Meet Milena Selkirk | Creative Director & Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Milena Selkirk and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Milena, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
When you’re first starting out, I would say that 80% of getting and keeping a job or project commission in the Entertainment business comes down to interpersonal skills; who does the employer/team want to spend their day with? 20% of getting the job is based on whether you can actually do the work itself. I always tell students or jr creatives to try to push away any nerves in an interview setting and project confidence, cool, and personal ease. As you work your way up the ranks, this balance changes, but don’t be afraid in the beginning, always stay curious, and make sure you learn on the job.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a Creative Director specializing in motion graphics for television, film and brands. In my teens and twenties, I was a full-time rock musician and I got into graphic design out of necessity because someone had to make gig posters for my performances, so I learned Photoshop and was really into making collages. Eventually I found design, editing and animation to be a more stable way to make a living and I was using a lot of the same skills that I developed songwriting: crafting a narrative, leading with a hook, making something eye catching. I got my masters in Interactive Telecommunications at NYU Tisch and moved to Los Angeles to work in film + TV. I found my graphic design and motion skills were a short cut into the industry. I became a union graphic artist on many talk, sketch, late night, unscripted shows, creating on-air graphics, show opens, overlays and transitions. Eventually I moved more to the agency side, art and creative directing, pitching concepts, designing, editing and animating pieces for marking campaigns, digital spots, and social media for film and tv and brands. Every day reveals a different challenge, you get to create in a variety of styles and approaches to fit each project and it never gets boring. Along the way, I’ve learned a lot about inter-personal skills, managing teams, efficiency, and collaborating with other departments, which can be more nuanced than making the work itself. Sometimes the biggest challenges are trying to interpret vague notes from clients or strategy or other arms of the production. I think that part of being a Creative Director is also being a kind of therapist, where you try to put yourself in other people’s shoes, imagine their wants and needs and try to deliver them. Recently I’ve worked on campaigns for Netflix, Disney +, FX and Hulu and I’ve really enjoy creating big moments, excitement and engagement around premieres and new or returning series. I am really proud of my work on the marketing campaign for the final season of Narcos: Mexico for Netflix. My team created 3 distinct video pieces that reflected the excess of the ’90s era, matched the tone of the show and looked incredible.

Music-wise, I still write songs, sing, and play guitar in my free time and I am preparing a new EP release with my band, Pin Me Down, in early 2024.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’ve lived on the East Side for all my time in Los Angeles so most of my picks would be situated there.

Pasadena:
A picnic at the Huntington Library & Gardens, art at the Norton Simon, hiking into the Angeles Forest (Gabrelino or El Prieto trail), Echo Mountain hike, a walk through lower Arroyo park. amazing ceviche at Tacos Ensenada, coffee at Unincorporated Coffee Roasters, croissants at Car Chocolate, Union Restaurant on Union Street or Agnes on Green Street. Flea Markets at the Rose Bowl and PCCC.

East Side:
Incredible shrimp tacos at Tacos Delta in Silverlake. A stroll around the silver lake reservoir, Tilda wine Bar and its the connecting restaurant Bacceti in Echo Park, Stories is still one of my favorite bookstore/cafes, Skylight Books in Los Feliz, Alias Books in Atwater Village, swimming at the Glassell Park pool, classic films at Vidiots theatre in Eagle Rock, Villas Tacos in Highland Park, checking out music at Zebulon or the Lodge Room.

Hollywood:
Old School steak dinner at Musso + Franks, amazing Thai Food at Pa Ord and Northern Thai Food Club, Hike up to the Griffith Observatory and afterwards coffee and pie at The Trails cafe, the Hollywood Reservoir. Flea Market Sundays at Fairfax High School. Concerts at the Greek or Hollywood Bowl, films at the New Beverly theatre, swimming in the pool at the Roosevelt.

DTLA:
Walking around and eating in Little Tokyo, checking out art at Hauser + Wirth, The Last Bookstore, The Broad, MOCA and the galleries on Santa Fe Ave. Verve Coffee Roasters and the amazing art bookshop Hennessy & Ingalls, the rooftop bar at the Ace hotel, Varnish for cocktails, dancing at the Lash.

Everywhere else:
Jewish Delis in the valley (Art’s, Brent’s, Jerry’s), beach time at Playa del Rey, Will Rogers Beach or Zuma, food at Gjusta in Venice, Pizza at Gjelina, art at Getty and the Getty Villa museums, films at the Aero, Japanese food on Sawtelle, Alana’s coffee in Mar Vista, swimming at the Culver City Plunge and the Santa Monica Aquatic Center.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Gary Kordan, the award winning Production Designer, has a been a dear friend and mentor to me since I was 15 years old, when I met him playing music at my local coffee shop in New York City. He’s always been there for career, artistic and personal advice and suggestions and is a very positive person. He designed posters for my music gigs when I was younger and now I design posters for his tv and theatre projects. He introduced me to his friends and helped me land my first jobs, when I moved to Los Angeles 2012. I still always try to get his opinion on new websites and resumés.

Website: http://www.milenaselkirk.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milenamepris/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/milenaselkirk/

Other: Links for my music project, Pin Me Down, https://www.facebook.com/pinmedown https://www.instagram.com/pinmedownmusic/

Image Credits
History of Swear Words (illustrated collage of women with cats) (Netflix), Big Mouth (Netflix), Narcos, (Netflix) Justified: City Primeval (FX), Tom Papa (Netflix)