Life at Lighthouse

Are you curious about what it might be like to work at Lighthouse? Do you want to know whether it is worth moving to Kilkenny, Ireland? (Spoiler alert: it is.) Then read on!

Our mission

At Lighthouse we have one mission – to animate stories with love and craft and talent. We are looking for like-minded individuals from all over the world to join us at our studio in Kilkenny, Ireland. Sound like an adventure you’re ready to take on? Then keep on reading!

“Moving from another country to Kilkenny has been a journey on its own. But having the castle right at your doorstep makes you feel like you’ve entered a fairytale, adding to the feeling of entering a completely different world. It also serves as a form of escapism in these unusual times, as a gate way into a fantasy”

Nora Al-Shamery, Production Assistant

 

 

Living in Kilkenny

So probably one of the first things you’ll want to know is what it’s actually like to live in Kilkenny where our studio is based. If we could sum it up in one word it would be AMAZING but we’re sure you’re looking for a little more detail. Kilkenny is a stunning medieval city that is large enough to be constantly buzzing, and small enough that you can feel like a local. Here are a few more things about living in Kilkenny that we want you to know.

It has a strong tradition of arts and culture

Kilkenny is known for its vibrant culture and artistic heritage. It has long attracted bohemian types who soak up inspiration from the town’s lively atmosphere. It is also famed for being a festival town and offers a huge amount of festivals throughout the year. If music festivals, film festivals, theatre festivals, comedy festivals, food festivals and animation festivals sound like your thing, then we already know you’ll find plenty to do here. Assuming a global pandemic doesn’t get in the way of course.

It is close to nature

One of our absolute favourite things about Kilkenny is its access to nature. The city offers many different walking trails. Perhaps our favourite is the trek along the river Nore, which will take you all the way to the neighbouring town of Bennetsbridge, depending on how much energy you have that day. Check out some of the amazing shots taken by our crew of our beautiful city and surrounding areas!

It has some of the best restaurants and bars in Ireland

We aren’t just being biased. Kilkenny’s Left Bank was recently voted Ireland’s best bar.

There are so many pubs in Kilkenny to choose from, and no matter what kind of vibe you’re feeling we have something for you. We also have an extremely high standard of restaurants. A lot of our crew members love Petronella, where owner Frank developed a vegetarian menu specifically inspired by our neighbours Cartoon Saloon. Another firm favourite is Rive Gauche with its decadent interior, premium cocktail menu and exquisite French dishes. And if you love Indian cuisine, we think Shimla is one of the best restaurants in the South East of Ireland. Don’t even get us started on Aroi’s lunch menu, which serves up a delicious variety of Asian street food followed by a scoop of gelato every day between 12-5pm for a little over a tenner. Yum!

 

If you’re looking for more recommendations on where to eat, our crew can provide them by the bucket-load.

Crew enjoying a tasty picnic!

Plenty of options for lunching with your fellow crew members

 

Working at Lighthouse

When you come to work at Lighthouse, you will be working in the glorious neo-gothic building of Kieran’s College in the historic city of Kilkenny. Your mornings would consist of saying hi to Niamh in reception, patting one or more of our studio dogs, grabbing a cup of coffee (Cappuccino, perhaps?) from our kitchen and setting up to work with your immediate crew-mates. For lunch, you might have brought in your own homemade deliciousness, or you might fancy a quick walk into the city centre to eat in one of the restaurants that Kilkenny is famous for. (Michelin starred lunch in Campagne, perhaps?) Of course, there are plenty options for grab-n-go lunches too. The soup in Zuni is consistently delicious and comes with their home-made bread. Or you could pick-n-mix a salad selection in Dunnes supermarket. After work you might participate in of our life-drawing sessions, kick around a football with one of our crew or grab an after-work drink in one of Kilkenny’s hotspots. Here is a little more about the social life at Lighthouse.

“The national Anthem at full volume at the end of the night in Langton’s, that’s a proper Irish country experience all must have at least once”

Cliodhna Lyons, Assistant Director

Social life at Lighthouse

One of the things we are most famous for here at Lighthouse is our epic get-togethers. We have regular, delicious, business breakfasts, screenings of works in progress, wrap parties, summer parties, Christmas parties and loads more. Thanks to our ample space, we can often hold gatherings in our homeplace of Kieran’s College. We also have plenty of in-house clubs you can join. Join our regular Irish language lessons in Cleere’s pub. Knit yourself some winter clothes with our knitting and stitching club. Take part in yoga every Wednesday morning in the studio.

We also venture out regularly, hosting parties in venues such as The Set Theatre and Ballykeefe Ampitheatre. Check out some of our pics from recent events!

Harry Harty, Learning and Development Specialist

Career development

As fab as it is to work at Lighthouse, we know that what’s really important is your career development. We invest heavily in our crew and make sure that they have all they need to be the best they can be. Harry Harty, our Learning and Development Specialist, will work with you to help you carve out your own career pathway.

Here are just some of the in-house initiatives we have to help you develop in your role at Lighthouse:

  • ToonBoom Training
  • Dignity and Respect Training
  • Management Training
  • Life Drawing
  • Supervisor Soft Skills
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • English Classes
  • And sooooo much more!

As you can see, we keep it varied so that all crew can develop in the best way for them personally.

“Working at Lighthouse means I am always adding top quality animated content to my C.V.”

Applying to work at Lighthouse

You can find all our open vacancies listed on our Careers page. Some of them you will need specific technical skills for. Bear in mind, we are a ToonBoom studio, and in general we look for experience using the software when we hire new artists.

There are also some key things you need to know before you apply.

  • We  are based in Kilkenny, Ireland, and preference will be given to applicants who can join us here.
  • Our six core values are passion, pride, people-focus, persistence, poise and playfulness. If you value the same things as us you will be a good fit.
  • We are super proud of the diversity within our studio and love hearing all the weird and wonderful things our crew can bring to the table.

If you are moving country to work with us, you might want to check out the blog we wrote on the topic so that you will have a good idea of some of the implications of the move. Find it here. 

Our HR Manager, Louise Flannery. Photo by Ros Kavanagh

The recruitment process

Our recruitment process will generally entail a screening interview conducted by our HR team, followed by a more in-depth discussion about the role with the hiring manager. Depending on the role, we may ask you to attend more interviews or complete some technical test. Our HR team will handle all aspects of the process and if you have any questions they are more than happy to help!

Once you have secured a role at Lighthouse, our lovely front office team will send you lots of practical info about your move to Lighthouse and Kilkenny.

Your work at Lighthouse

If you are offered and accept a role at Lighthouse, you can be sure that you will be working on best-in-class animations. Developing your own personal work is also strongly encouraged.

Check out our Showreel over on Lighthousestudios.ie/showreel!

Convinced?

Then head on over to our Careers page and see what openings we have!