CTN Spotlight on ... Kaitlyn!

CTNX: Hello Kaitlyn, it's a pleasure to speak with you! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

KC: I'm a coordinator for "The Animation Show of Shows" in Culver City. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA, lived primarily in Chicago, IL, and moved to LA a year ago.

CTNX: When and how did your relationship with CTN begin?

KC: Last November (2016), I applied for a volunteer position for the first time at CTNX. I found out about it when I called Powerhouse Animation and they mentioned they were having a booth at CTNX. I figured it'd be a great opportunity to get out of the house, meet cool new people, and see what was new in the animation industry. So I volunteered!

CTNX: What have your positions been with CTNX and what have you learned most from your experience working with CTN?

KC: I volunteered as a ticket distributor in "Registration" and I worked in the VIP booth. To be honest, things in my personal life were looking very bleak when I was volunteering. However, once I started greeting people who were getting their tickets and running around to get their add-on tickets, I was having a blast and actually felt alive again. I wasn't just smiling for appearances sake. I was genuinely happy to help people and hopefully make their day a little bit brighter too. I guess I learned how to think on my feet (especially during Thursday night when we were having computer errors) and I learned a little bit about myself too. I enjoy running around and helping people!

CTNX: What are your ultimate career goals?

KC: I hope to someday be a full time character animator for a TV show or film. At the moment, I have no clue where my career is headed, but I work my hardest every day so that I can be in a better place a year from now and even a decade from now. Honestly, my main goal is to just be a part of a team where the work environment is fun and laid back and we create something that inspires and entertains viewers. I love to make people smile and if I can do so while doing the job that I love, it makes it all the more rewarding.

CTNX: How does working with CTN help you meet those goals? 

KC: Again, I like making people smile and helping anybody out whenever I can. When you're helping people, it makes you yourself happy as well. During that weekend of running around and working as hard as I could to ensure that people were enjoying themselves, I was hopeful. Before CTNX, I was unemployed and couldn't seem to get out of my rut, so I felt pretty hopeless. But while I was running around, I felt like I might actually be good at something. Like there is still a chance for me and that I can still brighten people's day and help them when they needed it. Sure I tried to network when I could at CTNX but didn't think anything would come of that, but just being at CTNX helped me leave my rut even just for a moment and be hopeful. It helped me try my best and look up rather than remaining stagnant on my couch in fear of failure. Truthfully, CTNX really helped me.

CTNX: What have you learned most from your experience working with CTN? 

KC: I learned how to think fast when issues came up. When the computers were down on Thursday night, after a couple of minutes being unsure of what to do, I got up and personally took the time to try and gather the add-ons for this lovely young woman named Jazzlyn (who was, thankful, very patient and supportive for 45 minutes while we were at a stand still). I was the first person to just get up out of the seat and search for the tickets myself rather than wait for the computers to work again. Eventually, the rest of the crew started helping me out then they all started doing the same thing. And when the rest of the crew was confused or lost, we all helped each other out with a smile on our face (and honestly, having one volunteer named Nick sitting next to me cracking jokes and playing Fleetwood Mac on his phone that night really did make for a huge boost in morale. Ha ha.) But, as I also said above, I also learned about myself that I actually enjoy running around to get the job done, which was very unexpected.

CTNX: What do you look forward to most in the coming years regarding your career?

KC: Meeting more amazingly talented people in the industry and, hopefully, learning new things along the way.

CTNX: It was a pleasure to talk with you Kaitlyn!