How to Get a Job Making Toys. How to Work in the Toy Industry. How to be a Toy Designer Toy Maker

Scott Toy Guru Neitlich from Spector Creative provides advice and direction on how to get a job not only in the toy industry but in one of the few positions that actually physically works on toys (vs data entry or logistics &c...). How to be a toy designer, a toy graphic artist, a toy copywriter or a toy marketing manager reviewed.

[korydoe]

Thank the maker for you getting to where you did when you did otherwise we wouldn't have our wonderful masters of the universe classics!

[TheDoomerDen]

Thank you so much for this. I really appreciate it, and its definitely a motivator. Personally, I've always been interested in market research.. Right now I'm working through my masters degree, and currently developing my thesis around the influence of nostalgia on buying habits, with focus on toys due to the gap in professionally published research. I just recently completed a test run of the sample collection, actually. I'm hopeful I'll get to present this market research to a company. The journey has had a lot of highs and lows, but gotta move forward somehow.

Thank you for all your work and these very insightful videos. It's really been a blessing

[Iamnotspecialandneitherareyou]

This is such a real and honest video. This could apply to any job. There absolutely are steps to getting the job you want and then the ones you have to take to get there. Perfect explanation.

[skookumtrooper]

This video illustrates why the people that make the toys we purchase may not actually know anything about toys or the properties they represent. They come from marketing, or design, or management, or a host of other fields. So you have a group of people with little or no interest in toys making bizarre guesses on what people will actually buy. So it’s a rare miracle when you get someone like Dave Vonner or Derryl DePriest who actually know what they’re doing.

[MiloPantone]

Dude, you are everywhere. Found this YouTube channel, heard you on Rebel Force Radio, & saw you on the bonus dvd in the Masters of the Universe collection that I just bought. Awesome channel.

[johnkoester]

For starters, I wanna work on personal things like the early design of woody for example, like bud lucky’s design in the story boards he can be found in the deleted chase scene in the first toy story as well as Eastern gate and for the ventriloquist dummy lock that was in the first early test animation for toy story

[TAKTAK_Toys]

Thanks Scott, we definitely need more of this info, there are lots of collectors out there who would love to take this journey, and I’m one of them 👍

[silverbullet]

Now here's the ironic thing. I like buying customized action figures because I am starting to understand things thanks to your videos. I just wish I could write comics for Boom Studios and DC Comics. I have stories that could turn into action figures down the road. But I just want to write stories.

[ScootDoot]

I love your videos! Greetings from New Zealand!!

[gbsd]

Thanks for posting this! Working in the toy industry would be a dream job kinda thing for me.

[Spooncoker]

I really appreciate all the behind the scenes info you provide thankyou!

[robertmuggeridge]

I'm so grateful you made this video, it was a tempting question to ask you. Great advice, although I can't tell if it filled me with hope that it could happen, or depressing realism that it won't! Lol! 😂

[andrewgrant]

Another great insightful video. At 9:07 that looks like a character who could show up in Beast Wars (like the Fuzor) line; that is a sweet looking design! Would be a fun toy to play with.

[badvermin]

Also it's helpful to have more than one skill.
For example I mainly do graphic design for toy packaging, but also product photography, copywriting, stickers, prototyping, voice work, modeling, animation, etc, and sculpt my own toys on the side. The downside is that you can be too good, they will fire everyone else, put you in charge and give you the work of several people.
I highly recommend getting a mid-sized 3D resin printer, they are like magic when it comes to prototyping and making toys.

[esa]

Scott, that was an excellent, informative video. A good reality check for anyone wanting to get into the industry.

[JCetto.]

Fake it till you make it... Man! I thought my father had invented that phrase (in spanish, of course)

This was a very interesting video! Thanks for sharing, Scott!

[elliegrizz]

I LOVE THIS VID!!! SUCH A LIFE SAVER!! THANK YOU SIR!!

[FrozenStratos]

Dang, that was super helpful especially now. Been trying to turn my manufacturing engineering degree into a toy design career but I guess there was a dedicated major for it lol.

[superactionstuff]

Great video. One other area to consider is product reviewers at licensors and brands, which is great if one does not know what they want to do. It helps if you like the brand, and will give you a lot of exposure into the production of toys and many other categories. They are also often entry level jobs that typically only require a college degree. While they might not pay great, it does give product experience and I know a few who were able to take what they learned from product development and turn that into a job at a toy company.

[DominusTecum]

If I were to start at the lowest level of positions and that it pays well enough to afford to live and pay all my bills. Well I would want to design animal toys just like to the one at 12:25. I am happy that you are one of those who made it as 1% to become Brand Manager. Even though you did not have the MBA degree your passion(s), proven success on assignments, relatability to a collector, and knowing what kids want helped us me satisfied with the He-Man line. I personally never got one but enjoyed knowing and see guys like Pixel Dan drools like little kids over them. Great job making adult kids and children happy and helping them use their imagination to role play with toys. Their skills to mature have to start some where before the boring life is reached as an aduult.