sake of paying our bills? Do we collectively refuse to undervalue our hard-earned expertise and wait for a unicorn job, since they’re waiting for their unicorn employee? Is this trend happening in other industries? I’m genuinely curious about what others’ approach to this is. Let me know your thoughts. #opentowork #unicorn #graphicdesigner #creative #marketing #socialmedia

✨ Hi #network!! After some time freelancing (and comicbooking), I'm on the hunt for something full-time. I’d love some help from y’all. Yep, I am #OpenToWork and looking for my next thing. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? I'm a hands-on creative who is an expert player-coach for design teams. I am particularly well-suited for companies seeking to scale but I also fit in well with  massive established brands. I use my storytelling skills to drive awareness and growth. As seasoned creative with expertise in design direction, digital marketing, managing teams and content creation for tech companies such as Meta, Unbabel, Xero and Udacity I’m primed to contribute immediately. ⚡️ 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. My most recent work is NDA-protected, but you can see what I’m capable of here: markhavenbritt.net 💅𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗜 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗼? Earlier in the year I took a contract over at Meta to work on their incredibly cool smart glasses partnership with Ray Ban. Recently I’ve been rebranding a few organizations and sneaking in some work on my sci-fi monster comic BINARY. I've worked in-house for tech companies and for NYC agencies crafting creative for brands such as Coca-Cola, Kaiser Permanente, ESPN, and Marvel. I have some fun side hustles that allow me to experiment and grow as a design creative such as making comics and illustrative collages for the pop culture site I help run. I’m the right mix of innovative creative, hustle, and business sense. 🤠𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽? 🥳𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗶𝘁? Please tag them here. If you see an open role as a Creative Director, Art Director, or Design Program Management—I’m your guy. 🚀 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 to broaden the reach of this post. It would be a HUGE help. The job hunt lately is like the finale of a Fast & Furious movie so every little bit of boosting helps (Don’t worry about me though. I’m like a combination of Dom Toretto and The Rock in this game. And I am Nitro boosted and ready.) Thanks! y’all are the bestest :) I truly appreciate it 🙏🙏🙏

Absolutely truei. A creative director/Art director should lead a team of creatives: graphic designers, social media experts, web designers etc. And each should be paired with a writer with specific skills related to those tasks. Then and only then can strategies be developed as a team and implemented by the expert in that field. They pay off is big. I have also noticed that companies will overwork their in-house creatives, but pay an agency inflated invoices for less work and less ROI. Go figure!

I’ve been unemployed for one (1) business day, and here is what I’m already noticing about the job market for creatives: Businesses large and small alike are vastly undervaluing the expertise of creative professionals. I’ve already seen numerous jobs expecting creatives to quite literally do it all, for low pay, and expecting quality on all fronts. Graphic designers are not video editors. Content writers are not marketing strategists. Social media managers are not animators. UI/UX designers are not web developers. Do those hiring have any idea what the mental toll is to give full creative effort in just one of these areas, or how much time and training it took us to become skilled in one of these jobs? Many of us have overlapping skill sets, depending on our schooling, but only having inch-deep knowledge and being a Jill-of-All-Trades can only get a person and business so far. What are we to do as job seekers? Do we cave in and attempt to learn multiple full-time jobs for the sake of paying our bills? Do we collectively refuse to undervalue our hard-earned expertise and wait for a unicorn job, since they’re waiting for their unicorn employee? Is this trend happening in other sectors? I’m genuinely curious about what others’ approach to this is, on both fronts. #opentowork #unicorn #graphicdesigner #creative #marketing #socialmedia

This really hit home for me. As I hear about organizations reviewing roles as they go through budgetary constraints, I hear talk about what Emily refers to in this post - they want one person who can do it all. Even I've been guilty of trying to build those job descriptions on small teams. Marketing and communications professionals have needed to do a ton of retraining and reading to try and stay caught up with the fast pace of change in our industry. And on top of creative skills, you're often required to be a data analytics expert now too. You have to decide as an organization if you want depth or breadth because chances are that will lead to a lesser quality. And that will stick with your brand.

This is also happening in Transportation, companies thought it would be a great idea to combine Safety & Training instead of having 2 separate job titles and responsibilities. I think it’s a way to save on paying 2 salaries.