Life & Work with Raha Dabiri of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Raha Dabiri.

Hi Raha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Raha Dabiri! I’m an Iranian Story Artist. I have had a passion for drawing and animation from a young age. I found myself always magnetized towards early morning cartoons and animated films over live action. I chose to pursue an Entertainment Arts/Animation Degree at California University, Fullerton where I studied for 5 years. It was a wonderful experience and I cherish the knowledge I gained from my awesome professors and fellow students. During my education, I felt a draw towards story and the art of storyboarding. There was something about visualizing and drawing out the cinematic shots impacted me greatly. I became a member of the Pencil Mileage Club (Animation Club) at university, which hosted events for members to not only learn more about the animation industry, but connect with people currently working in the field. I applied to a multitude of animation studios, and after persistence and consistency, I scored a production internship with Dreamworks TV on Dawn of the Croods and Trolls. Shortly after my first internship ended, I applied and received another internship opportunity with Dreamworks TV in Development. It was incredible to learn about the animation pipeline, the steps to getting a show made, and how a show began in the development stages. After completing university, and endless applications to multiple studios, I finally landed my first animation job as a Production Assistant on Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts at Dreamworks! Kipo was such a blessing of a show to be on. I grew so much as an individual and it was such a joy to work and learn with the crew! After Kipo was over, I started on Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous as a Storyboard Production Assistant at Dreamworks. After focusing on making the transition to story, and my directors being kind enough to give me my first chance, I started as a Storyboard Revisionist job on Jurassic World. After rolling off of Jurassic World, I was granted the privilege of working as a Storyboard Revisionist on Iwaju at Disney Feature Animation. I met many artists that I studied in college and worked alongside some of my favorite directors on the show. It was amazing to learn from them and gain skills from who I view as the masters! Once Iwaju wrapped up, I started as a Storyboard Revisionist on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. It’s been an insanely rewarding experience, and I am so thankful to have worked with such talented and amazing artists! The Proud Family shaped me as an artist and allowed me to form bonds with my lifelong friends. Currently, I’m looking for my next Story gig and working on my personal Etsy shop, where I plan to sell my life drawings, a book of my life drawings, stickers and some small comic zines.o growing and becoming a better storyboard artist and hopefully a director or creator of my own show and or film one day!

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?
It’s been a wild experience! Definitely countless twists and turns through the journey. Empowering myself to keep going and keep trying. Being my own biggest critic is always a struggle. Whenever I feel stuck, I try asking questions, exhausting all my options and looking for ideas from people who inspire me. There have been over 10,000 bad drawings, master studies, and constant applications to studios with no response. Although it’s been a crazy road, I’m thankful I have support from my family and friends. I learned through these struggles to always draw, study the greats (I enjoy studying Miyazaki boards), stay positive, and never give up! Although there are always going to be struggles and failures, they’re all worth it and help you grow! Accepting that failure is necessary and experience is one of the biggest teachers was impactful for me. It’s worth all the struggles to have that one good drawing / sequence land! I keep craving that feeling of achievement and accomplishment! The struggles are needed to make that feeling come to fruition.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Storyboard Artist! I specialize in storytelling, storyboarding in animation, life drawing and I love what I do. I’m most proud of how far I’ve come in my career as an artist, but look forward to growing even more! There’s no better feeling than getting better and better each drawing / each project. I believe most know me physically for my curly hair. My energy, attitude, exuberance, and positivity set me apart from others! Believe in yourself always, you can conquer whatever you put your mind to! Your success is inevitable!

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think risk taking is necessary! I took a big risk pursuing my art career rather than choosing an occupation that can provide more stability. But drawing and telling stories is my passion, it’s what I crave, and I go through any risk to gain that feeling of accomplishment when I draw something that resonates with someone / an audience or impacts them. Without taking risks, you won’t be able to be push out of your comfort zone, grow, and become better in your craft and/or as a person. Taking risks guarantees growth and learning lessons that will help you throughout your career or life in general.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rahadabiri.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drawhaa/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drawhaa
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raha-dabiri-7334b292/
• Twitter: https://x.com/drawhaa?lang=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rahadabiri4

Image Credits
All drawings done by Raha Dabiri