Meet Akhilesh Vijaykumar of Glendale

Today we’d like to introduce you to Akhilesh Vijaykumar.

Akhilesh, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I applied to pursue my Masters in Computer Graphics degree at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and started grad school in August of 2019. During the Summer of 2021, I worked as a full-time Technical Artist intern at Electronic Arts, and continued working part-time during the Fall, while I finished up coursework to graduate at the end of the year.

When it came time to accept a job, I had offers from EA and DreamWorks Animation to choose from. Although I got my start in this industry in games, I still remembered the Summer Industry course I took during the Summer of 2020, where I worked in a team, mentored by alumni working at major animation studios, to create a short movie. I realized how much I enjoyed the process and decided to give the feature animation industry a chance. I accepted the offer from DreamWorks, moved to LA at the beginning of 2022, and have been part of the production of feature films that I am very proud of.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from India. So when I was applying for Masters programs in the US, I had applied to Computer Science programs, thinking I would simply pick Computer Graphics electives, because that was a safer bet given my background.
I was rejected by all the CS programs but Texas A&M passed my application on to their Visualization (Computer Graphics) department, who reached out to me. After some research and talking to the program coordinator, I decided to join the CG program and use my electives to take CS courses that piqued my interest.

As most people know, internships help get your foot in the door and find a full-time job, either at the company you intern at or elsewhere. In the Spring of 2020, I applied for a Technical Artist internship at EA. I made it to the final interview but did not get it.
But on the advice of some seniors, I had decided to take a chance at the end of the interview. When it was my turn to ask questions, I asked my interviewers – “if I don’t get this internship, what skills would you say I should acquire or improve to have a better chance next time?”. While most companies provide generic feedback and send automated rejection emails, I was surprised when they told me the exact skills that they were looking for that I was lacking.
Recognizing the opportunity I had been given, I spent the next year acquiring those skills and developing projects that best showcased them. When I decided to apply again the following Spring, I had the same interviewers, who were happy with the fact I decided to act on their feedback and grow my skillset to be a better fit for the internship. A few weeks after the interview, I received an email that I had been offered the internship. The funny thing is, I couldn’t believe it at first and the reason was because, and I’m sure it was just happenstance, it was April 1st!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a Technical Director (TD), currently working to support the Character Effects (CFX) department during the production of our next feature film, “Forgotten Island”. I develop new tools and fix or improve existing tools the artists use. This is the department I have worked with the longest during my time at DreamWorks. I have learnt to anticipate the needs of the CFX artists and made it my specialty to build tools tailored to them.
I supported multiple departments across the feature production pipeline, in a Generalist role, on our short-film “Wednesdays with Gramps”, which is an Oscar 2026 contender! This is the film I’m most proud of as it was my first time stepping into a role that involved context-switching on a daily basis, and challenged me to learn about the workflows of other departments in a relatively short period of time. I believe what sets me apart is that I’m always saying yes to new opportunities when they are offered to me, even if I need to leave my comfort zone. I’m a jack of all trades by nature and while I strive to learn new things about the department I am supporting for a film, I am a generalist at heart, that thrives under pressure.

What were you like growing up?
I played sports with friends and watched movies or animated TV shows with my family on the weekends. I solved puzzles and enjoyed the cutscenes in the games I played on my PS2, like “Spider-Man” and “Prince of Persia: Sands of Time”. I always knew I wanted to put my problem-solving skills to use in the entertainment industry.

Contact Info:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akhilesh-vijaykumar-35691014a/