Mercury Filmworks Named Alumni of Distinction – Employer of the Year Recipient

Working for Mercury Filmworks is a career goal for many Canadian animators attracted by the calibre of the studio’s award-winning work – both its original productions and those produced for the world’s top entertainment companies, including Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Universal, Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, 20th Century Fox, Sony and Warner Bros.

“The quality of the work produced here at Mercury is what attracts some of the best talent in the industry,” says David Keneford, Chief Talent Officer.

Weldon Poapst, Recruitment Coordinator with Mercury Filmworks and a faculty member at Algonquin College, echoes that statement, saying, “Ask any animator about Mercury and they will attest to its high-quality work.”

Mercury’s corporate culture has also earned it the distinction of being named one of the Best Offices in Ottawa in 2020 by the Ottawa Business Journal. Keneford says continuing enhancements of this culture will be an important component of the company’s immediate future.

“I think our next evolution will be building on what we have, heightening our leadership skills and supporting a shift to even stronger coaching culture,” he says. “We have the perfect environment to provide a long-term career path for our employees.”

Mercury Filmworks was founded in Vancouver 1997 by Clint Eland, who serves today as Chief Executive Officer. As its reputation in the industry grew, the company established a second studio in Toronto in 2000 and four years later moved its headquarters to Ottawa, which has become a dynamic and rapidly growing hub of the animation industry. In the years since, millions of children and their parents have seen the studio’s entertainment projects, most of them produced in Ottawa.

Mercury Filmworks productions include:
• Emmy, BAFTA and Annie Award-winning Hilda (2018) and Kid Cosmic (2020), both for Netflix
• Three-time Emmy Award, and Annie Award-winner Rapunzels’ Tangled Adventure (2017–2020), the two-time Emmy-nominated The Lion Guard (2016–2020), Emmy Award-winning heritage Mickey Mouse shorts (2013-2020), Emmy and Annie Award-winning Jake & the Neverland Pirates (2011-2016), Emmy and Annie Award-winning Wander Over Yonder (2013-2016), Fish Hooks (2010-2014), and Primetime Emmy-nominated Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2010-2012), all for Disney
• Emmy Award-nominated If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (2015), for Amazon, and
• Mattel’s Hot Wheels: The Origin of Awesome (2014).

Other productions include Jimmy Two Shoes (2009-2011), Stella & Sam (2011, 2012), Gerald McBoing Boing (2005-2007), The Power Puff Girls Movie (2002), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), and the Curious George (2006) movie.

It is an astounding body of work to have been created in just a few years, and Poapst says Mercury is always looking for talent with the drive, technical knowledge and work ethic to meet its clients’ needs. “The work ethic is something that is emphasized in schools alongside the skills,” he says. “You have to have it to make a career in this field.”

Once accepted as members of the Mercury team, which numbers over 350 employees, new hires begin to benefit from the company’s mentorship program. “We take what they have been taught and build on it with them,” Poapst says. “We take them up a notch. This is not a job, it’s a career, and to build a career you need to be in a learning environment.”

Mercury draws animators from many sources but it has a close relationship with and employs dozens of alumni from Algonquin College.
In addition to his work with Mercury, Poapst has been teaching at the College since 2005, bringing his animation skills and knowledge of daily life as an industry professional to Algonquin’s students. “When I teach the business and animation course for third-year students, my goal is to explain the real world,” he says.

Mercury participates on the Animation Program Advisory Committee (PAC) which keeps the College in the loop about what the industry needs and expects from young animators.

In January, the company established an annual award for a graduating student from the College’s Film and Media Production program. The five-year commitment has an annual value of $5,000 and honours the memory of former Mercury Filmworks employee and Algonquin College alumnus Kevin Kocvar.

The company has also been providing bursaries and internships for Algonquin College students for over a decade. “We bring on between 12 and 16 interns every year,” says Keneford, “and we sponsor a bursary called the Triple Threat Award, which are examples of how we are always mentoring and working with students.”

He adds that interns are put through everything Mercury would expect of any animator. “They learn first-hand about the high bar we require of our people and the collaborative working culture at Mercury, where people learn from each other and challenge one another to achieve more than they might have thought possible.”

Even during the pandemic, Mercury Filmworks has been aggressively hiring and the expectation is it will continue to do so in the months ahead. Over the years, more than 100 Algonquin College graduates have been hired by the company.

“We have experienced significant growth since February 2020,” says Keneford, “and the demand should continue. There are new seasons to produce, new shows for various studios and work we’re developing in-house, and we’re also doing shorts and commercials. We anticipate many opportunities for growth and development for people who want to work with Mercury for years to come. We are not just a great place to start a career in animation, we’re a great place to develop a long and rewarding career in the industry.”