Application Guide

How to Apply for Motion Design Intern - The Heist (3-Month Contract, Potential for Full-Time)

at Thinkingbox

🏢 About Thinkingbox

The Heist is the motion design, live action, and post production studio within Thinkingbox, a Brief-to-Built agency that brings together directors, designers, animators, editors, and technologists to create work that moves. They blend craft and curiosity across brand films, broadcast spots, social campaigns, and experiential content, with a culture that takes the work seriously but themselves a little less so. This is a place where collaboration is real, feedback is open, and early-career creatives can jump into real projects rather than coffee runs.

About This Role

As a Motion Design Intern on a 3-month contract (with potential for full-time), you'll work alongside experienced designers and directors on actual client projects across 2D and 3D pipelines. You'll contribute to animation, design systems, digital storytelling, and motion-driven craft, building hands-on experience in a fast-paced studio environment. This is a chance to make things, not just observe.

💡 A Day in the Life

You might start your day in a team stand-up, then dive into animating a sequence for a social campaign or assisting a senior designer on a 3D element for a brand film. After lunch, you could be in a feedback session with a director, iterating on your work based on notes, and then experimenting with a new plugin or technique to push the visual style. Expect a mix of hands-on production, learning, and collaboration in a lively studio environment.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Thinkingbox Is Looking For

  • Early-career creative with a strong reel or portfolio demonstrating animation, motion design, or 3D work—personal projects count.
  • Proficient in industry-standard tools like After Effects, Cinema 4D, Blender, or similar; familiarity with design systems and digital storytelling is a plus.
  • Hungry to learn, open to feedback, and comfortable collaborating in a studio setting with designers, directors, and technologists.
  • Passionate about motion-driven craft and curious about blending 2D and 3D techniques to push ideas further.

📝 Tips for Applying to Thinkingbox

1

Submit a link to an online portfolio that showcases your taste, curiosity, and potential—include motion work even if it's speculative or personal.

2

Tailor your resume to highlight any animation, design, or 3D projects, and explicitly mention tools like After Effects, Cinema 4D, or Blender.

3

In your cover letter, reference specific work from The Heist or Thinkingbox that resonates with you, showing you've done your homework.

4

Demonstrate that you're ready to jump into real projects by describing a time you quickly learned a new tool or technique to solve a creative problem.

5

Keep your application concise and visual—since this is a motion design role, consider adding a link to a short motion reel or a PDF with embedded video links.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your passion for motion design and why The Heist's blend of craft and curiosity excites you specifically.", "Concrete examples of 2D or 3D projects you've worked on, emphasizing your role and the tools used.", 'Your eagerness to learn and collaborate, with anecdotes about receiving and acting on feedback in a team setting.', "Why you're interested in the potential for full-time transition and how you see yourself growing within The Heist/Thinkingbox."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore The Heist's portfolio and recent work to understand their style, clients, and the types of projects they produce.
  • → Look into Thinkingbox's 'Brief-to-Built' approach and how The Heist fits within the larger agency ecosystem.
  • → Check out the team on LinkedIn or the company website to get a sense of the people you'd be working with and their backgrounds.
  • → Read any interviews or articles about The Heist's culture, values, or recent projects to align your application with their ethos.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk us through your portfolio—what was your favorite project and why?
2 How do you approach learning a new software or technique when a project demands it?
3 Describe a time you received critical feedback on your animation work. How did you respond?
4 What interests you about working across both 2D and 3D pipelines?
5 How do you manage deadlines and prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic portfolio that doesn't showcase motion design or animation—this role is specifically about motion craft.
  • Focusing only on software skills without demonstrating creative thinking or storytelling ability.
  • Neglecting to mention why you're interested in The Heist specifically; generic cover letters that could apply to any studio are a turn-off.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Thinkingbox!

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