Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexandria Siah.
Hi Alexandria, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an animator from Singapore who decided to pursue her passion of animation in the US, studying at Ringling College of Art and Design before moving to LA after graduation. I’ve always been passionate about animation since young, with a lot of Dreamworks films being the influence for my pursuit of this job. I come from a small country, not even half the size of Rhode Island, so moving thousands of miles to this huge country was definitely a challenge and it definitely has its ups and downs, but the US is a beautiful place with lots of amazing people, and I’m really thankful to have the opportunity to experience this journey with so many of these people.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it hasn’t. As an international, there are a lot of things here in the US that do not treat outsiders who aren’t citizens kindly. Any international person can tell you the struggles of finding employment here in the US, where no matter how skilled you are if a studio doesn’t want to help sponsor your visa, you won’t find a job. It’s definitely a very depressing situation, but I am here like many others with a dream and love for animation, and that passion helps us on even the most difficult of days.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My name is Alexandria, and I’m a 3D animator specializing in animation for films, TV shows, and games. I also illustrate in my free time, mostly on colorful and cute commissions for streamers and other social media influencers. Something I’m proud of is my journey to get to where I am today. I’m from Singapore, and I made the decision to move to the US to further my studies in animation where I graduated from Ringling College of Art and Design. My film “The End” that I created for my senior thesis, won many awards here in the US and all around the world, including the coveted Rookie Awards for 3D Animation. I also got to work on AAA games like Jedi: Survivor, where I even met the Cameron Monaghan, the actor for Cal Kestis in the game. I think what sets me apart from others is my passion and enthusiasm for all things animation. Animation is an important part of my life, and I can’t see myself in any other profession. It’s a beautiful medium of art that I greatly respect, and its influence all over the world inspiring so many others really makes it one of the most precious forms of storytelling in the modern era.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Probably one of the most important things I learned during Covid was being able to adapt to the environment and appreciate what is around you. I had to return home during Covid because schools shut down in the US, and we had to evacuate for our safety. But classes still went on, and I had to struggle with having classes from 12am to 9am in the morning for my junior year, an important year for us as it was the start of our preproduction into our senior films. Even as a night owl, it was definitely extremely difficult as my entire schedule was flipped on its head. Another thing I learned about during Covid was appreciating the things around me. In senior year we were able to return back to school even though COVID was still a relevant issue, and though my friends and I still got to talk and interact during our final year, we were all too busy with our films to really experience and enjoy our final year together. With covid taking away our time together a lot of us did not ever keep in touch since we never got to spend time with each other to really bond as friends. I think life would be a lot different now if not for COVID. It really changed a lot in both my personal life as well as the industry as a whole.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.piplupcola.wix.com/alexandriasiah
- Instagram: piplupcola
- Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandria-siah
- Twitter: piplupcola
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@theendanimated?si=fl1PpGH7C6LXs59R
Image Credits
The End by Alexandria Siah 2022 Jedi: Survivor by Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment 2023 (Animated by Alexandria Siah)
