The Aspiring Artist: Renevee Romero

During her sophomore year of college, Renevee Romero had the unique opportunity to watch Glen Keane illustrate shots from Beauty and the Beast and explain the animation process behind the film. Renevee grew inspired by his incredible ability to create characters who instigate deep feelings within the audience. Following this experience, Romero joined the Chapman Digital Arts Club, and eventually created a thesis film called “The Great Mall Detective,” which was targeted towards young kids, and was made with a combination of 2D and 3D Animation developed both through CG and Maya.

After graduation, Renevee only had two months to find employment before her student visa expired. “Because of the time limit it was really stressful trying to find any jobs. (My friend) Yucchi and I made an effort to network with people.” While it can be stressful trying to obtain entry-level positions in the entertainment industry, Renevee was determined that she would find employment eventually. “Some people forget that if you’re still unemployed that doesn’t mean that you’re not skilled. Sometimes it’s just luck and obviously there are so many talented people out there. You just have to be there at the right place and at the right time.”

After weeks of applying for multiple positions within the production, visual development, and story departments across various studios, a former classmate referred her to her first job in the industry as a Post Production Assistant at Mattel. “It’s important to stay on track, “says Romero, “Don’t underestimate your connections.”

Romero started to establish her connections during Women in Animation mixers, which gave her the opportunity to speak to seasoned members in animation and ask them for advice. During her three year college career, Renevee has met many notable names in the animation industry such as Pete Docter, Albert Lanzano, Tom Moore, and was chosen from a group of select students to have dinner with Animation Supervisor Patrick Osbourne. One of her biggest inspirations in the industry is Dean Deblois, who directed the How to Train Your Dragon series. “I saw the extended cut for How to Train Your Dragon, and I admire his vision for the trilogy. He knows his character Hiccup so well that the story flows naturally.”

While Renevee has successfully started her animation career, she’s overcome many challenges from the start. “I knew that I wanted to go to America because of the opportunity to hear really wanted to challenge myself. The biggest thing that I’ve done in life was really getting out of my comfort zone.” Despite the obstacles, Renevee continues to follow her goals with the same passion and determination as the filmmakers who first inspired her.

Renevee Romero's personal website: http://renevee.com/