Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
Hi! My name is Siti Lu. I’m a Chinese-born Storyboard Artist and Animator based in Los Angeles! Growing up, I always wanted to be a Comic Artist. When it was time for applying to college, I realized there were not many comic majors out there. I ended up studying character animation at CalArts, and I was lucky enough landing my first storyboard job at Cartoon Network my sophomore year. After graduating from CalArts in 2021, I’ve been working as a professional Storyboard Artist at Cartoon Network and Netflix Animation. I’ve storyboarded for shows like Close Enough, Driftwood, and We Baby Bears.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
There have been some difficulties along the way. I did get frustrated by initial internship rejections during college. But I always told myself, as long as I keep moving and doing my best work, it’s better than staying in the same place and feeling defeated by it. Now my biggest challenge is securing my work visa as a professional Story Artist. In TV storyboarding, Story Artists are contractors, and studios tend to only keep us for six to eight months. Then we need to find another job. My work visa O-1 requires me to be employed continuously which is really stressful whenever it’s time for job hunting.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
That’s a very hard question to answer. The animation industry is packed with talented people. I’ve learned a lot from my talented co-workers, Directors, and Showrunners. I really appreciated all the working experience over the year on shows for adult, kids/family, and preschool. Since they are all so different, I could always learn something new on the job. There is a list of shows that deeply inspired me for my sense of humor and storytelling style. Animated shows like Futurama, Regular Show, and Bob’s Burger, and live-action shows like The IT Crowd, Black Books, and Community. My favorite anime series is Crayon Shin-chan.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
For my short-term goal, I want to keep doing what I’m doing right now. I love TV storyboarding. For long-term goals, I want to pursue pitching and writing for my own content. Additionally, I also want to enter feature storyboarding. I’ve always wanted to try storyboarding something more subtle and cinematic for film.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
It really means a lot. Being part of the Union, I feel spoiled and protected with all the benefits we get from our jobs. I’m really grateful for the amazing health care and fair salary. Another thing I want to mention is that I love all the free classes the Union puts out. It’s been really helpful for my career growth.
Learn more about Siti at their website.
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