Areeba Khan

Tell us a little about yourself and your career.

Hello everyone! My name is Areeba Khan. I am originally from Orange County and went to Chapman University to study animation. After I graduated, I worked in visual effects for a couple of years before switching to animation. I worked on various TV shows and films in multiple roles from Technical Director to Rigging Artist. Some of my favorite projects are Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and my current show Big Nate! I am now working as a Lead Character Technical Director at Nickelodeon Animation.

What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?

My biggest challenge early in my career was breaking into the field itself. I started out as a Render Wrangler and was very much overwhelmed with how I could pivot my career. It took several late nights studying and shadowing artists, but within a year I was able to switch into rigging and technical direction. Shout out to any other Render Wranglers out there—you can do it! 

Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?

I work in both technology and art as a Character Technical Director, and Ed Catmull’s story of creating CG animation motivates me to advance my work to be using the latest technology and to be pushing barriers in pipeline to make it the best version of itself. Glen Keane’s work is always a reminder to me to keep in touch with my artistic self; everything is digital today, and sometimes the hand-drawn look can get lost in CG. When I feel this way about a pose on a rig, I will do draw-overs and gestures to see how I could improve the way it animates.

There is also Satoshi Kon, whose work has always been breathtaking to me. From story to style of the characters, it just fills me with so much inspiration. I love how his films can keep me on the edge of my seat like in Perfect Blue, and then in Tokyo Godfathers have me laughing with my friends. His work inspires me to always think outside the box and to try new approaches to storytelling.

What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?

I hope to keep growing and improve as technology advances. The world of film and animation is constantly evolving with real time rendering, machine learning, and even A.I. I want to ensure my work not only grows as technology changes but explores new options that lead to efficiency and optimization. I also want to keep pursuing art in as many non-digital mediums as I can. It is important to me to go back to paper and draw traditionally.

What does being in the Union mean to you?

The Union has been so welcoming at creating safe space for discussions and creativity for artists. I started out in visual effects, which does not have a union currently, so when I joined The Animation Guild, I felt a sense of security. It has been a relief to have others we can talk to if anything comes up.