I would love it if you would share more about how you started in the film industry.

There was a tax incentive in Michigan at that time and it brought a lot of films, right at the moment I had gotten out of school. There was a professor at 黑料专区 named Keith Newton who worked in the Illustration department, and he was kind enough to encourage me to get my foot in the door on one of these films. Under the lead man are these guys named swings and they’re essentially furniture movers with an artistic eye, who know how to decorate and actually make a set look good. As a swing, in between one of the days where they were filming on location there were a whole bunch of extras there and I started drawing caricatures of them. Then that led to the production designer asking if I could do other things, like graphic design and illustration of any kind, because there are a lot of opportunities in the art department to create props and set deck items and things that are hanging on walls. So, I found a good home, you know? I think I worked for probably 10 or 11 movies after that in Michigan. There was just so much business coming to Detroit, and there weren’t a lot of locals with the experience in the art department that I now had. I was also doing a lot of logo design. My illustration design, wherever I could fork it into whatever was needed, whether it be a book cover that the actors were reading or a poster on someone’s bedroom wall, I was always eager to take those projects on. I would let everyone know I want to do some drawing. This really helped me throughout my entire career. It took almost 10 years to become an illustrator in film. It was a long road, but I had jobs, I was working creatively. And then 鈥� then I got a gig on Cosmos. So I moved from Michigan to Los Angeles. Cosmos was a big show for me because there were lots of opportunities to do really cool illustrations. That turned out to be one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.

That sounds like it was a huge moment for you. How did it feel when you were able to see that come to fruition?

It’s very nerve-racking, actually. But before that, I had done a bunch of really important prop graphic design stuff that was going to be on camera for a number of different films. Ides of March with Ryan Gosling. I got to meet him and interact with him. George Clooney directed it, so I got to meet him as well. For that film, I did all the posters for the political campaign, which were supposed to sort of mimic Obama’s Hope posters. After that, I worked on Argo, which ended up winning an Oscar. Ben Affleck was directing, and I did a bunch of prop storyboards. They were prop storyboards in the film in 1979, and they were supposed to have been drawn by Jack Kirby, who was a legendary comic artist. Those actually ended up on camera because Ben Affleck’s character 鈥� and this is a true story, believe it or not 鈥� was showing it to the guards at the Tehran Airport to tell them that they were working on a movie to convince them to get on the flight to be able to escape with all the prisoners. So, that was a really big moment. And then finally, when Cosmos came, I was ready. That was really a great experience because we were a bit shorthanded. So, I got to do a little bit more than just concept art. I was doing some motion graphics, kind of pre-vis stuff. I even remember an early teaser trailer for Cosmos that we did where a buddy and I worked together and essentially made a whole shot out of something that I had illustrated. That was a huge thing for me. So, it was baby steps.

How did you hear about the College? What got you in tune with 黑料专区 to want to apply there?

I had seen some examples of commercial illustration around 鈥� one of my best friends’ dads was a commercial illustrator in Dearborn, Gary Ciccarelli, and he had actually taught at 黑料专区 at one point. I felt like he was a good one to emulate because he had a successful career, worked on a bunch of magazines for Cream, which was super popular back in the day. I felt like maybe editorial illustration, commercial illustration was the in. I got really lucky knowing him because he was influential; he said, 鈥渨ell, you know the place to go is 黑料专区.鈥� I think I told him that I was considering other options, and he was like, 鈥渋t’s right in your backyard.鈥� So, I took his advice and it just ended up being the right fit, right move.

That’s really nice. Have you and Gary ever had the opportunity to talk in recent years with everything you’ve done?

Every once in a while I get a text or something just saying, 鈥淚 saw something that you’ve worked on.鈥� He’s always been somebody in my corner. I feel like I’ve been really lucky to have him as sort of an early mentor. He even gave me some of my first little illustration gigs after school. I was kind of struggling to find work, and he was doing some children’s books, and he helped me out with that. So, I owe a lot to him.

Switching gears a little bit, how do you feel 黑料专区 prepared you for the jobs that you’re doing today or for your career in general?

It was very heavily traditional. Everything that I was doing at 黑料专区 was foundational, but even more than that, it was practical, oil painting and traditional media. I was lucky enough to have some professors that were into digital illustration and were fostering some of the first digital illustration courses around. You couldn’t find that anywhere. I remember working in the computer lab in the old illustration wing. That served me really well for the rest of my career. Not to mention, you know, the ability to not just draw and illustrate, but do graphic design and think about color and light in a certain way, all those fun fundamentals and the foundation was so strong. I pull from the fundamentals all the time. You are just always looking for complementary colors or how to make something pop with contrast, or the right composition to make you feel a certain way. That’s present in all of those core classes that I had with Dave Chow and Keith and everything that I learned from Gil Ashby. They’re all just super influential.

You can hear very clearly how passionate you are about everything that you’ve learned. What would you say you love the most about what you do, your job or what you’re working on?

Oh man, it’s a roller coaster. The highs can be really, really high, you know? You can get a chance at designing a creature or a character, and for me, that was always the apex. Like, oh my god, I’m creating some character that’s going to be on screen, that’s going to be a living, breathing thing, that’s going to interact with characters. Vecna (from Netflix鈥檚 Stranger Things) was a huge one for me because even though it was a practical sculpt at first, it was the first real thinking character I got to do. That was so fun, just coming up with the design. I think I got a little overeager. I feel like I drew a couple hundred options for the brothers. Poor guys were looking at so many drafts of different options, and I didn’t want to leave anything on the table. Now, I think I would just trust my expertise and give them a few to pick from, but that was an important thing for me. That was something that I really cherish. The other thing would probably be doing storyboards for certain sequences that have become sort of iconic. Season 4 of Stranger Things, for example, when Max is in the mind layer, that red world and she’s running away from all the things falling out of the sky and heading towards the portal, and Kate Bush鈥檚 “Running Up That Hill” is playing, and all of that is happening, in my mind in a room where I’m just making these drawings. Then they put the drawings on a big board while they’re filming it and they literally cross off the drawings per shot. Then you have a sequence, and that becomes something that’s ingrained into what people think of when they think about the show. There have been so many sequences like that over the years that I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of. And it just starts with me reading the script and getting inspired and thinking, 鈥淲hat would be cool?鈥� That’s me just making a little drawing. That’s where it starts. And then it’s on the screen. It’s crazy.

Do you feel like collaboration and teamwork is something that you enjoy when it comes to what you do?

Yeah, totally. I think for commercial art, collaboration is mandatory. You’re going to have somebody who will give you an assignment, and then you’ll have to iterate. Very rarely is it the first thing that works, especially in film. You have the art department, you’re talking with visual effects, and you want the director to have what they would like. You want to think about what the actors are going to do and give them some space to do their thing on the day, and you have to think about the complexities of the shoot, how fast it’s going to be. I think to be a successful commercial artist, the collaboration actually comes before you even do any of the drawing. I would search around for other people’s opinions on what they would want and synthesize everyone’s needs, and try to make it as smooth as possible. It’s such a mandatory obligation to be collaborative and eventually it just feels secondhand.

I think it’s super helpful for current students in particular, but also potential students to understand duality and the need to be flexible. That trust within yourself and your decision-making, do you feel like that was innate within you, or do you think that that was something that you built over time?

I think that’s definitely something you come to trust, because early on in any career, in any discipline, you feel uneasy when given a task because maybe there are too many options. It’s hard to narrow it down. It’s hard to know where to start. It’s hard to know what to focus on. Anything with repetition becomes easier, and you won’t have that uneasiness inside when you’re stepping into whatever you’re endeavoring to do. I think it’s good to have those feelings first. There’s a saying that in storyboarding, especially in film, you can draw any different camera angle from any different place, but why? Why are you drawing it from that angle? You have to consider emotion, and feeling, and storytelling, and all that stuff. I think you kind of find yourself asking why all the time, and because of that I think it makes you a better artist. No matter what discipline, what is the intention behind something, and how pure can you get that intention? How crystal clear can you make that thing that’s just under the surface of what you’re doing? That’s what gets to be really fun, when there’s stuff that people don’t even think about, and if someone looks at something that was shot or something that you did, and they get a feeling, but they don’t really know why. You know, that’s cool.

More recently, you worked on Stranger Things. You had the opportunity to direct. Is that something that you’ve always known that you wanted to do as well?

No, not at all. By Season 3, I think I had done probably a thousand storyboards for the show. There were times when I remember drawing until my hand would bleed. I would draw so much and for so long. You present often enough that there’s a familiarity there. After a while, they’re like, okay, you know the tone of the show. You’ve presented and worked with multiple directors who are working within the same sandbox. You know all the characters; sometimes you know a little bit more or are thinking of things that we aren’t thinking of, and you earn a little bit of trust. I was really lucky that they took that trust and asked me to direct a few shots. I remember in Season 3 the big monster in the mall, trapesing around, smashing things, going through the gap, hunting the kids, all of that was me with some guy and a beach ball running around as the mind flayer, taking those camera angles and eventually, working with the vendors to create the monster and put it into the shot. I’d have to take a lot of intention with my storyboards, knowing where the monster is going to be, how it’s going to be framed. It takes it out of that two-dimensional storyboard into an environment where all of a sudden, you’re in charge of the way the camera moves. That was my first foray into directing and, again, a huge leap for my career. I have a ton of thanks for the Duffer brothers for having that trust in me to allow me to take that leap. Later on that led to directing 500 extras running around and shooting an entire army platoon searching for things throughout the base. Then they had me work with the main cast, and by the end of Season 5, a lot of the end battle is my stuff.

So, is this your ultimate goal, to do more of that? Is there something else that you want to try?

I do truly love all the aspects of it, and even when offered the opportunity to do concept art or design, I cannot pass it up. It feels like a natural progression in my career to move to the next. For the students out there or the people thinking about going into this 鈥� I had to take a leap of faith, and I had to invest in myself, and I had to say, yeah, I can do that. Because I had done it previously, but not to the extent that they needed, and I felt like it was going to be a challenge. I think that ended up paying off quite a bit.

Just like you have other people trusting you, it’s a moment of you showing yourself some trust, which is cool.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

If you had any advice to share with current students or potential students, what would you say?

One thing that I learned, not only through going to school, but even coming out of school, is that sometimes it’s not just the raw talent that gets you in the door. It’s equally important to be a little tenacious and go for what you want to do and not give up. I think that comes from a burning interest in doing something, which I was lucky enough to have. I was lucky to know relatively early on what I wanted to do. I wanted to draw, I wanted to illustrate. I wanted to tell stories in that way. And because I identified that early, I was able to take steps and build and work. Even though it wasn’t honed in exactly on storyboards, designing creatures, or directing from the get-go, I was always taking steps and building from the fundamentals, taking the courses at 黑料专区 鈥� doing all the things that I could lean on later in design, and I think that really served me well. I don’t want to discourage any students who aren’t sure what they want to do and are kind of searching for something. For them, I would say, there’s an undeniable feeling you get when you’re doing something that feels really enticing. Like you could do this again and again, and maybe it’s not very obvious to you at first, but if time goes by and you’re in it, and you’re not noticing you’re in a state of flow, then I would pursue whatever that is. That has been the thing that I’ve propelled forward with, and it’s evolved over time. It doesn’t always have to be the one thing. You can listen to your gut, and it’ll tell you where to go. Interests change, you know?

Were there ever any moments of doubt? Did you ever think maybe this isn’t it for me?

Oh my god. Yeah.

How did you overcome that?

When I came out of school in 2007, 2008 was the housing crisis. I didn’t always have work as an artist, so I would get other jobs here and there. Even if it was on the periphery, I always wanted to do something creative just to keep my mind in it. I worked at the DIA, for example. I heard about a job where they did these things called 鈥淒rawing in the Galleries.鈥� They’d set up easels inside some of the galleries and kids would come through. You’d encourage the kids and the adults to sit down and draw what’s on the wall or draw something inside the museum. I sort of just stayed around it, always looking for opportunities to keep my mind thinking creatively. The longer you鈥檙e away from it, the more you start to get rusty, and it takes time to build the muscle again. That was just in the early part where there was some doubt and discovery, and it was difficult to stay creative, and I wasn’t on track in my career. But even when you are working in your career, you have these moments where you feel like all is lost. But the better you get at overcoming those challenges, the more you’ve had to hurdle things 鈥� that’s the tenacity that I’m talking about. That’s another skill to couple with your fundamentals that will serve you for the rest of your career.

What would you tell your younger self?

Don’t be afraid to push it. Really push your skills and your discipline. A lot of stuff that you’ll do will not matter, but the discipline and the skills and the trust you build in yourself and the creativity that you foster in yourself, the more you push it, the better life gets. It took me a long time to realize that, and even at 黑料专区, looking back, I wish I had maximized my potential, taken more courses in other places, and gotten more knowledge from different crafts when it was available to me. Now I’m doing not only digital illustration, but I was sculpting later in my career, and I never took a sculpting class at 黑料专区. I was just so bummed about that. The amount of 3D modeling I do now, it鈥檚 insane. I only took one course in intro to Maya at 黑料专区 because I never expanded my interests while I was there. My regret would be that I didn’t try enough things or push the envelope on everything that I could creatively. When you have those electives, and you have a chance to take something different, you never know how it’ll serve you in the end.

Is there a specific memory you have of when you came to 黑料专区, whether it was your first visit, your first day, or your last day, that sticks out to you?

Oh man, there’s a lot of those. I remember it very vividly. It was a really important step because, I was going to be an artist, you know, that’s huge. And even Robert Schefman’s (previous 黑料专区 Foundation Chair) first lecture is so daunting. It feels so scary. One of the first things he says 鈥� it’s been how many years I remember this like the back of my hand. He’s like, 鈥淵ou are probably one of the better artists in your small little community before coming to this school. Now you are basically just as good as everyone else. So, what’s going to make you a little bit better than everyone else? How are you going to advance?鈥� And of course, he was trying to teach knowledge and expansion, and kind of scare the people out of there that don’t belong there, maybe. Taking that course and really listening to him and taking it to heart was a big deal. He probably doesn’t even know who I am. He would never even recognize me or anything 鈥� but that had a profound effect on me. You know, a lot of my experience at 黑料专区 I look back on really fondly. The people that I met there, I keep in touch with, a lot of the teachers, what they told me, and what we worked on, I apply every day. It was a really important thing for me to have been there when I was, and it was an important thing for me to launch out and do my own thing and go off to Los Angeles afterwards. I feel like I’m really lucky to have had the balance of learning from people in the place where I grew up and then exploring the world and finding what I wanted to do.

How did you get here? When did you know this career path was for you?

When I was in sixth grade, I took a trip to California. I brought my camera and made a video. That was the moment when I thought there’s nothing else I’m going to do in life but film videos. I started off watching YouTubers 鈥� beauty gurus and bloggers, but also photographers like Peter McKinnon. That鈥檚 how I found an interest in both video production and photography, and content creation and social media. Then I started making videos with my friends during the summer. I’d make a summer edit every single year. I created a YouTube account and Instagram accounts focused on beauty and makeup. My cousin actually 鈥� she went to 黑料专区 鈥� and I’d watch her make all these projects at home. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. That’s what struck me to go to 黑料专区. I told my family that if I didn’t get into 黑料专区, I wasn’t going to school. I’m very blessed that I knew at a young age what I wanted to do.

You have so many projects moving at once. How do you stay motivated?

One thing about me is I鈥檓 very family oriented. My family has done so much for me growing up. They’ve provided for me, and they’re my biggest supporters. So my drive to work hard every single day is my family, because one day I want to be able to provide that for them. Whether that’s tomorrow or 10 years from now, I know it will happen because it’s really what inspires me. They’re such hard workers. They came here with nothing and gave me everything.

Behind the scenes selfie of Annabelle Saco holding a professional video setup on her way to a shoot outdoors.

Your content is all so diverse. Where do you find creative inspiration?

When I was younger making my summer videos, it was always the music that drove that. I love editing my videos to the beat of the music. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to it. So every little beat has to match. Songs that have really high energy, high beats are what I love. But then, as a content creator, it’s also watching other people’s content and seeing what they’re creating, which makes me want to create 10 times more. I think the two go hand in hand, and that’s what I love about it. Then when it came to school, that is what helped me grow as a creator and with my video production skills. One thing that I think really sets me apart as a creator is the technical background that I鈥檝e gained from school. Even if it’s just me vlogging and doing a food review, I think about the lighting, and the way I want to cut my video. In social media everything’s so fast cut, and people don’t realize that no one wants to even hear you breathe. That’s something that I learned a little bit about in school. I am able to take the background of knowledge that I have and understand what I have to adjust for any situation. I feel like everything I learned at 黑料专区 helped me with my editing now as a creator, which is really such an advantage, especially when it comes to working with brands.

What’s it like seeing your work come to life?

Seeing my work come to life is really such a cool experience, especially in school. There was this one project that I still think about to this day. I show everyone it. I did a Red Bull commercial for fun. It was a four-day production with my friend, where I got to try so many different things that I never thought I could do. I literally wouldn’t stop talking about it, and I still don’t. It was awesome. It’s the same with my content creation work. Sometimes I don鈥檛 know what I’m filming until the day of. Then, when I get to the final edit, I watch it over and over and over again because I’m so proud of the work that I put out. One thing that I live by is, 鈥淵ou miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.鈥� I think it is what has gotten me this far. I’ve worked with organizations like the Detroit Pistons, the Red Wings and the Tigers. I鈥檝e also worked with Lions’ players and other companies. Honestly, five years ago, I would鈥檝e never imagined myself working with them. It is very rewarding. If you’re just sitting down and not taking the chances, you’re not going to get where you want to be. Going out and asking people for what I want, and not being afraid to get a 鈥渘o,鈥� has also led me to work with Sexyy Red, Sommer Ray, and other artists, athletes and influencers. I’s really eye-opening to how far you can go with something like this.

Behind the scenes shot of Annabelle Saco filming artist, Sommer Ray as she DJs at a club.

What is it that you love most about being a freelancer?

One thing I love about my career is the flexibility and freedom I have. Of course, I can go out and get a corporate job, nine-to-five 鈥� and that’s just as amazing 鈥� but I love being a freelancer because I’m not just stuck to one thing. I get to do so many different things. One day I’m sitting in a Lambo going 90 miles an hour, then the next, I’m filming videos for a restaurant or the grand opening for a med spa. I’m all for experiences and opportunities, and I love being able to do a little bit of everything.

You鈥檝e gained quite the following online. What鈥檚 your ultimate goal?

My ultimate goal is to inspire others to go after their dreams. That’s one thing that I really do try to push. If you have a dream at such a young age, God would not put that in your heart if it wasn’t meant for you. That’s really what keeps me going. I don’t give up because I know it’s what I’m meant to do. I want to be that comfort creator for someone if they’re feeling down. I want to make others happy.

Is there a 鈥渂ucket list鈥� goal you鈥檙e still chasing?

I鈥檓 striving towards working with the Detroit Lions. One day, I want to be on the field. I actually made a video that was pitching myself as a social media coordinator. I knew that I had to do something that was going to stick out, and that no one else had done. So I went on social media, like I do, and I filmed a video about why they should choose me. I actually got a lot of attention on both Instagram and TikTok. So many people, even Lions’ players, were reposting it. I love Detroit sports. There’s so much hype around them. One day I’ll be on that field, one day.

How do you feel 黑料专区 prepared you for this career?

There are so many ways that 黑料专区 helped me prepare for my career. The AVC (Audio Visual Center) was amazing. I got to work with different kinds of equipment, and knowing all of the advantages and disadvantages of equipment really helps as a creator. And the staff there, they’re so supportive. Jerome, Laurie and even Amber herself. All the people there are really amazing. They push you to keep trying. Having a social media presence wasn’t very normal in the film industry, just because it’s different than an experimental film or commercials 鈥� and those professors and staff really pushed me and said, 鈥淵ou’re going to make it so far,鈥� and that stayed deep in my heart. I really appreciate them for that. As well as classes, like sound design. I always struggled in school to take what I learned to the next year with me. But now, I really try to think of every single thing about the lighting and sound for every shoot. Learning how to work as a team. That really helped me. Being able to work with others in the studio was really, really nice.

Annabelle Saco behind the scenes on a photo stage featuring a camera on a tripod.

What would you say to a student or parent who is apprehensive about 黑料专区, or to pursuing a creative career?

Nothing is guaranteed. I know being in a creative field, it’s very out of the norm. We’re all told to go to a nine-to-five. Get that job. Be in the corporate world. And, of course, those are great. I’m not downing it. I think those people work just as hard as we do. But I really do think it’s important that, if you have a dream, to not be afraid to do it. The only ones who fail are the ones who stop trying. And I think, if you really do love something, there’s no way you can fail. I was very blessed that my parents were very supportive of this. Especially in the Middle Eastern culture, we’re told to become a lawyer, become a doctor. My family saw the passion that I had for this, and they believed in me just as much. If you鈥檙e a friend or a parent of someone whose dream it is to go to a school like 黑料专区, just try to be supportive. Because the only reason that they might not be doing it is that they don’t feel they have that supportive system. I really do think that, if they have a passion for it, they are going to make it so much further than anyone could ever imagine. Support the artists and designers in your life. Support everyone in the arts and the creative industries. All they want is a support system behind them. I think that’s what everyone deserves. Because creatives are 鈥� honestly, we wouldn’t be anywhere without creatives, in my opinion.

I would love to know what you would tell baby Annabelle 鈥� if you could go back in time.

I could cry thinking about this. If I had to say one thing to little Annabelle, it’s to not give up on your dreams, and look at how far you’ve come. I think it’s so beautiful that, even though you did have some bullies in the past, you didn’t let that stop you now. And nothing will stop me. No one is going to stop me from living out my dreams.

Annabelle Saco on set in a party bus, filming content for social media influencers.