Heck ya there's an animator in NYC reading this
The job market for animators is pretty good. I hear that the summer is usually slower, but things pick up again in the fall. Most of the work around here is on a freelance basis, but you can keep yourself employed frequently that way, once you start making contacts at work. Character Animation in particular is a little harder to come by, but I've been lucky to grab character animation gigs so far. Psyop and Framestore are probably the two (maya) places that do the most character anim that I know of. But there are a lot of other places, Charlex, Rhino FX, Curious Pictures, The Mill, Tronic (3ds max), and other smaller places that always use animators for something. I've heard that this place called Quiet Man does character anim, but they use XSI. And of course there's always Blue Sky in White Plains, which is about 40-45min north of Manhattan. Oh, and there's also Kaos Studios a THQ games branch that started up over the past year, I think.
Most animation/effects around here are either for broadcast/advertising, or pre-school entertainment. There are a lot of places that do flash animation too.
Freelance has it's pros and cons, but if you're just starting out in the industry, I think it's a good way to get experience in many different environments, with different people, working on different projects. Be prepared to keep up your demo reel, and be sure to ask others for tips on finding freelance jobs and getting your name out there. Good freelance animators are in demand here, but networking with your friends is important in making sure you stay employed.
Hope that helps. I'm loving working in NYC, the industry is a lot smaller here, but there's a lot going on in the broadcast/advertising areas. Send me a PM if you have any other questions!
--Kyle
