Like many people, Alex Weiss Morgan changed jobs during the pandemic. Between 2015 and 2020, she worked on many projects at DreamWorks Animation on films like “Trolls,” “Trolls World Tour,” and “Abominable and Croods: A New Age.” Then, in September of 2020, she got a job as a production supervisor at Netflix Animation where demand for people who can get things done behind the literal scenes is sky-high.
“Animation was the only thing that could continue through the early days of the pandemic,” Weiss Morgan said.
At Boise State, Weiss Morgan had planned to major in political science, but a friend convinced her to enroll in Intro to Video where, she said, she had her “Whoa, this is amazing” moment.
“I didn’t think there was a career possibility in film,” she said. “All those cool intro classes, hearing from people who had experiences and cool careers – if it wasn’t for taking Intro to Video, I don’t know what I’d be doing.”
Daehwan Cho, associate professor of film and television arts at Boise State, described Morgan’s career arc as “the best example” of what Broncos can do with their degrees, training and enthusiasm.
“The possibilities are endless,” he said. “The classes provide the necessary tools and knowledge for any career. It’s ultimately the student’s passion that dictates where they go, but if the passion is there, there’s no reason why there can’t be another Alex Weiss Morgan.”
After graduating from Boise State, Weiss Morgan, who grew up in Southern California, returned to the Los Angeles area, where she took on production internships at places like The Buzz Lab and Disney ABC Television Group and enrolled in the MFA Film and Television Production program at the University of Southern California.
Those experiences helped her make decisions about her career, she said. She ultimately chose the more structured studio, rather than independent, film production path. She grew her skill set to include budgeting, scheduling, and helping artists and technicians bring their ideas to life.
“I want to help people tell their stories,” she said.
A member of the Producers Guild of America and a mentor for Women in Animation, Weiss Morgan discovered a strong community of Boise State alumni working in the film industry.
“There’s a strong network out here and there’s probably someone doing that thing you want to do who’s from Boise State,” she said.
– By Harrison Berry