TU alumnus gets animated as production assistant at DreamWorks
Moses Koo ’21 went from an internship to full-time at one of world’s top animation studios
By Kyle Hobstetter on April 14, 2022
Moses Koo ’21 always wanted to be a storyteller, just like his dad.
But instead of recounting tales to family and friends, Koo wanted to do it through a camera lens. That’s what brought the Silver Spring, Maryland, native to Towson University to major in electronic media and film and mass communication[BROKEN LINK].
As an undergrad, Koo focused on live-action short films and wedding videos. Animation never crossed his mind.
But through working with the Towson University Career Center and the T. Howard Foundation, which promotes diversity in the media industry, landed him an internship too good to pass up.
“The one thing I always heard about DreamWorks was how welcoming the work culture was,” Koo says. “Everyone was excited not only work with me but to ask how they can support me. They were constantly feeding into you so you can develop professionally.”
He was a training intern, helping incoming artists learn the way DreamWorks Animation operates. He assisted with scheduling, took notes during training sessions and ensured everyone understood the software they were using.
Through the internship, Koo learned key media and production skills and how a major production studio operates.
“This is something I’m passionate about, and I want to learn how to get better,” Koo says. “After connecting with people [at the studio], [I learned] not a lot of them started out in animation. A lot of them were coming out of film school like I was.
“That gave me a lot of hope, and I thought DreamWorks would be a really cool space that I’m blending into that could work out for me.”
Koo’s DreamWorks dream come true.
This past February, he started as a production assistant for “DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms,” a spinoff television show based on the popular “How to Train Your Dragon” movie series. The show will premiere its second season May 5 on Hulu and Peacock streaming services.
Koo’s role is to make sure episode production goes smoothly. This includes working with animators in post-production, taking notes during meetings, running through animatics, doing frame counts and sharing information with overseas studios.
He credits his internship supervisor who saw Koo’s passion and wanted to bring him aboard full time.
“I would share with her my ambitions and where I wanted to go, and she thought working in production was a good way to start,” Koo says. “She recommended me for an opening on the show, and I hopped on.
“I’m just thankful for her and everyone in the internship department, because they were constantly supporting me.”
While most of his fellow graduates are working 9 to 5 jobs, Koo describes his as a noon to 9. That’s because he still lives in Towson and works remotely with coworkers in California.
The hours might not be the best, but he gets to work from a place that’s felt like home since he stepped on campus in fall 2018. While he has plans to move to Los Angeles to be closer to his new job, for now he’s happy to have the support system he built at TU right around the corner.
“The EMF department not only helped me advance my career, it also helped me grow as a person,” Koo says. “The professors are great. One of my favorite professors was Jena Burchick, who always made time to sit down with me and ask how she can help.”
Another benefit to living in Towson is Koo remains close to his mom and dad. How do they feel about their son working for a major production studio?
“They are just happy I found a job,” Koo laughs.