Lipscomb animation alumna wins daytime Emmy
Just one year after graduating from Lipscomb University's Master of Fine Arts in animation, alumna Beth Leak ('25) has already claimed one of television's highest honors for her work bringing Georgia O'Keeffe's story to life on screen.
Sofia Bailey |
From the classroom to an Emmy-winning production, Lipscomb University alumna Beth Leak (’25) is already making her mark in the animation industry.
Leak recently won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Children/Teen Content for her work with PBS Wisconsin on an educational, animated short film about the life of renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe titled, “Georgia O’Keefe: Painting Her Own Path”.
"I feel so lucky and so grateful to have been a part of the team with PBS Wisconsin that got to paint Georgia O'Keeffe's story to life," Leak said. "Let's go, public media!"
The award-winning project was part of Leak’s internship at PBS Wisconsin while she was pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in animation at Lipscomb and working full-time as a nanny. She contributed to the project in a variety of ways, from collaborating on art and storyboarding scenes to designing character details. The project took about a year in total to complete , and winning an Emmy was a surreal experience.
Leak’s Lipscomb animation professors said her success comes as no surprise.
"We have so many talented students that, as a professor, it’s hard to tell which ones will blossom early,” recalled Tom Bancroft, co-chair of Lipscomb’s animation program at Lipscomb. “With Beth, though, she came to us with more than raw talent; she had ideas and a strong sense of storytelling. It can take students a while to realize it's not the best drawings in the room that win, but the best ideas.”
“I couldn't be more proud of Beth winning this award,” agreed Tony Bancroft, also co-chair of the animation program. “I knew that she would have a bright future, but winning an Emmy a year out of graduating from Lipscomb University is amazing.”
Leak's path into animation didn't start with paper and pen, but rather, it started on stage, where she began as a theatre and graphic design major. “I can't remember a time where I didn't want to be an artist,” Leak said. “I switched to majoring in animation because I felt like it was the kind of theatre I could do at my desk. I also dropped the graphic design major because I wanted to do more storytelling in my design efforts. Animation was the perfect marriage of drawing and theatre.”
In addition to her internship at PBS Wisconsin, Leak completed several other internships that gave her opportunities to hone her skills and bring what she was learning in the classroom to life. She worked as a development intern for Pencilish Animation Studio and as a concept design studio intern at Walt Disney Imagineering in California, an experience that led to a full-time position as a concept artist Imagineer. In that role, her projects included the new Cars-themed land and the highly anticipated Monstropolis at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World in Florida. Leak particularly enjoys growing her storyboarding skills and learning from industry professionals who genuinely want to see her and other animators succeed.
Her professional experience also includes serving as a fellow at the Children’s Media Association and completing freelance work for Studio Relic, Woodstock Arts, among others. Prior to graduate school, Leak completed a summer-long internship in animation and film production at Partizan in Los Angeles.
Through these experiences, she has built on the foundation she developed at Lipscomb, where she had the opportunity to refine her skills in an intentional classroom environment led by industry professionals.
“I chose Lipscomb because of its array of professors and how classes were so conversational,” commented Leak. “I was able to learn from professors and industry professionals on a personal level. I would not have gotten the PBS internship or the Disney internship if I hadn’t attended Lipscomb.”
During her time at Lipscomb, she explored a variety of creative opportunities: focusing on character design, honing her screenwriting skills, and working on an animated project for Tom Bancroft's studio, Pencilish, on the preschool series 'Merwee and Zomo!' set to release later this year. Leak commented on her experience with Pencilish, saying, "It was really cool to see what we were doing in class be translated on the screen." Together, these experiences helped lay a strong foundation for her career, giving her the skills and confidence to pursue opportunities across the animation industry.
As she continues to build her career, Leak offers a simple piece of advice to aspiring animators: "Continue making stuff. Time is going to pass anyway. But most importantly, it matters that you are a kind person."
For more information about Lipscomb’s program in animation, visit https://lipscomb.edu/academics/programs/animation