This summer, Ringling College of Art and Design’s recent alumni and current students from almost every graduation year are spending their break interning for organizations and companies, from Disney to the NFL. We will check in with a handful throughout the summer to learn about their experiences and how they will shape their future careers.
We will hear from a few of our Motion Design majors this week. Check back throughout the summer to hear from our other majors.
Hannah Nguyen ’24, Motion Design
Visual Media Production intern at Disney Live Entertainment in Orlando
“I’ve been interning here for almost a month, and it’s been an incredible experience. The team is exceptionally welcoming and supportive.
Last semester, I had the amazing opportunity to meet and connect with the Disney Live Entertainment Team during their visit to FutureProof, a Motion Design Conference. This connection helped me secure my internship and showed me how important networking and building relationships in the industry are.
While I can’t go into much detail about the projects I’m working on, I can share that they are very much in line with what I’ve learned in the Motion Design Department at Ringling. My education and training at Ringling College have been invaluable in improving my technical skills and building the soft skills that are so important in this industry.
A typical day for me starts with going to work and grabbing a coffee to kick-start the day. I enjoy chatting with my coworkers before diving into my projects. The morning flies by as I immerse myself in creative tasks. Lunchtime is a great break to relax and recharge; it’s back to work for the afternoon. I often collaborate with my team on various projects, asking and receiving feedback to ensure the best possible outcomes. I’m working, learning, and developing my skills in illustrations and animations, which I love. Every day is a chance to grow and contribute to exciting projects.”
Lucia Alonso Eiras ’26, Motion Design
Internship at Giant Ant in Vancouver, B.C.
“I am interning at Giant Ant this summer under the role of 2D Animation Apprentice. I’ve mostly been working on really fun and exciting projects as a motion designer and character animator, for clients like Duolingo. I also got the opportunity to create my own project for their Instagram as a “welcome” to the team!
I usually go to work at 8:30 am and leave at 5:30 pm. We have all-team meetings on Mondays (when we get updates on what everyone is doing that week) and Fridays (when we share what we’ve been working on for the week), and each department has a homeroom meeting on Thursdays. I love GA because they really value work-life balance; the producers will sometimes organize picnics, team lunches, or a soccer/baseball game hangout after work. We also get every other Monday off during the summer, to enjoy the beautiful Vancouver summer sun!
Interning for GA has truly been an amazing and memorable experience—they really care about my learning and I truly feel like a valued part of the team. I couldn’t be more grateful!
GA’s philosophy is “Never miss a deadline, don’t be a jerk, and put love into your work.” After two months here, I finally grasp its full meaning. Giant Ant taught me that the key to great work is not great animation; the key to great work is great people.”
Dacia Pruden ’25, Motion Design
3D Graphics Designer for the NFL in Inglewood, CA
“My day-to-day is spent on the first-floor graphics department, which is regarded as an umbrella term for all the various categories of graphics here, such as broadcast (television), digital (streaming), editing, music, and features (documentaries). Each area has its art director and producer, and I work with the broadcast department!
On Mondays, I receive an email with the tasks I need to finish/work on for the week, plus daily emails about daily tasks. I share my progress with my Art Director to ensure I’m still working on the right track! I’m currently working on 3D segments for a new look for a returning show, but unfortunately, since that ‘rebrand’ hasn’t been announced to the public, I can’t share anything else about it yet! The NFL graphics team uses the same software I use at Ringling—C4D and Octane/Redshift for rendering and the Adobe Suite. Navigating the project files and builds is challenging here. These are primarily bulky industry project packages and not the smaller one-off homework assignments I am used to. It’s a very fun and fulfilling learning experience!
The highlight of this experience has been the people and office culture here! Our Motion Design faculty have often reinforced the importance of networking and being a good person to work with since our industry is very small. Speaking to my coworkers and getting to know their career journeys has proven their point! Many freelancers here were brought onto the team because a former classmate or coworker recommended them for the role!”
Holly Reidy ’24, Motion Design
Visual Media Production intern at Disney Live Entertainment in Orlando
“I’m interning with the Visual Media Production team at Disney Live Entertainment. I’m currently working on animations for a new project that I can’t talk much about. It’s really exciting coming into the Roy E. building and working so closely with a bunch of amazing artists, a couple of whom are fellow Ringling College alumni! Everyone was so welcoming that it made picking up the flow and cranking out work easy. One of the best “I’ve made it” moments has been answering emails and having my own official Disney email and email signature. It’s the little things.”
Diane Lee ’25, Motion Design
Motion Design internship at Adolescent in New York
“Adolescent is a creative design company in New York City, owned by the kindest people, Manwai and Mina. The team is small but a force to be reckoned with. As I intern here, many freelancers rotate in and out, so on top of the awesome team I work with, I also get to meet people from all over the world! I commute every day from New Jersey to NYC, so I wake up at 6:30 am, take a 40 minute bus ride in, and hop onto the subway for another 20 minutes to arrive at our lovely office right off Wall Street. During my first few days, I had the opportunity to experiment with different mediums, such as Augmented Reality or working with AI, but soon I was integrated into the projects that Adolescent had been undertaking. It started with bite-size pieces of work, such as design edits here and there, but soon, I was working hand in hand with our art director, producer, and CEO on fast deadlines and fun pitches! As an intern, I worried I might just be given “intern” work or busy work, but that wasn’t the case! Adolescent works with so many different companies that even though I have only been interning here for a little over a month, I have been on projects for clients such as Amazon, Subway, Paramount, and many more.
Being in the office, I have been able to ask many questions, get direct feedback, and watch firsthand how to reach creative solutions—and how to do it fast. We had days when we had to go on-site to specific locations to shoot footage and days when we all ordered in and ate Thai food together for lunch. Even if I did make mistakes, the small chats in front of the coffee pot the little laughs and jokes amid the whirlwind always made my day 10x better. I am incredibly grateful they took in a small caterpillar of a motion designer like me to dip my toes in marketing, branding, VFX, etc! I still make silly mistakes here, but Adolescent has helped me develop eagle eyes, communication skills, and ways to find different creative avenues.”
Sofia Tea ’25, Motion Design
Graphic Design intern at Outfront Media in Fairfield, New Jersey
“I am a graphic design intern, where I edit and design digital and printed advertisements like posters or billboards for businesses within New Jersey. Part of my internship also involves learning about the many departments that play major roles within the company. My usual days start with me clocking in and getting started on my most current project. Most of my day is spent working on design projects using Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator and checking in with my boss. Even though I am not animating often (as a Motion Design major), doing this internship is a great opportunity to build on my design skills and apply them to my work. Plus, I started to notice my company’s billboards everywhere I go!”
YeonJoo Kim ’26, Motion Design
Media Art, R&D team internship at INNOCEAN in Seoul, South Korea
“I am currently working at the advertising company Hyundai INNOCEAN, where I help with planning and visual mockups for marketing upcoming Paramount Pictures films, including Transformers ONE, Gladiator 2, and Super Sonic 3. Additionally, I am producing motion design videos that will be on view between advertisements on the newly renovated Montessori billboard in the heart of Gangnam, Seoul.
Since this is a large advertising company, we frequently receive small gifts from clients. The team maintains a horizontal atmosphere, fostering a culture of equality. We have special events for employee welfare and a constant influx of valuable information to stay on top of trends. Experiencing planning work after primarily focusing on creating client-requested motion design videos has given me a fresh perspective.
As many of the tasks related to the upcoming film releases are confidential, I cannot provide photos. But I can show you my business card!”
Siona Kalambi 1’26, Motion Design
Motion Graphics Intern at Rocket Companies in Detriot
“I am a Motion Graphics intern working with the Media House Team as a part of Brand Marketing and Creative Excellence at Rocket Companies. I am a part of an in-house production team that handles the marketing for Rocket Mortgage. This includes taking on some projects myself, from designing to animating to critique to release, and also supporting my team members on their projects.
My day-to-day: Most days of the week, my morning starts with a touch base meeting with my team to make sure everyone is on track with their projects and knows what to prioritize. That leads to the fun part: making the work! Most of the day is dedicated to creating with time blocks in between for meetings. These meetings can be kick-offs for new projects, brainstorming sessions, or informational updates on how different parts of production are going. Because so many people work together on one project, I’ve had the opportunity to have shadowing sessions with people from other teams to learn more about what producers, designers, writers, etc., are doing. It’s been really rewarding to see what it’s like to be a creative in a corporate environment!”
