Today we’d like to introduce you to Kaitlin Miller.
Kaitlin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My creative journey has definitely been a series of serendipitous events. I’ve always been creative. As a kid, I was constantly drawing, painting, crafting, and writing. In high school, I developed a passion for shooting and editing videos. I applied to a number of film schools but being that it’s such a competitive program, I was rejected from all of them. Chapman reached out to tell me that the film school had a smaller, newer Digital Arts program that may be of interest. I decided to give it a shot and submitted my art portfolio. I was accepted and spent my years there learning everything from photoshop to illustrator, to typography, to VFX, to digital painting, to 3D animation, to character design. Ultimately, I chose to focus on 3D animation because the idea of working on animated features really excited me but upon graduating, I realized it just wasn’t the path for me. The hours are grueling, the jobs are extremely long, and the idea of sitting in a dark room by myself just wasn’t doing it for me. Because I had such an array of knowledge in the digital space, I started to think about what other disciplines I could apply my knowledge to.
Then on social media, a girl named Julie (who I had met the previous year at Coachella) posted about a paid marketing internship at a small entertainment tech start-up. I had experience working in marketing from a couple of my previous internships so I decided to give it a go. Initially, I worked on email templates, push notifications, digital banners, things of that sort. A few months into the internship I met with one of the co-founders and CEO’s. Once he found out I went to film school, he asked if I would be interested in taking on a more creative role with the company versus marketing. I was then hired on as a video creative. At the time, digital marketing was rapidly expanding because of social media and the need for motion graphics was on the rise. I saw this new opportunity emerging which combined both design and editing, two things I had become extremely passionate about. I had all of the skills and knowledge necessary and found myself in the right place at the right time. I stayed with that company for 5+ years developing their brand which eventually sold to ViacomCBS and the rest is history. After that, I was recruited to work at a small trailer house where I worked on a ton of cool art house films like Uncut Gems, Waves, and Wendy. After that, I worked for Twitch and now I’m at another agency called Rosewood which primarily focuses on digital advertising.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say my path has been smooth in some senses. I have maintained a steady career since college which is not an easy feat but there was definitely a lot of stumbling and struggling along the way. I was just taking opportunities as they were presented to me but I never really understood where I was going or what I wanted to do. It took me a long time to really understand my creative voice and vision and I definitely experienced a lot of imposter syndrome along the way. For the first couple of years especially, I felt I wasn’t good enough and I didn’t feel like I deserved the opportunities I was getting. There have been many instances of wanting to give up, but every time I try to leave– the universe seems to open another door.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a motion designer, editor, and writer. I specialize in entertainment and digital marketing and I’m known for making weird, fun, energetic videos. I am most proud of my multidisciplinary nature. From concepting to writing, to designing, to editing, to animating, to audio, I am able to work with all disciplines and this trait is what sets me apart from other creatives. I just know how to get the job done and I always deliver.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I had previously mentioned that I often find myself in the right place at the right time so I would say luck has played a huge role in my life. However, a quote that I stand by is “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. I’ve always been open to new opportunities in my career, even when I didn’t know where it would take me so it’s all about facing your fears, trusting in your ability, and knowing when to say yes.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: k8-lin.com
- Instagram: babyflameofficial
