Tell us a little about yourself and your career.
When I was in the sixth grade, I took a cartooning class where the instructor talked a little bit about the process of working as an animator. In that moment, hazy memories of the special features section of my well-worn Disney VHS tapes—where we see the animation workers of yesteryear creating portions of the film—came flooding back into my mind, and I realized in that moment you could actually make cartoons and animation for a living. After that, I would tell anyone and everyone who would listen I was one day going to move to California to be an animator for Disney. Well, after college and several years of bouncing from job to job, I did end up moving to California to work in animation—though I do background design instead, and I’m still waiting for that call from the Walt Disney company. But I’m happy and so grateful to say I’ve been working in animation more or less full time since 2018. (Well, except for a pretty long unemployment streak I’m, as of writing this, still going through. But more on that later.) I’ve worked in production at DreamWorks Animation and as a background designer at Titmouse, A24, Nickelodeon, and a few smaller non-union studios.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
The path to even get into animation is a long and challenging one. Or at least it was for me. But something that has been particularly challenging, and I know many of my fellow animation professionals are feeling this, is this unexpected lack of animation work the last year or so. My last full-time job in animation was in August of 2024. I’ve done a touch of freelance here and there, but I’ve gotten to the point where I’ve had to seek work back in food service and retail. Going back to work in these other fields isn’t necessarily the part that’s hard to swallow. What is a tough element to face is the fact that I did work so, so, so hard to get my foot in the door, and yet I feel like I’m back to square one in a lot of ways, due to no fault of my own.
Thankfully, I’m a cup half full person, and I am too stubborn to let this thing that feels like a setback keep me from continuing to work into this field. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever truly be happy doing any non-artistic role. So despite the fact that there are difficult days, I will continue to seek work in animation. I love it too much to give up. And I believe in myself and my fellow animation workers. We have the coolest job in the world, and even if we have to step away from it from time to time, even when it’s not our choice, we are the ones who make this world of animation go round, and they (the studios) need us.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
I have a few. There are of course some legends of animation on my list, but instead I want to mention those who are a little more of a personal inspiration to me. First, my close friends and old roommates Bonnie Branson and Chloe Stewart. Bonnie and I met in an Oatley Academy class taught by Sarah Marino back in 2016. Chloe was Bonnie’s roommate first, and we realized right before I moved in with them that we had attended the same small, little-known art school in Grand Rapids, Michigan—just a few years apart. We three all moved to Los Angeles from the Midwest or East Coast, and we kind of grew into our Animation careers more or less at the same time. Both of these two amazing women still inspire me to this day.
Second, we’ve only ever met briefly, but Victoria Ying is a huge inspiration for me. I aspire to work in comics and graphic novels as well as animation, and I really appreciate what Victoria has shared about her experience in both fields in various interviews and podcasts. Her advice has been so helpful as I work on staying in animation, but also pivoting some of my creative energy into illustration and comics.
What do you hope to accomplish as an artist in the animation industry?
My career has mostly consisted of working on projects in the realm of primetime adult animation. Beavis and Butthead, Q-Force, Bless the Harts, etc. And I am so grateful to have worked on those shows. But 12-year-old Monica dreamed of working on some sort of magical, fantastical show or project. I would love the opportunity to work on a project with lush magical forests, ancient ruins, or grand medieval inspired castles. Unicorns, dragons, witches, warlocks, and the like. I feel confident it will happen one day. The benefit to working outside animation right now is I’ve had more time and creative energy to work on my personal work. I’m even working on a story that fits the description I mentioned above. Maybe one day it’ll be a graphic novel or even an animated show.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
Being in the animation Union to me means having a community to rely on. There’s always a fellow Union member to bounce questions and ideas off of. It reminds me I’m not alone in any part of my career in animation. When I rolled off my last job back in August, I also moved away from Los Angeles and out of California after six and a half years there. I can’t say how much it means to me to see the newsletters, read the Discord posts, and be able to attend the virtual GMMS. Even though I still miss out on many of The Animation Guild-related events and goings-on that happen directly in L.A., I still feel connected to my Union kin.
Learn more about Monica at her website.
Follow her on Instagram.
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