Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Zi Wang.
Hi Vicky Zi, 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’m a student at USC and currently pursuing a master’s degree in Animation & Digital Arts. My biggest dream is to work in the animation industry and make amazing characters alive and give them souls. I feel like I’m getting closer to my dream little by little. I’m currently doing an animation internship at EA Respawn for Apex Legends. Talking about how I developed my interest toward animation, I’m from China, Shanghai. Our family moved to Germany when I was four years old. At the time, I only had a year to learn German or otherwise, I won’t be able to join elementary school by the age of five. Without being able to speak any German, my mom suggested that I find a way to have fun while learning the language, and I started to watch a ton of cartoons and anime on TV and playing games in German to learn the language. It really worked out and at the end, I was able to go to school on time, and I also developed my lifelong love for animation. Animation became my friend, my German language teacher, and something that I will never stop having a passion for. I desperately wanted to make the characters I designed come to life, and I didn’t even know what animators were when I was five years old, but I know I wanna do this certain thing that I love for a lifetime. As I grew older, I planned out step by step to get closer to my dream. And it eventually got me to USC and now the internship at EA Respawn. Before doing the Internship at EA, I also worked on short film projects, such as Lego and Pokemon.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been always very smooth. When I was in high school, my parents wanted me to pursue a career in medicine by either being a doctor or a researcher in the medical field. But I didn’t want to do that and decided to study art abroad for College. I landed at Ringling College of Art and Design with a scholarship. Entering the United States the first time and getting used to everything in a new country was a challenge too. Luckily, I met a lot of friends and people who supported and helped me through.
When I graduated in 2020, pandemic happened and it was a global disaster. But my career didn’t hit a stop button; I moved forward by entering USC and working at an academy-winning short film animation Studio.
After the pandemic, economy crisis led to a hiring freeze made it even harder to find a job, but by using the knowledge and skills I gained in my former job and from USC, I was able to intern at Respawn Entertainment and work for Apex Legends, which is one of the best and famous FPS game currently.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m currently an Animation intern at EA Respawn, and I’m working on animations for Apex Legends, one of my favorite FPS games. I’m specializing in 3D Character Animation, but on top of that, I also learned how to do Traditional 2D Animation, which helps me a lot when animating in 3D. Before I joined EA Respawn, I had the honor to work on Pokemon, the reason I joined the industry. At the time, I worked at Taiko Studios, where I participated in working on two official Pokémon short films and TV series. In the Pokémon short film, Bidoof’s Big Stand, I animated the mean Piplups, which became a meme later on. The other Pokémon TV series, Path to the Peak was just launched a couple of days ago. I’m very proud of having the opportunity to work on Pokémon and Apex Legends! One thing that stands out is my great passion for animation. It has been my dream ever since I was five years old.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
The most important lesson I have learned so far is to not give up and be determined of what you want to pursue. It might be hard to step into the industry because of endless competition, and if you’re rejected, it doesn’t mean that you’re not talented; it means you just need more time to polish your portfolio a little more. My animation instructor in undergrad always told us: You guys will all end up in the same industry as long as you don’t give up; it’s just a time issue; some people might arrive earlier, some people might arrive later, but you’ll all end up at the same place. Not giving up and keep working hard is definitely the most important lesson I have learned so far along my journey.
Contact Info:
- Website: zivickywang.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/zvickyanim?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicky-wang-91081a160
Image Credits
All animated shorts images (the first 3 images) are property of Taiko Studios.
