Meet Savannah Steiner

We were lucky to catch up with Savannah Steiner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Savannah, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

At a young age I struggled with confidence issues in all aspects of my life. I never thought I was good enough at anything. I needed people to tell me I was doing a good job, or I needed to win an award for my work to feel worthy. The constant need to look outside myself for others approval dominated most of my teenage years. Though, despite the faulty confidence, I did have a deep desire to express myself. And for the most part, my ways of expression were received with applause. But when it wasn’t highly received, I would fall into a deep dark depression. My sense of worth, as I understood it, was tied to my self-expression- whether in the arts, performance, or, ultimately everything. In high school, we held t-shirt design contests where students could submit your design for specific clubs and activities. A few times my designs were chosen. I would go up to my teachers, tail between my legs, asking them if they personally thought it was good — even if it was chosen! It’s like I needed to hear it from the teacher otherwise it wasn’t true. Like I was waiting for a superior to tell me it’s okay to like my work. I’ll never forget this one time when I had submitted a t-shirt design for Key Club. I thought it was a clever depiction of three people holding up the world and a key in the shape of a keyhole, but I also had this voice in my head saying that it’s just mediocre. My inner artist was screaming, “Bravo!” and my inner critic was crying, “If you show anyone that you are happy with it, you’ll never be liked.” On a white piece of flimsy paper, I handed the sketch to my teacher and asked, “Do you like it? Is it good?” He looked at my design and asked, “Do you think it’s good?” I was taken aback by the question. I stammered a, “Y-yes. I think so.” He looked at me dead in the eye and said, “Then you should have handed me this design with confidence.” It was a pivotal moment for me. I was so scared to be confident. I was scared to feel the bliss of owning my work proudly for the fear of rejection.

Some years later, I got an internship at the stop motion studio, Bix Pix Entertainment in Los Angeles, California. There I had to prove myself to become an animator. A newfound dream that had sparked somewhere in college. My confidence had been slowly emerging in my college years, however, I still needed others approval for almost everything, even if I truly loved my work. At Bix Pix, I remember being trusted to animate a small scene. A simple one. I had been working through my lunches and staying after hours practicing in the testing units, asking other animators for advice on my animation. Now, finally after a year, I was given a shot to prove I could be an animator. After hours of animating the scene, I had finally finished. I was proud of it! My first professional animated shot ever. But I was also terrified that it didn’t quite live up to the beautiful work the other animators were turning in. The director and supervisor came in to my unit to “approve” the shot. Before they even hit play, I began to pick out the flaws in my work. I talked for almost ten minutes as to why it isn’t that good and pointed out all the mistakes that I thought could ruin my chances of becoming an animator. I stammered and sweated and yapped without taking a breath. By the end of my rant, I stepped aside. The director played it about three times. Looked at me. Said, “it’s approved” and walked out. My supervisor, bless her soul, stayed back and looked me dead in the eye. The way my teacher had when I presented him my best t-shirt design yet. She looked at me and said, “Never do that again.” She may have thrown in a swear word. She said, “Savannah, own your work. If you wouldn’t have pointed out all those things, he might have congratulated you on your first shot ever. But instead, he walked off uncertain if he made the right decision approving the shot. He approved it because it’s good. But you made him second guess himself. Not because of the work. But because of YOU. Stand out of your own way and let the work speak for itself. Do you like it?” I was in shock, “Yes,” I said. Tears streamed down my cheeks. She said, “Then that’s all that matters. Let him tell you if something is wrong. Even if he found something, at least deep down you know you did your best.”

And after that moment, I really took charge of my inner conflict of worthiness and went on an ever-learning adventure of owning my work. The crazy part is, once I started to own my work and allow myself to be excited about it, I noticed a shift in the way people would approach me. They began to believe in me because I believed in me. Not because of the work, but because I changed my inner dialogue. Once I learned that confidence is contagious, amazing opportunities started to unfold before me. It was like I turned on a switch for attracting growth. The lifelong battle of overcoming insecurities and building up my self-esteem was necessary for me to have arrived with such a sense of clarity as to who I am as an artist. And, ultimately, I want to be the one to have to stare myself dead in the eye to remind myself that if I like my work, then let it speak for itself, let it go. Because once the work is out there, it’s not yours anymore. I have had to detach my self-worth from my work. Be it professional or personal, I find my confidence is cultivated in the process of the doing, of the “owning”. And when I complete something, I am just happy to have finished it at the best of my abilities. Regardless of the outcome or how it’s received, adopting this mindset has helped me build and maintain confidence in myself as an artist.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My career as a stop motion animator came about in my early 20’s. I went to southern Illinois University to study film and during that time I discovered stop motion animation. When I moved out to Los Angeles back in 2013, I had a car packed with my belongings and $500 to my name. Luckily, I had saved money to live in an apartment for three months. Hustling around, I found a serving job that would ultimately lead me to get my first internship at a stop motion studio. During my first year in LA I did a lot of free work for low budget films. I was painting sets and wardrobe assisting. In college I completed a senior thesis short stop motion animated film called, “My Art Is Not Dead,” that won Best Animation at the Queens World Film Festival in New York. As much as I was emailing all of the stop motion studios in LA, no one was responding. I would send my short film to all the studios but was constantly rejected. After a year I almost gave up. It was in this moment something amazing happened. I was bartending during the day and a man came in for lunch. After some time he asked me what I wanted to do for my career. I told him I wanted to work in a stop motion studio. He lit up and said, “My friend owns a studio down the street.” And gave me the studio owners information. I was forever grateful! For about six months, me and that studio emailed back and forth until finally they had an internship opening. Persistence is literally everything. I’ve been animating ever since. My character animation has appeared in two major motion pictures; Guillermo Del Toro’s Oscar-winning ‘Pinocchio’ (2022) and Aardman’s ‘Chicken Run 2: Dawn of the Nugget’ (2023). I’ve animated on multiple Emmy-winning children’s shows and on streaming platforms like Apple TV, YouTube, Hulu, Crackle, Peacock, Nickelodeon, and Amazon Prime. Currently, I am animating at Laika, the studio that made ‘Coraline’, on their next feature film, ‘Wildwood’ (2026).

It has been such an amazing opportunity to be in such a niche industry. Stop motion has had its ups and downs, always on the verge of dying or exploding. I have to pinch myself that I have made a living working in such a unique field. My love for the arts and performance arts really came together for me when I discovered this industry. It’s all in one; a hand crafted film making inanimate objects come to life through my performance as an actor. And amongst AI, I feel that stop motion has such a visceral aspect to it. That a living breathing person had to build the set, make the miniatures by hand, recreate the sunset and move the characters with their hands leaving fingerprints behind. It’s just a beautiful art form and I am so happy to be apart of it. I will be creating my own short film in the near future. I’ve had a story in my head for quite some time and I am currently developing it into a stop motion short film.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in my journey are persistence, confidence, and networking.

I got my first internship at a stop motion studio because I emailed them consistently. I made sure that they knew I was interested. When I emailed the supervisor for ‘Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio’, it took a half a year reminding them I exist until they finally interviewed me. When you make yourself known, it gives you an edge. If you only send out one email and then a follow up, they may forget you. Some businesses are so busy that it’s the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. In other words, if you show how passionate you are in your desire to be a part of something, often, you will be granted an opportunity. I had no work to show other than a small project I did in college. I didn’t graduate from SCAD, CAL Arts, or UCLA. I barely took any animation classes. I had no work to show so no one wanted to hire me. After the six months of emailing Bix Pix Entertainment, I was finally given a chance to show them how much I wanted the internship. When I got it, it was revealed to me that 7 other people were up for the position, all who graduated with animation degrees. I believe my persistence is what landed me that internship because I wanted it THAT bad.

Confidence is the other factor in my success. After I started to have an unwavering belief in myself, it didn’t matter if I was successful or not. All that mattered was that I was excited about my art. People can feel if you are too needy or insecure. Success comes when you let go of failure. You must embrace falling on your face. Don’t count the number of times you fail; count the number of times you get back up. That is where the success lies. I have been rejected so many times. I have been told my work isn’t good. My lifelong journey of finding that confidence within me has shown me that I am doing the art for myself and no one else. I can’t fail if I embrace the fact that I learned so much from the process of it all. It only ever makes me a stronger artist and a faster learner. Which ultimately cultivates confidence within me to get back up and get back out there.

Lastly, I believe networking is a valuable skill. I have been given so many job opportunities just by being friendly and interested in the other person. Networking is about creating bonds not getting jobs. A friend of mine went to Burning Man and met a cool couple. They work in commercials and have their own production company in Los Angeles, sometimes doing stop motion animation. He told them he knows a stop motion animator and they immediately wanted my contact information; however, they did not need me to animate. They needed miniature builders. Artists who crafted the most breathtaking props and sets at a tiny scale. I sent them a long list of all my friends in the industry who qualify. They hired everyone — except me. I wasn’t about to pester them every month asking if they had any gigs. I knew that being their friend is more important than trying to get a job out of them. So, by keeping myself present in their eyes by social media engagement and going to the parties they would throw, I managed to stay fresh in their minds. A year and a half later they had a top-secret gig and called me immediately. It was for Katy Perry’s ‘Cozy Little Christmas’ music video. I was floored to be a part of it. It’s in the moments like these that really test your patience.

Cultivate friends and believe that if you help them, it will be paid forward in some other karmic way. Never expect an exchange unless it is agreed upon. Many professionals can feel if you are being too pushy with your projects or are just their friend in hopes to get a job. You don’t want to have terrible social skills even if you are a recluse animator. It’s okay if you find yourself to be an introvert or a shy person. Maybe you don’t even like going to parties. But if you want to grow your career, you will have to step out of your comfort zone at some point and really put yourself out there. I always encourage animators to take acting classes just to get out of the dark stages and into an unfamiliar environment. Learning about how to publicly speak is beneficial too. I’m not saying you must be the most charismatic person in the room. All I am saying, and through my years of experience, is that you just don’t want to be the shadow in the corner at a networking event. Having a conversation with a professional in your chosen field can be scary, but if you ask them a question about themselves, they most likely will start the talking. People love talking about themselves! But finding the courage to even make eye contact and stand tall in a room can make the biggest difference when it comes to your career. Believe me when I say, there are too many forgettable people in the world. Find a way to stand out. Embrace your uniqueness. If you’re a shy person be shy with confidence! Own your shyness. It’s not just about being likable; it’s about being relatable. Everyone knows what it’s like to be shy. A professional who sees a shy person try is immediately a green flag. A friend of mine used to say, “If I feel like I can’t sit down and have a beer with you, I most likely won’t want you on my next project”. Working full time with the same people day in and day out is an intimate experience. You want to be nice and leave the problems at home. Learn how to ask the right questions. Stand tall and own your space. Be magnetic with your eye contact. Be relatable by learning about others. Get curious as to why these people in your chosen field are successful. More times than not, they will gladly share with you their tips and tricks as to how they got into their chosen field.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

As of now, I have had some really great success as an animator. The challenge I am currently facing is figuring out my next step as an artist. I have so many ambitions but right now it’s about getting very clear as to what I want. There are so many things that waste time like social media. I have been really focusing on saying no more and doing things that feel uncomfortable like getting in front of a camera. It’s almost like a career switch however, I am bringing my love for stop motion along with me. I can’t really say what the next chapter will be, but I know it will look slightly different. And I’m excited for it!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Savannah Steiner
Woman in Animation Panel
Shadow Machine

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