Interview with illustrator Dan Woodger – how to build a freelance creative career

Illustrator and animator Dan Woodger recently spoke to beepurple, the entrepreneurship support service of the University of Brighton, about building a freelance career in the creative industry.

London-based Dan is a graduate of the university (BA(Hons) Illustration, 2011) whose clients have included Apple, McDonald’s, Netflix, Samsung, New York Times and GQ.

Dan was pursuing a professional golf career before switching his focus to illustration. After university he spent several years grafting hard to build his freelance business, firstly out of his parents’ house, and with an internship stint at YCN.

His big break came from a job designing emojis for messaging app Line, which has 700 million users and is highly-popular in Southeast Asia. His distinctive work quickly became recognised across Japan, Taiwan and Thaliand, leading to a flurry of commissions from global brands.

In the podcast interview below Dan tells his story, explaining how he has attracted clients, built his portfolio, recruited help and achieved a comfortable position running a successful creative business – and what he dreams of doing in the future.

You can follow Dan on Twitter and Instagram.

Also available on iTunes and Sticher.