The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLA) is currently accepting expressions of interest from freelance animators working in the Los Angeles area. This is a temporary contracted position. NHMLA’s Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops large-scale puppets capture the imaginations of audiences in performances each week. We are interested in working with an animator skilled in hand-drawn animation and illustration so that we may integrate projections into these and future performances. These animations would focus on two subjects - the life cycle of a Tyrannosaurus rex and the history of fossil hunter Mary Anning. Our ideal candidate will have a high level of proficiency in their preferred animation toolset and a reel that demonstrates their work in 2D hand-drawn animation design and production. Candidates should be interested and comfortable with a process that requires collaboration with artists and scientists from NHMLA’s education and research departments.

Interested applicants should send a Curriculum Vitae and a reel to Ilana Gustafson at

All Applicants will be added to our candidate pool for future projects.

About the Performing Arts Program at NHMLA

NHM's Performing Arts program helps bring science to life through theater arts. Its creative team runs the popular Dinosaur Encounters and Ice Age Encounters performances, in which realistic, large-scale Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, and Saber-toothed Cat puppets capture the imagination of audiences every week. Performing Arts members also engage visitors in special performances such as shadow puppetry and aerial dance to highlight Museum exhibits and events.