Wanna know more about me?
I’ll keep it simple and random, with these seven tidbits:
Why are you in Switzerland?
Studios and talent always ask me this. I know, I’m in a bit of an outpost (there really isn’t an animation scene here). The truth is, my family had an opportunity to move back, and I brought my industry with me. Here are a couple of other fun facts about my life in Switzerland:
• I do not have a secret private bank account (the US government won’t allow that).
• The legend that, if invaded, the Swiss can blow up every road and bridge leading into the country, run to their secret villages inside the Alps, and live off of food rations until the zombie apocalypse blows over is pretty much true. (I just hope they’ll let me know where the entrance is to their secret mountain speakeasies.)How’d you get into Animation?
My fascination with animation started when I was six years old and I just never grew out of it. My animation career began in 7th grade when I completed my first animated film, “Animal Olympics.” It had a fantastic Middle School indy film festival run and was awarded the most prestigious award at its time, Mrs. Wise’s Mickey Mouse award. The award stands proudly next to my Madagascar 3 and How to Train Your Dragon crew maquettes.Is your whole life really about chocolate?
More or less. I’m originally from Hershey, Pennsylvania, worked at Chocolate World in high school, and then married a Swiss man and moved to Switzerland. While it may seem that my life is all chocolatey delicious, the truth is I love to travel and have been all of the world (including Antarctica).How’d you get interested in this industry?
It’s been a winding path, but animation, people, and business have always been a connecting thread for me. I was accepted into Pratt Institute based on my watercolor paintings. I have degrees in Computer Graphics and Design Management. C++ was required coursework and I still regularly attend open figure drawing sessions.When did you know you wanted to be a recruiter?
The day I became one. One of my first jobs was as a clean-up artist at a small animation studio working on a children’s HBO series. Eventually, I moved over to recruiting where I felt truly at home; combining my love of computer graphics, animation, and my sociable personality.How did you start?
My recruiting gig began with I Spy Recruiting in NYC as a talent sourcer, staffing freelance artists for leading commercial houses like Charlex, Psyop, and 1stAveMachine. Then I joined DreamWorks Animation as a Recruiting Manager and finally got to see my name in the credits and an IMDB listing. I’ve also worked in-house at Zynga and contracted with Google, which expanded more of my technical recruiting expertise. I typically help clients with their hardest to fill roles or when they need to ramp up fast. In 2018, I recruited for five feature films.What’s the best part of your job?
The best part is helping studios grow with outstanding talent and seeing the talent’s names on the rolling credits, long after the project has been delivered and no matter where you are in the world. Also, seeing my name in the credits while on vacation in Santiago, Chile — so far away from where you did the work, itself — is more than a bit surreal.