I interviewed with StudioXAG last year for a role that involved a three-stage process. Unfortunately, I didn't progress past the first stage, but I still wanted to share the experience. The interview itself began in a very informal way, with what felt more like casual conversation about what projects I had been working on recently. In hindsight, I think I misread the tone of the opening and it threw me slightly off balance, which meant I never really managed to clearly communicate my experience or how I arrived at my current work. From there the interview didn’t quite recover on my side, and I left feeling that I hadn’t represented myself particularly well. That said, the studio’s work and reputation for building strong teams is something I still admire, and it’s clear they hold a high bar for the people they bring on. While the experience didn’t work out for me personally, I would still be interested in their work and would encourage applicants to prepare to talk confidently and early about the projects they’re currently working on.