Nicole Dial (B.A. ’06) has been interested in media production ever since she read about statistical projections for the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. by 2025 in high school. A bilingual student who was currently enrolled in a TV Production class, Dial saw a new world of opportunity become available and her interest was sparked.
She explains, “At first I was interested in news, then documentary film-making, and so I pursued a track in film and television production.”
Lately, lessons from Mark Zeigler‘s and Dr. Misha Laurents‘ classes in particular have been at the forefront of Dial’s mind. As a university relations representative at DreamWorks Animation, a significant portion of Dial’s day at work involves public speaking.
Dial says, “Whether it’s leading tours, classes, interviews or company overview presentations, I’m in a role that’s front and center and that benefits from good articulation.”
Every day is a new adventure for Dial at DreamWorks Animation. Her job as a university relations representative involves going through online portfolio submissions and reviewing resumes, planning for on-campus recruiting events and engaging artists for various mentoring and training programs. She also assists in evaluating strategic partnerships with colleges and universities domestically and internationally. During travel season, she attends grad shows, portfolio reviews, advisory council meetings and industry conferences.
Working in animation can be a challenge, especially when every day is wildly different from the next. However, it’s all worth it to the self-proclaimed production nerd.
She shares, “Animation is an expression of pure creativity, artistically and technically. That’s what I love about this medium the most.”
The year after she graduated from Florida State, Dial made a big move from Tallahassee to Burbank, CA to be an operations manager at Soapbox Films. Such a major transition would terrify most people – but not Dial. Having lived in five countries by the age of 10, including Norway, Italy, Ireland and Puerto Rico, she welcomed the cross-country move.
Dial says, “My move from Tallahassee to Burbank was motivated by a job offer that I just couldn’t pass up. I felt I was seasoned enough to handle a cross-country move in partnership with my husband.”
In her spare time, Dial enjoys taking road trips, especially to Santa Barbara and San Diego. She has a personal goal of visiting all of the national parks and has started a blog about her adventures as a practical cure for the travel bug. In five years, she sees herself continuing to enjoy growing into her career as an animation recruiting professional.
Dial shares, “If someone would have told me five years ago that I would be working at a major animation studio, I would have laughed. So, you see, anything is possible. And I’m most excited about that.”
To learn more about the Media Production program at Florida State, follow this link.