Walking up to Maker Studios was like finding a beautiful entertainment oasis mecca in the middle of the arid desert. I had such a great experience at Maker and am so ready to just go sleep outside of their office being an unpaid gopher until I earn a job there. I love the atmosphere and quirkiness of the office and the people were so friendly and willing to talk to us and help us learn more about what they did. Honestly it was nice to see such excitement from people just loving their job and it really inspired and reenergized me!
For those of you that don’t know what Maker is or what they do, here is a brief introduction to their company. Maker is a multi-channel network for Youtube, which means they create content for many different types of channels on Youtube some that they own and some that they don’t. They have studio spaces, makeup and wardrobe areas, editing bays and an animation department in their main production building.
They also have a separate building for more of the administrative tasks. It’s a bit of a walk since it’s across a parking lot and then the highway but the same energy that fills the production office exists in the administrative office.
Walking to the other building:
Each desk area is brightly and uniquely decorated to the taste of the owner from Adventure Time collectables, Star Wars Stormtrooper masks, and to even a desk covered in pink lights and banners. Almost everyone we passed took the time to introduce themselves, give us advice, ask us questions and let us know to reach out to them in the future. They just honestly were so nice from the interns (one from Harvard!) to the sales teams.
Top: The admin office, Bottom: a cat ouija board in the office
What I took away from Maker, what they reiterated as we took the tour was that people don’t just “fall into” production or showbiz: it’s an active decision that takes hard work and effort. People keep saying that they got their jobs by “being in the right place at the right time” but they were able to do that because they put themselves there, they actively searched and took those opportunities to be in the place were they wanted to be and where I wanna be.
I really wanna work for Maker, I just really felt at home there and like it’s where I’m suppose to be.
The Traveling Wabbit: Los Angeles 
I’m really glad you felt the same way about Maker. I had a great time there and everyone seems to be really nice. You also took really great pictures of the tour and I’m very glad someone documented these (also I wish there was a picture of Lang. Just his presence “reenergized me.” Hopefully someday we can both work there because I was pretty much living out that same fantasy as we walked through.
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I wish I hadn’t gotten a photo of Lang! If Andres hadn’t got one I’d probably think Lang was just some sort of mirage! lol
I really want to talk to Andres and Emily to get some contacts for Maker so I can see if they have any Fall internships of entry level positions!
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Great post Jessica. I love the pictures you put in here, and I also think Maker’s energy had me re-energized too!
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To quote the Maker wardrobe department: “Yasss queen!” I loved being there. I don’t want to rehash what Sean and Joe said, but the vibe there was just so positive and welcoming. It was a nice change from the friendly but rather cynical views on the industry that we’ve gotten so far. I also loved how excited they were about new technology, and just getting their hands on it to understand it. It makes me want to spend more time working with the technical aspects of the industry just in case the necessity ever arises, especially if I want to actively pursue opportunities, which was a great point that you made in your post.
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Totally agree on what you said about people working for where they want to be. If you work hard enough, you could totally work for Maker one day! I don’t doubt it for a second! Love all the pics too!
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Thanks for sharing your epic adventure!
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Thanks for taking the time to read!
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