We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angwara Sae-Hoon a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angwara, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Animation was my first childhood love but I didn’t rediscover it until I was a young adult. As a first gen student at the University of Illinois, I was aggressively exploring international relations or business fields. I felt fortunate to be there as my father was originally against a university education but got his blessing when I secured enough scholarships, grants, and part-time work to cover. For a summer, I studied crisis diplomacy and met diplomats at various intergovernmental organizations in Vienna, Austria. For a winter, I traveled and worked as a student consultant for a female entrepreneur, whose business uplifted rural women, in Bangalore, India. Through non-profits, I volunteered on campus to help spread awareness and fundraise for the North Korean refugee crisis as well as virtually taught English to Haitian students post the earthquake disaster. I admired the incredible people I met doing such important work, but my heart felt neither paths were right for me. When I was lost, my entrepreneurship mentor guided me with life changing advice. He encouraged me to go into a business for a service/product that I can passionately take on as a life mission 24/7 and willing to make sacrifices. Through introspection, I realized my school notebooks were filled with drawings, habitually binged animation, and always looked forward to theater premieres of Disney*Pixar films with friends. Realizing how animation was a large part of my life and how powerful it is in connecting people together, that was the moment I decided to pursue it professionally.

Angwara, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m a proud Thai-Hainanese American born and raised in Illinois. I was cared for by working class parents who immigrated from the Thai countryside and numerous aunties/uncles when my parents were overwhelmed from overlapping factory shifts. As a kid, I regularly walked 2 miles round trip to the local library to check out Disney/Pixar/Studio Ghibli animation and Japanese anime. While English was my second language and I had a disruptive speech disorder, it didn’t stop me from repeatedly watching the beautiful animation and singing along. My father, who apprenticed as a watchmaker in Bangkok, encouraged me to have curiosity in the why and how the pictures moved. Inspired, I drew a lot of fan art of my favorite characters and entered art competitions in elementary/junior high school.

I’ve now worked full-time in film/series animation production for 5 years under Disney, Netflix, and Nickelodeon. Some productions I’ve supported are Disney Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet, Disney Junior Puppy Dog Pals, and Ghee Happy by ex-Disney*Pixar Veteran Sanjay Patel. In animation, the production team partners with creatives to ensure a process that allows them to be optimally creative and stay on track of deadlines. Serving has been such an honor and privilege. It’s been a dream come true working on meaningful projects with amazing people, they all have an extremely special place in my heart. I also work part-time as a freelance artist. I’ve been a guest gallery illustrator for Disney Book Group’s The Art of Minnie Mouse and The Art of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse. Most recently, I’ve started freelancing as a novice 2nd key animator for Japanese film/series anime like Toei’s Digimon Ghost Game. It’s been surreal contributing to anime that shaped my childhood and many others.

Outside of animation, I serve as a cultural exchange advocate. I’ve volunteered 10+ years for Youth For Understanding, a high school study abroad and scholarship program, supporting outbound US students, inbound international students, and US host families. I’m proud to have served 2 years for a DEI grant partnered/sponsored by the US Department of State that promotes exchange scholarships to underserved and underrepresented youth. Studying in the US and abroad for me was only made possible by funding. I wish for equity in international education so that all students can gain lived experiences in another culture. I believe it is the best education and students return home with more compassion and stronger desire to find understanding with all.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew even earlier that there are affordable animation trade schools. There are many fantastic night and weekend classes (online and in person) taught by teachers who are actively working in the industry. They’re flexible for those that are full-time caretakers or workers. Learning this was such a blessing as I could not afford an expensive 4 year art university and had personal responsibilities to consider. I recommend the classes from The Animation Guild, Concept Design Academy, Brainstorm School, Schoolism, The Animation Collaborative, and many more. I’ve learned so much from both passionate teachers and classmates dedicated to growing their skills.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes! For the rest of my life, I wish to continue being a part of animation projects that push great stories and make one feel deeply. Additionally, I would love to work on an authentic Thai or Hainanese project someday. It would be amazing to honor my heritage – my ancestors, family, and friends. I’m excited for the day they can be more prominent within American mainstream media true to them. For now, I love sketching story moments / storyboarding personal stories inspired from my own life as well as multicultural folktales I cherish. I believe in the power of animation to start curiosity, celebrate diversity, and observe our shared humanity. Through diverse storytelling and the conversations sparked from it, they bridge the gaps of misunderstanding between people and can help build a more inclusive, kinder world.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/anniechanramen
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angwarasaehoon?_l=en_US