Heather Pritchett
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science and focused on computer graphics in school. I feel into it completely by accident. I had studied theater as an undergrad, but upon graduation had second thoughts about a career in it, so I picked up a second degree in Computer Science. It seemed like a natural fit because I had always loved computers and had focused on the more technical aspects of theater. I then opted for graduate school because I still had no idea what I really wanted to do. During my first year, I took an Intro to Graphics class and they offered extra credit for helping out in the animation lab. I joined and worked on a film that was accepted into a film festival associated with SIGGRAPH, a major Computer Graphics conference. I was hooked.
During my last semester, I interned with a small visual effects college near the college. That internship turned into a full time job upon graduation. But it didn't stay there too long. I interviewed with Disney that summer and was hired shortly thereafter. I recently celebrated my 20th anniversary.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am a Technical Director. That term can vary in meaning between animation and visual effects, and even between different companies. However, at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, a Technical Director is seen as a steward of the pipeline. I develop procedures and tools that enable the creation of assets and allow them to move between departments from Story all the way through to Lighting. My day to day work is a mixture of development and support. Development can be the creation of new processes and techniques or refining and updating existing tools. Support is working directly with the artists to solve their problems and make their lives easier. It is very common for the two sides of my job to overlap. I might discover a problem that an artist is having and then I can change the tool or process to make his or her life easier.
3. How does STEM relate to your job? How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
While I don't dive into heavy duty math every day, it's important that I understand the basic principals of computer graphics. I deal with those daily in all aspects of our production pipeline. I still have my worn copy of Foley/van Dam's Computer Graphics which I have referenced numerous times when I can't remember something. I also do a lot of programming, mostly in python. Because I work closely with others, sharing and supporting code, being familiar with coding standards is critical to everyone's workflow. I taught myself python on the job several years ago when we start migrating away from perl, and, to be honest, my first python scripts were written like perl scripts. I've worked very hard in recent years to stay on top of the latest programming standards because I realized my coding style was a decade out of date. The real epiphany was that learning didn't end at graduation -- continued self-education is critical to staying relevant in my career.
4. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I am very lucky to live close to my job. Not spending an hour or more commuting a day is a wonderful thing.
5. What do you define success as?
I think this is a bit of a sliding bar. When I first graduated, success was having a job that paid the rent. Now that i'm older and more established in my career, success is being respected in my field while still enjoying what I do (and paying the mortgage).
6. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I can't really limit it to one. Focus is good, especially when I need to debug a tough problem in code I didn't write. People skills are also critical when I find I need to work closely with a group of artists. And I think the final candidate in my trait trio is being well organized -- So I can balance my time between all my different tasks without losing one.
7. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I was very lucky to have several co-workers who helped me out early on. I was given some amazing opportunities and advice that kept me on track. Some of the advice was as simple as making me aware of opportunities and other advice was tough truths I didn't want to hear. I am also especially grateful to the older women who were working in the industry when I first started. I was able to see my own future career in them and I think that really helped me hang on for 20 years.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
If I could talk to my younger self, I would encourage me to take advantage of connections and network more. And that's the same advice I would pass on to anyone new in their career. Who you know matters. Even casual connections through volunteering and academia can provide you with useful insight when you're looking to move up or sideways in your career. And always always be on the look out for how you can help someone else. That karma will come back to help you one day when you need it.
I have a Masters degree in Computer Science and focused on computer graphics in school. I feel into it completely by accident. I had studied theater as an undergrad, but upon graduation had second thoughts about a career in it, so I picked up a second degree in Computer Science. It seemed like a natural fit because I had always loved computers and had focused on the more technical aspects of theater. I then opted for graduate school because I still had no idea what I really wanted to do. During my first year, I took an Intro to Graphics class and they offered extra credit for helping out in the animation lab. I joined and worked on a film that was accepted into a film festival associated with SIGGRAPH, a major Computer Graphics conference. I was hooked.
During my last semester, I interned with a small visual effects college near the college. That internship turned into a full time job upon graduation. But it didn't stay there too long. I interviewed with Disney that summer and was hired shortly thereafter. I recently celebrated my 20th anniversary.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am a Technical Director. That term can vary in meaning between animation and visual effects, and even between different companies. However, at the Walt Disney Animation Studios, a Technical Director is seen as a steward of the pipeline. I develop procedures and tools that enable the creation of assets and allow them to move between departments from Story all the way through to Lighting. My day to day work is a mixture of development and support. Development can be the creation of new processes and techniques or refining and updating existing tools. Support is working directly with the artists to solve their problems and make their lives easier. It is very common for the two sides of my job to overlap. I might discover a problem that an artist is having and then I can change the tool or process to make his or her life easier.
3. How does STEM relate to your job? How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
While I don't dive into heavy duty math every day, it's important that I understand the basic principals of computer graphics. I deal with those daily in all aspects of our production pipeline. I still have my worn copy of Foley/van Dam's Computer Graphics which I have referenced numerous times when I can't remember something. I also do a lot of programming, mostly in python. Because I work closely with others, sharing and supporting code, being familiar with coding standards is critical to everyone's workflow. I taught myself python on the job several years ago when we start migrating away from perl, and, to be honest, my first python scripts were written like perl scripts. I've worked very hard in recent years to stay on top of the latest programming standards because I realized my coding style was a decade out of date. The real epiphany was that learning didn't end at graduation -- continued self-education is critical to staying relevant in my career.
4. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I am very lucky to live close to my job. Not spending an hour or more commuting a day is a wonderful thing.
5. What do you define success as?
I think this is a bit of a sliding bar. When I first graduated, success was having a job that paid the rent. Now that i'm older and more established in my career, success is being respected in my field while still enjoying what I do (and paying the mortgage).
6. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
I can't really limit it to one. Focus is good, especially when I need to debug a tough problem in code I didn't write. People skills are also critical when I find I need to work closely with a group of artists. And I think the final candidate in my trait trio is being well organized -- So I can balance my time between all my different tasks without losing one.
7. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
I was very lucky to have several co-workers who helped me out early on. I was given some amazing opportunities and advice that kept me on track. Some of the advice was as simple as making me aware of opportunities and other advice was tough truths I didn't want to hear. I am also especially grateful to the older women who were working in the industry when I first started. I was able to see my own future career in them and I think that really helped me hang on for 20 years.
8. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
If I could talk to my younger self, I would encourage me to take advantage of connections and network more. And that's the same advice I would pass on to anyone new in their career. Who you know matters. Even casual connections through volunteering and academia can provide you with useful insight when you're looking to move up or sideways in your career. And always always be on the look out for how you can help someone else. That karma will come back to help you one day when you need it.
