opportunities

Job Title: Animation Lead
Company: Primordial Soup
Location: New York, NY (preferred) | Remote (U.S. only)

About the Role

About Primordial Soup

Primordial Soup is a technology and story studio founded by visionary filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. We invent original stories and the tools to tell them — merging bold narrative, emotional depth, and experimental workflows. From ANCESTRA, created with Google DeepMind, to our upcoming original shorts, series, and feature films, we're generating new IP, building cinematic tools, and shaping a creative model where artists and technology evolve together.

Our team is small and works at the cutting edge of what generative AI can create. We are based in New York City.

The Role

We're looking for an Animation Lead for an ambitious short film that will merge CG animation and generative AI. The project is directed by a deeply experienced, world class filmmaker and supported by research teams at Google DeepMind. This is a rare opportunity to work directly with a top filmmaker and a frontier lab on a high profile and first-of-its-kind narrative project.

This is a contract position and is hybrid or remote. You will be expected to keep New York hours. The role begins immediately and ends Fall 2026. Full time opportunities may open up as our slate expands. Compensation will be $12k to $18k monthly, depending on experience.

What You'll Do

  • Work closely with the film’s director to translate their creative vision into an animation language and style

  • Build and lead a tight-knit team of animators and technical artists, setting the bar for performance, craft and creative ambition

  • Partner directly with AI researchers and technologists to develop new animation workflows

  • Collaborate with producers on a new production paradigm that embraces innovation to maximize creative quality

  • Contribute to the broader mission of putting artists in the driver’s seat of technical innovation through the creation of ambitious, emotionally-resonant animated work

What We're Looking For

  • 10+ years in professional animation, with significant credits at a premiere studio (Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Animation, Netflix, ILM, or equivalent)

  • 3+ years as a Supervising Animator, Directing Animator, or Animation Lead with direct creative responsibility over a team or sequence

  • Experience working closely with a world class director on a feature film

  • Deep, practiced knowledge of character performance, acting principles, and animation craft — you hold the bar on quality

  • Genuine curiosity and hands-on engagement with generative AI tools and workflows (ie ComfyUI)

  • Familiarity with Google AI stack (ie Gemini, Nano Banana, Veo)

  • Ability to operate fluidly between creative leadership and technical problem-solving

  • Strong communicator and collaborator — comfortable in the room with both directors and engineers

  • A portfolio that demonstrates both range and a distinctive point of view

Bonus Points For

  • Experience at both a premiere animation studio and a technology company (Epic, Google, Adobe, Meta, Apple, or similar)

  • Hands-on work with AI-driven animation tools: motion capture, posing systems, video-to-3D, generative character rigs

  • Experience developing or evaluating new animation tooling in an R&D or innovation context

  • Credits on projects that pushed a new visual or stylistic frontier

Why This Role

You won't be optimizing an existing pipeline. You'll be building a new one — with a small, exceptional team, under a filmmaker with a singular vision, using tools that are changing every month. The work will be seen.

How to Apply

If you're interested, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your resume, LinkedIn, portfolio or relevant work samples, and contact details to opportunities@primordialsoup.ai