Ask an Alum: Michaela Wadzinski
Michaela discovered an interest in animation at a young age, and once she got to Nebraska, she found her voice amongst fellow filmmakers. Armed with what she learned during undergrad and connections made through internships, Michaela landed a job with Bento Box Entertainment. We talked to her about her work as a storyboard artist, how internships shaped her and her advice for students looking to find a job they’re passionate about.
Talk about finding your voice through film and where your passion for animation came from.
When I was in the third grade I started drawing characters from Spongebob obsessively. I used to draw them on everything. I had so many drawings I started giving them away and they seemed to make my classmates really happy. Finally, it started to dawn on me that somebody had to be making the cartoons I loved, and I wanted to do that as well! I wanted to make people happy through my art, just like those Spongebob drawings. So since then, I’ve always had my eyes set on working in animation. My passion for film and TV only grew as I got older.
I was a very introverted kid. I remember going hours at school without saying a word, but I would always be sketching. Eventually, when I went to college at UNL to study film and new media I felt I found my voice for the first time. Being amongst fellow filmmakers made all the difference. I was ecstatic to talk about movies and I wanted to continue to express myself through the moving picture. When I went to UNL, the film program was primarily live-action based. Luckily, I very quickly found a second love in live-action. I spent my four years making as many movies as I could, animated or not, and it was a blast! Once I set my eyes on directing I knew I couldn’t quite be an introvert anymore and I realized I love working with other people. It’s part of what makes filmmaking so wonderful. It’s not just the work of one person, but the work of an army!
Talk about your current job.
I currently work at Bento Box Entertainment as a storyboard artist on the Fox Animation Domination Show “The Great North”! My favorite part of filmmaking is storytelling and storyboarding is all about finding the most effective way to tell your story. Plus I get to draw for a living and that’s pretty neat!
What are some projects (or favorite projects) you’ve had the chance to work on?
I’ve worked on “The Great North” for all four seasons of the show, in different capacities. I started as a PA and worked my way up to my current position. In between seasons, I worked at Titmouse on the show “Bless the Harts” as a production coordinator. That was maybe the most challenging job I’ve ever had, but it was also one of the most rewarding. Having been on both the production and art sides of the industry has helped me become a better artist, collaborator, and improved my time management skills significantly! I recently did some freelance storyboarding for Animus, a creative agency out in Rhode Island. I got to storyboard a whole animated short called “Supper” with them, and it was an absolute blast! I can’t wait for people to see it!
Other than that, I do a lot of projects in my free time. This last year I directed three live-action shorts and an hour-long sketch comedy show. Two of them have been released and the other two are still in post-production. Since I draw 8 hours a day for work, sometimes I need other avenues to express myself creatively, so it’s been really nice to write and edit more. This year I also wrote my first feature film titled “Vying for Affections”! It’s a coming-of-age comedy set in Iowa.
During your time as an undergrad, you were awarded a prestigious internship with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. What was that experience like and what did it teach you?
My time interning with the Television Academy Foundation was great! My category was traditional animation and I was hosted at Bento Box Entertainment on “Bob’s Burgers”. I was a big fan of the show, so it was very exciting! It’s hard to even describe everything I learned during my internship. I really had no idea what the industry was like, so it was a little bit of culture shock. I was overwhelmed by everything! Not to mention there’s a lot of pressure when you intern to network and make really great connections so you can get a job out of college. So while I was over the moon I was nervous as well.
I was lucky to meet Tyrone Thompson, at the time a post supervisor on Bob’s, who really became the main supervisor for the internship. He was incredibly caring and supportive, which really helped with the nerves! He gave me the great advice to ask to take a storyboard test, which is basically when a show gives you a small portion of the script to board to see if you’d be a good fit for the production. I took mine only as a practice test, to get feedback from some of the directors, but it was hands down my favorite part of the internship. I had always wanted to be an animator, but during my internship, I realized I was really interested in storyboarding!
The Television Academy Internships are great because they not only give you the opportunity to meet people on the job, but also to network within the Academy itself. I still get invited to TVA events, and it’s been a good source of community!
When I left my internship and returned to Nebraska to finish my last year of school, I was nervous that I hadn’t networked enough. My senior year I applied to over 200 jobs, and it was crickets! I was terrified! Eventually, myself and two other UNL grads, Ethan Grafton and Jon Bass, decided to just move out to LA with no jobs and no apartment. I messaged my internship supervisor Ty, who I had kept in contact with that whole year, to see if he wanted to get a coffee. Instead what I got was an email asking if I wanted to interview to be a PA on a new show “The Great North”. I jumped at the opportunity! Ty and I have remained really great friends since then, and I count myself so lucky to know him. Truly one of the best people I’ve ever met.
You also had your animated film recognized at several area film festivals while you were at Nebraska. Were you intentional about really finding opportunities to hone your skills — and if so, why was that important for you?
My main goal when I was in school was to make as many films as possible and learn as much as I could! Film school is a great place to fail with very little consequence. I don’t mean failing your classes, but instead I mean learning by making films. If your short isn’t quite working, that’s okay! You can figure out why and go and make a new one. You can make mistakes that wouldn’t be acceptable at a professional level. So it’s a great place to fail, learn, and push yourself.
Making the films themselves was the biggest learning opportunity, and when they were done I wanted people to see them! So I went the festival route. I usually had little to no money to travel so submitting and going to local festivals was a great way to meet more people and see great films. It is true that you could make the greatest movie there ever was, but if no one sees it then it doesn’t really matter. It’s important to try and get your work out there!
Was there someone at Nebraska that had a big impact on you?
My faculty advisor, Steve Kolbe, and another one of my professors, J.D. Madsen, both made big impacts in my life. Steve was my animation lifeline. He really helped me grow and continue to pursue my interest in the industry, I don’t think my junior or senior animated films would have even been green-lit without him!
As for J.D., I sadly only got to take one class with him during my time at UNL but it was one of the best classes I ever took! I still use so many skills and ideas I learned there in my creative pursuits!
Is there one thing you learned in your time at Nebraska that you’ve taken with you and continue to use every day?
At UNL I learned that there is nothing better than making something cool with a bunch of great people, and I hope to continue being able to do just that.
What advice would you give to a college student looking for a job they’re passionate about?
Passion can be found in something you have always had an interest in or it could be found in something you just started doing last week! Let life take you down different paths and be open to where they lead. You would be surprised how differently things may go from your original plan, but sometimes that’s where the fun and passion lies.
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