A senior animation student's decision to attend Purdue University was heavily influenced by her background as a competitive distance swimmer and a member of the US National Jr Team. In 2019, Hayley Pike achieved the qualifying time for the US Olympic Team Trials in the mile (1500-meter freestyle), a monumental accomplishment in her swimming career. This achievement, coupled with a scholarship offer to swim for Purdue, ultimately led her to West Lafayette.
A fascination for Vivziepop's creations, specifically the pilot episodes of "Hazbin Hotel" and "Helluva Boss," both of which premiered in 2019, started her journey toward her dream job in animation. As an avid enthusiast of adult animation, particularly hand-drawn 2D animation, she was captivated by the unique style and character designs in these series. Since that premiere and throughout her time at Purdue, she has aspired to become a part of the Spindlehorse team.
Competitive swimming limited her time for developing her animation skills and she found herself falling behind her peers, so she committed to honing her craft and stepped away from the sport. With this additional time on her hands, she focused on self-guided artistic development, acquiring the necessary tools in traditional and digital art to be successful in landing an animation job.
Arriving at Purdue, she approached her education with an open mind, initially uncertain whether she should pursue 2D or 3D animation. After several years of coursework and exposure to different facets of animation, she realized that her true passion lay in 2D animation. Fortuitously, she was at Purdue during a period when 2D animation classes were introduced. These courses proved instrumental in familiarizing herself with industry-standard software like Toon Boom Harmony and Wacom Cintiq 16 hardware. Moreover, the creative freedom provided by open-ended projects allowed her to nurture her artistic instincts. Hayley contributes her 2D animation growth to faculty mentorships, participation in an international 2D animation competition, and interning as an undergraduate researcher.
In early 2023, a series of events happened that helped carve her path to Spindlehorse. First, she decided to reach out to one of the cleanup leads for "Helluva Boss" to seek advice on how to enhance her portfolio and become a more attractive candidate for future employment. This networking interaction proved invaluable and offered Hayley substantial insights and encouragement to continue to craft her skill. At the conclusion of the 2023 spring semester, she enrolled in a vigorous online class at Animation Mentor called “2D Animation: Walk Cycles & Character Movement” under Disney animator Jay Jackson.
Then, in May of the same year, she learned about Spindlehorse’s cleanup animator job opportunities. After a series of high-profile production studio internship rejections, Hayley doubted her chances of success for something that was even bigger – an actual JOB! After much consideration and encouragement, she decided that her recent 2D classes at Purdue and Animation Mentor elevated her skills to a level worthy of applying. A month later, she was pleasantly surprised with a “Congratulations!” response email that assigned her a one-week deadline to clean up a test shot. Up against a large candidate pool, she worked tirelessly to meet the deadline. Hayley’s commitment to the continuity of the animation and maintaining the characters’ official designs paid off. Nearly three weeks after submitting her test shot and doubting her chances, she received an opportunity of a lifetime offer to work as a cleanup animator at Spindlehorse!
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Since accepting this role, her experience at Spindlehorse has been nothing short of incredible. On September 9, 2023, her family hosted a virtual screening of her debut episode; commemorating the first time her name appeared in the credits of an animated series. Hayley shared that tears of joy were shed when she finally saw her work in an official production shouting, “...my drawings, my art, my craft was on the big screen!”
The culmination of these events and her unwavering persistence underscores the significance of perseverance in the face of adversity. Her passion for animation, cultivated over years of dedication, paired with her education at Purdue University and mentorships, laid the groundwork for her eventual job placement. Furthermore, her proactive approach of networking with the Spindlehorse cleanup lead for guidance and consistently pursuing internships and job openings exemplifies the resilience necessary to overcome setbacks. Hayley's journey to securing a position at Spindlehorse serves as a testament to the power of persistence, highlighting the importance of unwavering determination in achieving one's aspirations.