Kickstart Spotlight: Hannah Smith

This month we’re shining the Kickstart Spotlight on one of our awesome Production Coordinators here - Hannah Smith!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Hannah.

Hi! I'm Hannah, I grew up in the little peninsula of Tsawassen and attended VFS for Classical Animation. I call East Van my home with my Partner Jabree and my Cat Moomoo (Juju).

What was your first job?

My very first job was working as a Blenz Barista in my hometown. I was a barista for over 8 years at various cafes around Vancouver and consider myself a coffee expert! I worked my way up to managing a local cafe in 2021.
I decided to ditch the cafe life and find my career in animation which was one of the best decisions I've made career-wise. I’ll always appreciate a good espresso though!

My experience as a barista definitely defined how I react to stressful situations (all while having unlimited access to caffeine which does not usually help). It was also a great way to learn how to develop a good relationship with your team. 

How many years have you been working in this industry?

I landed my first job in animation in early 2019, so about 2 years.

How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?

I was hired as an intern! Shoutout to Reena, Michael, and Ashlynn for spearheading the Internship programme. I'm happy to say I'm now a permanent Teamie in production! 

 What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?

Lean on your team - You’re not supposed to know everything and you’ll be learning throughout your career. Develop a good relationship with your team and use the collective expertise of your colleagues to learn and grow. Also to stop overusing the exclamation point when you're messaging…

If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?

Make sure you take a break and get away from it all for a moment, don’t take things personally, and chat with people! I find halfway through complaining about something hard I usually realize it's not that serious. 

What is the highlight of your career so far?

Finding a Pickledog at the PNE after a hopeless search with a few Kickstart Teamies!

What qualities do you look for in a mentor?

Patience and a sense of humor.

What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?

An espresso shot and a few Pickle caesars from Tangent Cafe to start. Then to Langley to go thrifting, or somewhere I can dive into a body of water (temperature and time of year do not matter)

What is your superpower?

I’ve been told I never have a bad hair day!