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Meet FableVision's Fall 2016 Interns!

FableVision Studios' Fall 2016 interns. From left: Adam Reed, Jen Sanchez, and Tessa Berliner. 

A new school year at Hogwarts (or, uh, FableVision Studios) means a fresh batch of interns, and the fall 2016 interns are nothing to sneeze at. These FableFirst Years may come from opposite coasts (with a quick pitstop in the Midwest), but they’re joining forces to bring a new culture — and a whole lot of food — to FableVision Studios. Despite some major identity crises caused by the updated Pottermore Hogwarts sorting hat quiz, these three have proved that they’ve got pretty magical abilities in the studio. After only a month, they’ve spiced things up with gummy bears, empanadas, an exclusive cookbook (more on that later), and just a dash of magic.

FableVisionaries, wizards, and friends alike, get ready to fall for this semester’s FableVision interns!

Tessa Berliner, Marketing Intern

Education
Northeastern University ‘17: Journalism with a double minor in CS & Game Design

Hometown    
Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Expected Hogwarts House
Gryffindor

Sorted Hogwarts House
Hufflepuff

Quidditch Position        
Seeker                

Favorite Food            
Pancakes            

Favorite Dog
Pug

Why do you consider yourself a Gryffindor?
I like to look at the pros and the cons of the Hogwarts houses a lot, especially the ones usually considered “perfect.” I can be incredibly stubborn but I’ve also found that I fit best in leadership positions. I can be a bit of an idealist but I also have a habit of looking at the world in black and white rather than with theoretical grey areas. I also definitely subscribe to the “Gryffindor is best” way of thinking, which is 100% just a Gryffindor belief.

What's your favorite Harry Potter book and movie?
Favorite book is Prisoner of Azkaban because it introduces Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Favorite movie is Sorcerer’s Stone because of all of the nostalgia it carries with it.

How does being a Gryffindor affect the way you work?
I have a tendency to take the lead on group projects or in student groups — I even directed a musical last fall — though that doesn’t mean I don’t take advice from others. Harry would’ve gotten nowhere if he didn’t have Hermione’s research and logic and Ron’s understanding of the wizarding world! I also think that the Gryffindor sense of right and wrong binds me to the timeframes, schedules, and deadlines I perpetually set for myself. Who knows what would happen if I didn’t follow them? (I do. It’s not pretty.)

Favorite Harry Potter quote?
“One can never have enough socks.” ― Albus Dumbledore

What do you hope to gain from your time at FableVision?
I’m honestly just excited to be surrounded by so many creative, multi-faceted people. When I work on games teams in school I usually wear a few different hats myself as director, producer, designer, and writer. I’m hoping to learn from interdisciplinary professionals here at FableVision and figure out not only what makes them tick but also what about their positions makes them happy.

Adam Reed, Art Intern

Education
University of Saint Francis ‘18: Animation

Hometown            
Noblesville, IN            

Expected Hogwarts House
Hufflepuff       

Sorted Hogwarts House
Slytherin

Quidditch Position
Chaser

Favorite Food            
Chocolate milk and blueberries    

Favorite Dog
Lab or Boston Terrier

Why do you consider yourself a Hufflepuff?
I feel like I'm a Hufflepuff because I value patience, working hard, and being a nice person, above all else. I think the whole ambition aspect of Slytherin is what got me sorted in there, haha.

What's your favorite Harry Potter book and movie?
My favorite book is Deathly Hallows but my favorite movie is Sorcerer's Stone.

How does being a Hufflepuff affect the way you work?
A Hufflepuff works hard and values patience. You need both of those things as an artist, so I try my best to use those two traits when it comes to my mindset towards art. Hufflepuffs are also known for being friendly and welcoming, I feel like my drawing style illustrates that because it's fun and silly.

Favorite Harry Potter quote?
“You sort of start thinking anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.” ― Ginny Weasley

What do you hope to gain from your time at FableVision?
During my time at FableVision I want to learn what it's like to work in a studio environment because it's something I've never been able to experience. More than anything though, I just want to grow as an artist/animator and be a sponge so I can soak up all the knowledge I can during my time here.

Jen Sanchez, Art Intern

Education
Savannah College of Art and Design ‘17: Animation

Hometown            
Peabody, MA        

Expected Hogwarts House
Hufflepuff    

Sorted Hogwarts House
Ravenclaw

Quidditch Position
In the stands

Favorite Food            
Burrito bowls            

Favorite Dog
My dogs!

Why do you consider yourself a Hufflepuff?
I consider myself to be loyal, a little shy, and a diligent and hard worker. That and I have an affinity for food, sweets in particular.

What's your favorite Harry Potter book and movie?
My favorite would have to be Goblet of Fire.

How does being a Ravenclaw affect the way you work?
Despite my initial doubts, I actually find it quite fitting. I’m very hardworking, analytical, and practical when it comes to my work. I typically like to research and find references for things that I draw/ animate before actually getting started. I also have pretty nerdy interests such as studying anatomy and learning about ancient civilizations. (Minoan Crete in particular.)

Favorite Harry Potter quote?
“I am what I am, an’ I’m not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” ― Rubeus Hagrid

What do you hope to gain from your time at FableVision?
What I had hoped to gain during my time at FableVision is the experience of what it’s like to work in a professional studio environment. FableVision has not only reached my expectations, but exceeded them as well. During the short time I’ve spent at FableVision, I’ve already learned far more than I ever imagined I would. I’ve learned how to properly collaborate with the other interns and pitch a project. I’ve learned new things about software I thought I was proficient in. I’ve even been exposed to new and upcoming artists that have already started impacting the way I think about art. I’ve already learned so much from the FableVision staff and I simply can’t wait to see what else they have to teach me.

Interested in interning at FableVision Studios? Learn more and apply on our website!

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Farewell from FableVision’s summer marketing interns!

Summer break is coming to an end, and the marketing interns are drawing our time at FableVision to a close. It's sad that time moves so quickly. We did a lot of great work and had an amazing time! We sincerely hope the adage, it's not good-bye, it's see you later, is true for us and the FableVision team.

Courtney and I both started in June, a bit nervous, and quickly jumped into the world and work of FableVision—drafting social media, helping write and research case studies, writing blog posts, and much, much more. In the first couple of weeks we were learning so much that I'd go home and be able to physically feel my brain processing all the information—it was exhausting in the good way, like when you finally get to lay down after a long day's work.

(Speaking of which, anyone who thinks interns don't work hard, or are merely coffee camels, hasn't heard about FableVision's internship experience. Come to think of it, I don't think we were ever forced to go get the office's coffee? Maybe we missed out on a life-changing experience.)

In the first weeks of our internship, Courtney and I created the awesomely customary Meet the Interns blog post, which we had a lot of fun with! We also got assigned big projects that would take a while to come to fruition.

Chief among them was the joint art and marketing intern independent project "Drawing Courage," an anthology of fictional comics centering "around themes that have shaped us into the creative people we are today: identity, loss, love, and self-care." This was a doozy of a project, and not something I personally had prepared for—I didn't think interns would be given such responsibility!—but it quickly became the best part of the work-week. Meeting with Yury and Mimi, the wonderful art and animation interns, and writing comics with Courtney, all while making sure everything was getting done on time was great training for project management, and a real bonding experience for the interns.

I began writing TechTalk, a look into how the tech team at FableVision makes all the projects that come through these doors really come to life, and Courtney began writing her utterly charming post about what it's like to work at FableVision and be a part of what she calls the "FableFamily," as well as an in-depth behind the scenes post for "Drawing Courage."

Few things force you to grow as much as being handed work and being told, "I trust you, make it great." (Something Sarah and Mitul said comfortingly often to us.) I could write all day about the wealth of great times in my three short months at FableVision, but I can reasonably sum them up as "amazing" and "hard work" and "worth every second." Being an intern at a friendly, smart, driven company has been a wonderful privilege, and if you're reading this and wondering if you should apply—what's stopping you? Come join the FableFamily for a while.

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Drawing Courage: Behind the Scenes

 
 

Drawing Courage is a collaboration between FableVision Studios’ summer marketing and animation interns. Working as a mini-production studio, the four of us came together to utilize each of our strengths and produce an independent project that scaffolds all of the knowledge and skills we learned during our time at FableVision. Together with Ethan, my fellow marketing intern, and the fabulous animation interns, Mimi and Yury, we created a series of four comics to show what you can create when you work with and learn from people in a very special internship setting like the one FableVision provides.

Here’s a behind the scenes view of how we made Drawing Courage.


“The independent project is a good opportunity for people from different departments to collaborate and experience first hand the challenges that come with working in a group and discussing different ideas.” - Yury

Inspiration and Ideation

So, how did it all begin? I knew that FableVision offered interns the unique opportunity to create an independent project that furthered skills and interests related to FableVision, but wasn’t sure how that would take shape. During our Intern Meet-and-Greet, Ethan and I met Mimi and Yury, this summer’s animation interns. Our supervisors, Sarah Ditkoff and Hannah O’Neal, told us about the opportunity to do an independent project together.

We knew we wanted to work on something that highlighted all of our separate talents, and out of this discussion came the idea of telling a series of fictitious stories through comic panels that hit upon themes that helped shape us into the creative people we are today: identity, loss, love, and self-care. It was then and there that we decided that the interns would collaborate on a joint independent project for the first time! 

Implementation

We hit the ground running seconds after the Interns Meet-and-Greet ended. We made plans to have weekly Tuesday meetings to discuss our project and prepared to give our formal pitch in two weeks time.

During the formal pitch, we presented our project’s overall concept, what we intended the final project to look like, and the estimated production timeline. After laying our foundation, we discussed and assigned individual roles. It really felt like we were a mini production studio within FableVision! I was named the creative director and writer, Ethan was the producer and editor, and Mimi and Yury were our artists. Our intern team did everything from production to marketing and everything in between. 


“I wanted to stay true to the story while keeping it somewhat abstract and making sure the progression still made sense while the art influenced it. I'm very excited to see it come together and I hope that people will be able to see a little bit of themselves in our comics.” - Mimi

Channeling Our Voice

Writing the comics involved a lot of verbal communication and talking through my thoughts out loud with Ethan. Though the stories are fiction, I wanted the stories to feel authentic, and for each piece to be as relatable as possible. 

Finding the right balance depended heavily on the text and visuals working in harmony. I leaned on Mimi and Yury for their artistic creativity when I hit writer’s block. There were moments when I couldn’t find the right word to express a particular emotion, but they were able to convey it through their drawings.

Penning The Stories

Once Ethan and I felt confident in the text, we began writing descriptions for each comic panel, which included suggestions for backgrounds, character facial expressions, body language, speech/thought bubbles, and aspects of each story that would become animated. Ethan has written screenplays before, and he helped tremendously in writing the comic descriptions. Ultimately, Ethan and I would sit down with the artists, Mimi and Yury, to discuss the language and potential art. It was important to have Mimi and Yury let their own creativity and vision help guide the direction for each story. Together, we decided that each story would be depicted in be one long, infinite scrolling, vertical comic. 


“This is the first time I’ve worked with artists so closely on something that’s so deliberately emotional, so it’s been a challenge to balance that while also focusing on the business of getting the work done.” - Ethan

We all love FableVision’s mission: creating “stories that matter, stories that move,” and we wanted to incorporate movement into the panels. In addition to emphasizing certain story aspects with movement, the pops of color were also very intentional. The highlighted words and drawings are intended to draw attention to moments within the story that are pivotal and impactful in the characters’ lives.

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An Intern’s Summer with the FableFamily

The first moment I saw the studio: that’s when I knew that I wanted to jump into the FableVision culture. The Wall of Inspiration, an organized jumble of toys directly to the right as you step through the studio doors, caught my eye first. Everyone sits in and around “the hub,” a central horseshoe of tables that allows for everyone to openly converse and share ideas. Spend just a few hours at FableVision as an intern and you can’t help but start to seriously consider what type of work culture you value most and want to work in one day.

The most important thing I’ve learned while working here is the love I have for a collaborative and familial work environment. Hierarchy does not define FableVision. My supervisor, Sarah, exemplifies this notion. Throughout my internship, she has held me accountable to complete my tasks, but has also had me hold her accountable to project deadlines we collaboratively work on. And this holds true for the entire staff—the work of one person is not possible without the help of another person. The staff holds one another responsible while simultaneously leaning on one another.

They not only count on one another to get the work done, but also to make sure that the positive energy never dies. There’s a level of ownership that people here have over the FableVision culture. They do their work, they do it well, but they have fun while they do it. 

FableVision has shined a light on my personal life in addition to strongly influencing my future professional goals. We all have our own personal journeys, and the timing of recent racial and hate crimes in our country has ironically occurred at a very pivotal time in mine.

I’ve read countless articles and watched hours of video and news clips, and I truthfully feel so hopeless. It feels like there are more people destroying peace and progression than creating it, and I wonder, what can I do? Can I even do anything?

Despite how discouraged I’ve felt at times, coming to FableVision has given me hope. Each day when I go to work I am reminded that the answer is: of course—you can do so many things! Working in this positive environment makes me feel better at the end of each day and that’s worth something. The importance of culture and family for FableVision employees creates a strong sense of togetherness.

I’ve learned that amazing results can happen when people from different walks of life come together and respect the perspectives that each of us brings to the table. I’ve been able to understand this through the working partnership I have with my co-marketing intern, Ethan. Ethan and I are on very different academic tracks in school and have different interests outside of work. While he is significantly experienced in game design and I have never talked about this concept a day in my life, we complement each other SO well! Working with Ethan each day reminds me that there is a reason why diversity exists, and it is to bring out the best in one another.

The work environment at FableVision speaks to the success this FableFamily has achieved. FableVision is on a 200-year mission to move the world to a better place, and this company does a fantastic job upholding its mission. Everyone believes in that mission wholeheartedly, and that’s what makes it possible to achieve their goal. I am hopeful that if there is a community like this in Boston, then that same essence of family and respect can exist elsewhere. As my first “real job,” I will certainly carry FableVision’s value of family with me through my future job search.

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