Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Coleman.
Hi Leah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I always wanted to be an animator/artist since I was a kid, I just didn’t know how to achieve that goal back in 2nd grade. I didn’t understand what animation was, nor what it meant to me. The film that inspired my journey was Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghlibli. There’s a scene where the main character, Chihiro, walks down a long flight of steps to get to the boiler room. As she makes her way down, a stair breaks, which causes her to run drastically down the rest of the stairs and slam into the wall at the bottom. I always wondered how they managed to create a believable feeling of weight in drawings. I decided to practice drawing both realism and cartoons, trying to recreate that feeling I saw in that film. My skills in drawing improved over time; however, I still did not know how to animate. During my 3rd year at Miami University (OH), I created my first animation. Though it wasn’t quite what I was trying to convey, it was another step closer to my goal. After undergrad, I decided to practice independently for a while. However, that only got me so far. I still didn’t understand what I was doing, and I was at a dead end. I ended up applying to Graduate school at The Ohio State University. There, I received my first professional animation job as a lead animator on the upcoming documentary, “Enongo: A Sammus Documentary,” which follows the inspiring story of Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, a.k.a. Sammus. Through her compelling and honest music, Enongo/Sammus tackles various subjects, including (but certainly not limited to) race, feminism, video games, the music business, mental health, growing up, and relationships. While working on this documentary, I met several other black women animators, as well as legendary animator Dan Haskett, who became our mentor through the film. Speaking with him, I learned so much more about animation, inspiring me to push myself past my own ideology of the medium. At the end of my graduate program, I presented an animated short film, “From Me to You: A Conversation with Animation,” which follows my journey in understanding animation and what it means to me. Dan watched my presentation and offered me a job to work as an assistant animator on the animated feature “Space Jam: A New Legacy”. There, I was able to learn a great deal more about the production line in animation and learned to work on animation that was not my own. I worked with Warner Bros. for a second time on an upcoming film called “Toto,” but as a Visual Character Artist. Soon after, I received a job at Studio Mir, a South Korean company known for their complex and detailed animation styles. I earned this job because I visited the studio two years prior on vacation and connected with some of the producers there. With them, I worked on television series, “Skull Island: The Animated Series”, and “X-Men ’97” as a lead animator. Though I have gained these experiences, I’m still growing and learning and excited for the next opportunity.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not at all. I had to learn and understand how to draw first, the basic layout of animation, something a lot of people skip. Understanding anatomy, observational skills, and just understanding life and that art imitates life. Also, realizing that trying to get a job in the animation industry is hard, which means having another job to fall back on. It took years for me to get where I am, and that’s because I had to practice, learn, fail, start again, and also get through life. I had to earn those jobs I did by showing them I was the right one for it. Connections only get you so far, but also realizing they’re human too, and they’re also putting their own jobs at risk to help someone else, people don’t realize that. Nothing is ever going to be given to you on a silver platter; you have to put in the work and earn it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar with what you do, what can you tell them about what you do?
2D Animation. I’m known for working as an Assistant Animator on Space Jam: A New Legacy. I’m most proud of being able to adjust myself to the different styles of animations I’ve worked on. None of them were easy, but they were all a humbling experience.
Any big plans?
I’m currently just wanting to expand my knowledge on the industry and improve my skills by working with different styles of animation and companies.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.leahcoleman15.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leac15/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-coleman92/
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@leahcoleman622
Image Credits
Leah Coleman
Neil Sternecky
Kevin Schreck Productions
