EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT – MADDY RIDDLE

Maddy Riddle goes above and beyond in combining profession with passion, thriving at the intersection of tech and storytelling. In her four years with Mills James, this Motion Graphics Artist has found a home in VFX, drawing on her background in both Computer Science and Screenwriting. Finding inspiration in her coworkers and in nature, Maddy loves creating content designed to educate while continually learning more about the tools of her craft. When she’s not bringing stories to life on screen, you’ll find her tending her garden, discovering new music, or on the hunt for the best French onion soup in town.

Meet Maddy below:

How long have you been at Mills James?  

I started working at Mills James right out of college in the summer of 2021 as a Pre-Professional intern in the Visual Effects department.

Where were you before Mills James?

Before Mills James, I attended The Ohio State University for four years, working my way through a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer and Information Science with a specialization in Computer Graphics and Game Design and a minor in Screenwriting.

What led you to a career in this industry?

I found my way into the video production field in an attempt to blend the knowledge I was learning in computer science (from algorithms and data structures to computer architecture and networking) with my passions outside of class (in art, design, music, and movies). Spoiler alert: the attempt was extremely successful.

At OSU, I had the opportunity to make an animated short film about a music note that lived inside a piano and came to life whenever the piano was played. I definitely realized my passion for storytelling and computer animation during this class. This was where I also learned the core knowledge that would eventually get me the job at Mills James fresh out of school. At this time, I was also a leader in the Animation Club at school, learning and teaching about modern animation techniques and animation pop-culture.

But it was actually through a Screenwriting professor that I came upon a direct contact to Mills James. I will always be grateful that I picked up that screenwriting minor because it really paired nicely with my Computer Animation courses and kept my eyes on the prize of what I wanted to use those skills for: to be a part of the video production industry! I applied, interviewed, and provided work samples and a new demo showcasing a 3D animation I made in Cinema4D after I learned it was the main software used by Mills James animators (and I hadn’t used it before). It was the blend of my computer science knowledge, my screenwriting and film industry background and connections, and my go-above-and-beyond attitude that got me the job in the end, and I am very happy and proud of my career in this field!

What's a project that stands out to you?

A project that I’ve worked on that sticks out to me from the rest is the Collage Animation project with McGraw Hill. If not solely due to its scale and volume, this project is a large part of my life at work. There are so many things I love about it: the joy I get working with the McGraw Hill clients, the pride that comes from working as the Art Director and Animator, and the reward of creating these videos to teach the students of today in modern classrooms. These facts keep me excited, motivated, and happy to work hard on this project. It is projected to continue into 2026, having been started in 2024, and, by that time, we will have made over 200 lessons ranging, from science to history to helping out around your community. I have added some fantastic tools to my resume, refining my skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects. Each video that we make follows a McGraw Hill script written to reenforce topics that the students are learning in class, reminding me to be simple yet purposeful with my illustrations and animation decisions, but also to have fun and be outside-of-the-box creative with it. Students grade K through 5 will be watching these videos over the course of the school year, and I love that the main goal of each of these videos is to not only engage but ultimately teach the students.

Where do you find inspiration?  

I find inspiration from coworkers and from nature. Some of the most esthetically pleasing and beautiful designs are those that are most simple, and some of the most simple solutions take complex paths to get to. It always helps to talk it through with a coworker or friend. A lot of the time, there are answers that present themselves after getting some fresh air, getting outside and seeing how the world naturally works and comes together. There could be a simple and effective solution hidden or not so easily seen at first, and I find that inspiring to be in pursuit of. 

What's the biggest challenge you see in this industry and how do we overcome it?

The biggest challenge I see in this industry is relying too much on computers to do the creating for us. We can overcome this by ensuring that artists continue to be the true innovators and idea generators, and that computers are primarily helping us create.

I think there are a few instances where utilizing computers to "do the thinking for us” is a total game-changer in what kinds of graphics can be created, from rotoscoping (animation created by tracing live-action footage frame by frame) in After Effects to real-time rendering in Unreal Engine, both of which utilize AI and machine learning. But I think these tools are also good for facilitating the content creation process for artists, enabling them to iterate on their ideas and refine their work, and allowing them to perform tasks quickly that would otherwise take a long time to do by hand. Computers help us create without taking the overall creation out of our hands. But it's up to us to ensure that people and artists remain knowledgeable about the tools they are using. We can overcome the temptation from computers to be the sole creators by continuing to do what we do best: learning and developing content for good, collaborating with one another, and utilizing safe and respectful practices when implementing the incredible technologies that become more and more readily available every day.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy live music, gardening, trying the French Onion Soup at every restaurant I go to, and spending time with family and friends. I have been getting more into music production through GarageBand lately, as well as reading in a book club I started with my family.