Growing up in a traditional Colombian household, it’s drilled into me that family is the most important thing in one’s life. I still believe that to this day. My family consists of my mom, my younger brother, and me. My father passed away the summer before my second year of college, but I still feel as though he’s watching over me and helping me out whenever I hit roadblocks in my life. It’s because of the importance I place on family that I appreciate and was drawn to FableVision’s culture and family-like environment.
Upon first glance FableVision seemed like any other studio, but after doing some more research into the kinds of projects they work on, I found something special that made them stand apart from all of the other animation studios in the area. FableVision makes content that’s entertaining, story driven, and selects projects that help children and adults of all ages and backgrounds – that spoke to me, and it was because of that that I applied for their 2016 Fall internship program!
Art interns Adam Reed and Jen Sanchez with marketing intern Tessa Berliner
On my first day, I was greeted warmly by the staff and given a tour of the office. We started with the Wall of Inspiration, a huge wall covered in knickknacks, vintage figurines, and toys from each member of the FableVision staff. I found several relics from my childhood on that wall and immediately felt at home. Artwork from current artists filled the walls and the overall decor was fun and welcoming. In the center of the studio was the “hub,” where artists, developers, and producers work together. The interns sat at a long, white, oval table (which was usually filled with treats that I may or may not be guilty of mindlessly snacking on while I worked).
With interesting animation and storyboarding exercises, I learned about animating with Flash, making informative, fun, and interactive storyboards. I also learned a great deal about deadlines.
As part of the internship, art interns are given the opportunity to collaborate with marketing interns on a group project. My fellow art intern, Adam, and marketing intern, Tessa, joined forces to produce a Cultural Cookbook that highlighted FableVision’s family-like culture. The three of us worked together as a mini production studio with weekly meetings, team check-ins, planning and preparation, and deadlines to hold us all accountable. We were given a great deal of freedom and the feedback we received from our supervisors helped bring the project together. In the end, we successfully completed the cookbook and got to present it at the weekly staff meeting in front of the entire studio.
FableVision's Hannah O'Neal awarding Jen with an honorary FableVisionary award.
After 10 weeks of interning at FableVision, I can honestly say that my initial instinct was right. This company not only focused on creating family-friendly educational content, but has become a family themselves. I half expected to be treated like any other intern, ignored and told to fetch coffee or lunch. FableVision wasn’t like that at all. Everyone welcomed me with open arms. They were interested in my artwork and were always ready to lend a helping hand. I learned so much from them and I will always treasure the advice they gave me. Thank you so much, FableVision for making me a better person as well as a better artist!
About Jen
Jen Sanchez was one of the 2016 fall art interns at FableVision Studios. She attends SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, and will be graduating with a BFA in Animation and a minor in Storyboarding in June 2017. You can view her portfolio here.