The next time you watch an animated TV series, look out for Samantha Suyi Lee’s name in the credits. In the last four years, she has worked for DreamWorks, Warner Animation Group, Netflix and Walt Disney in Los Angeles.
She explains: “It might seem odd for someone to have worked in so many studios in a span of a few years when traditionally, most people believe job stability comes in the form of staying in a single company for a long time. But truth is, in Hollywood, it’s not uncommon for artists, editors, directors and production people to be hired for the length of a show’s production.”
“Once they’re done, they move on to the next show. Most artists prefer this too – we’re usually following our noses and moving around based on what show we want to work on rather than what studio we want to work in.”
An artist by training, Samm’s latest role sees her as a director at Disney, working on the animated series, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which will air on the Disney channel next year.
A typical day at work is peppered with meetings over Zoom, art reviews, edit sessions and lots of drawing, though the highlights are online voice-recording sessions where actors read their lines for the show.
“I’ve seen some of my favourite actors and I try to keep it cool, but secretly I’m fangirling my heart out! I’ve also met James Baxter in the flesh while I was at Netflix. He’s a legend in the animation industry and known for his work on shows like The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and The Prince of Egypt. Listening to him talking about his work process was really inspiring.”
While working overseas was never a goal, Samm, who graduated in 2010, says her time in NTU and the School of Art, Design & Media made her “well-rounded”, even if she didn’t appreciate it back then.
“As a digital animation major, I wanted to focus on just character animation, but I was ‘forced’ to experience other aspects of work in the animation industry, from modelling and rigging a CG character to lighting and texturing a scene. I’m glad I did! I’ve realised that as a director, I can communicate well with other departments like the lighting and modelling teams, because I know what their work entails.”
She adds: “In university, I recall many of us artists being a little resentful that we had to do general courses unrelated to art. But all these classes have turned out to be useful in my job. A sociology class I took came in handy for an episode I directed about gentrification, and the forensics science class I joined on a whim helps with any story where some crime scene investigation is needed. Also, Contract Law has been a life-saver!”
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This story was published in the Aug-Sep 2021 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
