Meet Tiffany Pham | Painter & Visual Development Artist

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

Hi Tiffany, what do you attribute your success to?
I think being optimistic and open to change has allowed me to experience various opportunities throughout my journey and has led me to where I am today. When I was in college I knew I wanted to become a visual development artist and I wasn’t sure when or how I would achieve that goal, but I trusted the process and was open to any opportunity that came my way. I had started and ran a Women in Animation Student Chapter and was also involved in leadership positions for other student organizations. The skills and experiences I gained from being involved came in handy when I got an art production internship for a VR platform company. After my internship, I found work as a production assistant for a VR animation which eventually led me to another production opportunity for feature animation. Although working in the production department was not my initial goal, I discovered a lot of my own strengths in those roles and learned so much about the pipeline. Working in production allowed me to see all the collaboration needed to make a film and made me appreciate the medium so much more. I was fortunate to learn from very supportive leaders and mentors, who also helped me make the transition into the art department as a visual development artist. In hindsight, I am glad I experienced my career path as I did; I don’t think I would have been as prepared as an artist if I had not been part of the production prior.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Choosing to pursue an artistic path was one of the hardest and best decisions I have made for myself. Growing up as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, I felt a lot of pressure to succeed in school and pursue a conventional career path. I took a lot of academic classes and was heavily involved in student leadership organizations, with the intention to boost my college application. In between academics, I found a lot of joy in painting and being creative. I loved watching animated films, and my favorite assignments in school were projects that involved crafting or creative thinking. Looking back, I think there were so many signs or hints for me to pursue art that were sprinkled throughout my life, but I had never considered it a career path. I didn’t realize this until my final year of high school when I had to select a college to attend. I had applied to the majority of the universities in California with an “undecided” major. San Jose State University was supposed to be my backup school, but it was the only school where I had selected a major for Animation/Illustration (I think it was meant to be). Eventually I made the decision to pursue art, and it was one of the first decisions I had made truly for myself, and not for anyone else. It took some time to convince my parents, and I had their full support when they saw how much I enjoyed what I was doing.

My involvement in student organizations and experience in leadership positions helped me break into the animation industry as a production assistant. After graduating from San Jose State’s Animation/Illustration program in 2020, I joined Kuku Studios as a production assistant assigned to the story and art departments on an unannounced feature film. Within 6 months I was promoted to art coordinator where I helped oversee a team of 10+ artists remotely. Soon I was taking on art assignments of my own and was given the opportunity to transition to be a full time visual development artist on the film. I’m truly grateful for the amazing leadership and mentors who supported me on my journey. With my unique experience working in both Production and Art, I understand how the pipeline works and know how to be a production friendly artist.

Staying curious and being eager to learn has helped me a lot during my journey. Being open to change and new experiences led me from one opportunity to another. I’ll continue to trust the process and see where riding the wave will take me next!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to the team at Kuku Studios whom I have worked with in the past couple of years. Working at Kuku was my first gig in feature animation and although it was spent working remotely during the pandemic, I learned and grew so much as a person/artist. I feel lucky to have been able to work so closely with an amazing team and with so many inspiring artists. I’m grateful for all the support and mentorship that I received from my managers, production designer, and art team. It was a wonderful experience and I will treasure the memories I’ve made during my time there. Thank you Kuku crew!!

Website: https://tiffanyupham.com/

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

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffanypham_art