#26 From Freelancing to Running a World-Class 3D Studio with Barton Damer | Bad Decisions Podcast

Jul 28, 2023

Barton Damer, founder of Already Been Chewed, talks about his journey from freelancer to running a world-class 3D studio. He discusses learning 3D animation at 30, landing big clients like Nike, and protecting your artists. He also explores balancing an artist's passion and family time, and finding inspiration beyond the screen.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Finding Balance: Fitness, Work, and Life

02:29 • 23min

The Journey into 3D Animation

25:07 • 7min

Embracing Challenges for Personal and Professional Growth

32:10 • 2min

The Transition from Freelancing to Running a Studio

34:11 • 5min

Focusing on the Artist's Work

39:16 • 6min

Seizing Opportunities and Building Relationships

45:12 • 21min

Advocating for Fair Compensation

01:05:47 • 25min

Finding Inspiration Beyond the Screen

01:30:35 • 9min

Barton Damer is the owner and founding artist of Already Been Chewed, a studio well-known for creating some of the best motion graphics and 3D animations for brands such as Louis Vuitton, Nike, Marvel, Tiffany & Co., Star Wars, the NBA, and DISNEY. In this episode, Barton discusses his journey from starting as a solo freelancer to becoming the creative powerhouse he is today. He talks about his journey into 3D animations, and how it shaped his career and work ethic. We covered his perspective on education, making showreels and managing timeline and budget. Barton shares inspiring stories of landing big clients like Nike, and New Balance for @ALREADYBEENCHEWED and, his strategy for effective client negotiation, and the importance of protecting your artists. He also explores the delicate balance between feeding an artist's passion and ensuring quality family time. Episode 26 Timestamps: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:27 Health vs Work00:17:28 Learning 3D animation at 30 yrs old 00:35:24 3 Principles of Growth00:39:21 Should I go to college for 3D? 00:43:28 How to stand out when you apply as a 3D Artist? 00:45:11 Cold calls & email 00:52:00 How to land BIG clients? 00:55:29 How Barton landed a Nike Deal? 01:05:56 Drop clients that Hold you back01:12:05 Protect your Artists 01:17:07 Managing Timeline and Budget 01:30:35 Ideas and Inspirations 01:34:31 [Ur Questions] From Low budget to High budget clients 01:35:19 [Ur Questions] Feeding the artist passion vs having family time Find out more about Barton and Already Been Chewed (ABC): https://www.instagram.com/bartondamer/ https://www.alreadybeenchewed.tv/https://www.instagram.com/alreadybeenchewed/ https://www.tiktok.com/@bartondamer Join our discord server where we connect and share assets: https://discord.gg/zwycgqezfD Bad Decisions Audio Podcast 🎙️: Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcast https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/badxstudio If you wanna see us to do cool things follow us here too: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/badxstudio/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/badxstudio TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@badxstudio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/badxstudio Our personal handles: (if you wanna stalk us) https://twitter.com/Farhads__ https://twitter.com/farazshababi https://www.instagram.com/farhad_sh/ https://www.instagram.com/farazshababs/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/farhadshababi/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/farazshababi/ #3d #animation #3danimation #podcast #badxstudio #BadDecisionsStudio