Tell us a little about yourselves and your careers.
We’re a married trans woman/cis woman writing team, currently writing the Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming comic for IDW Publishing. We wrote for season two of Monster High, consulted on season two of Star Trek: Prodigy, and recently wrote an episode for a new, upcoming animated show. We’ve also written an as-yet-announced YA queer, rom-com, graphic novel for Mad Cave, and another middle grade graphic novel that’s in production. We wrote and directed a trans sci-fi short film this year, Long Away, which is now playing in film festivals around the world.
What challenges have you faced in navigating a career in animation?
The slowdown of the industry has been really hard for us all, but we face extra barriers. As a writing team, it’s more difficult for us to get hired, even though we split script and outline fees. We’re paid individually in writing summits, and although you’re getting two writers in the room, you only get one script, and I think that’s made some studios hesitant to hire us. On top of that, there are real barriers that trans people face in both getting hired and in getting authentic trans representation into projects we’re working on. When you combine all those things together, it’s very difficult to deal with.
Who are your inspirations in the field of animation?
Chuck Jones, in both his work on Looney Tunes and the original animated Grinch special, was really formative for both of us. And the sheer originality and creativity of Vivienne Medrano through projects like Hazbin Hotel really pushes the medium forward in fabulous ways. The animation in Arcane was truly beautiful and unique. And Delicious in Dungeon has such an interesting concept that blends horror and humor in interesting ways.
What do you hope to accomplish as artists in the animation industry?
We love animation dearly. It’s so unique, and it can do so many things that live action can’t. We want to utilize the medium to its fullest extent and do what we can to push queer and trans representation forward along the way. There’s sadly still far too little LGBTQIA2S+ representation in the industry, both on screen and behind it.
What does being in the Union mean to you?
It means our colleagues have our backs in fighting to make things better for all of us, and access to health insurance has literally kept us going.
Find out more about Susan and Tilly at their website.
Follow Tilly on Instagram and Bluesky.
Follow Susan on Instagram and Bluesky.
Tilly’s book, Begin Transmission: The Trans Allegories of The Matrix, is available now, and you can find Tilly’s weekly essays on trans life at TillysTransTuesdays.com
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