DePaul University Career Center's Blog

Who’s Hiring: Recruiting Trends in Media, Communication, Arts & Entertainment

COVID-19 has hit many industries with layoffs, furloughs, and a lot of uncertainty. Nearly all areas of the MCAE community decreased hiring due to COVID. Many of these industries rely heavily on live events and freelance professionals. This document gives an overview of industry trends & updates on what’s happening in the media, arts, communication, and entertainment industries in the age of COVID. 

Film & Entertainment


  • Major entertainment festival cancellations and postponements 

Animation


  • Some studios have transitioned to remote work and are conducting business as usual (i.e. Disney Television) 
  • Industry has not shut down like most others, but things are moving as a slower rate
  • Nickelodeon Animation Studio & Warner Brothers working remotely 
  • Fox-owned Bento Box Entertainment (creator of Bob’s Burgers) is hiring 500 artists and production staff across Los Angeles, Atlanta and London. It has openings for about 20 freelance production personnel. 
  • Animated music videos anticipated (Atlantic Records)
  • Magic Leap startup, laid off 1,000 employees—around half its workforce. 
  • Types of roles posted?
  • Lead 2D Animator at Minnow Mountain
  • Animator at Peloton
  • Gameplay Animator (Contract) at Playstation 

Marketing, PR, & Social Media


    • Walker Sands

Publishing, Copyediting, & Journalism


  • Online book sales have increased
    • After Powell’s Books in Portland, OR, reportedly laid off about 85 percent of its staff on March 15 when it closed five stores, the bookseller re-hired 100 of those employees due to online sales demand. 
  • New marketing campaigns pushed up
  • Comics industry has been hit hard
  • Online proofreading and editing services still operating 
  • News media job market in crisis 
    • Smaller city-wide or state-wide news outlets particularly vulnerable
    • Local newspapers are currently losing 30-60% of advertising due to the coronavirus.
    • Newsrooms furlough employees rather than lay them off
    • However, there is a surge in readers
  • Freelancers are limited not only by newsroom budgets but also by their lack of company-sponsored health insurance.
  • Types of Roles
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