CTN Spotlight on ... Brittney!
CTNX: Hello Brittney, it's a pleasure to speak with you! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
BW: My name is Brittney Woodrum. I'm 24 and am from Winchester, Kentucky.
CTNX: When and how did your relationship with CTN begin?
BW: It began in November 2014 when I volunteered at an animation convention in Burbank, CA.
CTNX: What have your positions been with CTNX and what have you learned most from your experience working with CTN?
BW: Unfortunately, I haven't had time to volunteer with CTNX since, but I would love to. I had a great experience.
CTNX: What are your ultimate career goals?
BW: I love storytelling and ultimately want to learn as many languages as possible in order to study the various forms of storytelling in their original context.
CTNX: How does working with CTN help you meet those goals?
BW: At the time, I thought I was extremely interested in visual storytelling (specifically animation and storyboarding). It is still a dream of mine to become a visual storyteller one day, and CTN helped me see how I might go about doing that. I was able to speak with artists and professionals in the field to find out how they attained their dreams. I saw portfolio after portfolio and was awestruck and the talent and humility these artists exhibited.
CTNX: What have you learned most from your experience working with CTN?
BW: I've learned that you can always follow your dreams, no matter your background. I didn't go to an arts school, but I was interested in animation. CTN was my foot in the door into that world. CTN staff were extremely welcoming and kind and they gave me enough free time to poke around the convention and really see what it means/takes to be a visual storyteller. I left that weekend feeling newly inspired and optimistic about my goals.
CTNX: What do you look forward to most in the coming years regarding your career?
BW: I have several exciting fellowships and grants lined up. I have recently just finished a fellowship in Myanmar where I help start a school for Buddhist nuns. I lived in mild isolation for a year, shaved my head, and nearly ordained. It was an extremely immersive experience and I was able to take away so many life lessons from those incredible women. In a couple of months, I'll be moving to Thailand to work with a foundation that partners with international schools to get students out of their comfort zones in order to tackle big world issues. I have many more dreams and schemes in the works, but really I just want to dive into new cultures and communities and learn as much as I can about them (and take their stories with me).
CTNX: It was a pleasure to talk with you Brittney!