Only eight years into his career, Computer Animation graduate Jack Geckler has already worked at two of Hollywood’s most acclaimed animation studios – Digital Domain, and his current home at DreamWorks Animation, where he worked on their hit feature How to Train Your Dragon.

Jack started at DreamWorks Animation early in the summer of 2009, when he was hired on for How to Train Your Dragon as a Crowds Artist, a role which has him responsible for creating and animating cycles for masses of characters during some of the film’s most complicated scenes. The position marks his first time working on an animated children’s film, and is a departure from his previous work on such live action blockbusters as National Treasure: Book of Secrets and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.

“I wanted to get the most I could out of doing visual effects for live action films before I dove wholeheartedly into fully animated features and now just felt like the right time,” he says. “And when I came in here I actually interviewed for a few different productions, but How to Train Your Dragon just felt like it would be the best fit considering my background. So when I got the call to do this project I was extremely excited.

“I’ve always enjoyed DreamWorks Animation films, but this is one of the first they’ve done that has more of a adventurous side to it, and I think that’s going to be a nice change for the audience,” he says. “It also looks amazing, and completely different from any of the other films that they’ve done here. That’s something that I’m really excited about – just seeing the scale of some of these shots is blowing me away.”

Jack attributes the film’s creative spirit to directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois (the duo behind Disney’s hit Lilo and Stitch), as well as the laid-back atmosphere at the DreamWorks Animation campus. The combination of the two allows for a more organic approach to the production process, which comes across when you look back at the studio’s recent films like Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and Monsters vs. Aliens.

“It’s a very relaxed work environment, and the directors are very open to creative input,” he says. “In general there’s a lot more freedom – you have storyboards laid out, but at the end of the day when you start piecing the shots together there’s change that’s allowed, as opposed to being locked down to specific shots like in a live action film. You definitely have room to show different options, and they’re really responsive. I’ve been very fortunate, because my whole time here has been like nonstop schooling.”

Nearing his first decade as a professional animator, it’s refreshing to hear Jack’s enthusiasm for his craft is still as strong as it was when he was a student at Full Sail. In an industry like computer animation, your work is constantly evolving as new technology and processes are introduced, and he seems to welcome the challenge to keep learning and honing his craft as he looks forward to his future projects.

“One thing that really sticks with me is that there’s never been a point in my day where it doesn’t hit me that I’m able to do this for a living,” he says. “I still love movies so much and that’s never left me – it’s why I got into this career to start with. I’m inspired daily by the work, and those around me, and I think you have to be. If you don’t have that kind of drive, then why are you doing this? That desire when you’re in school to keep going and keep creating good work – you can just never give that up. I’m 100 percent ‘go time’ all the time.”