Megan Swanson one of my LSL Auditory Verbal graduate’s latest projects is as Production Coordinator for the film “Liftoff” which is LIVE on Kickstarter! It is an animated short film about a Deaf dancer who faces her fears within her dreams created by an integrated crew of all hearing types that demonstrates diversity, inclusion, and positivity! They hope to create a meaningful representation for the Deaf/HoH community through the film and generate opportunities for Deaf/HoH artists through our work.
Megan Swanson - Production Coordinator
Megan Swanson was born profoundly deaf, and wears a cochlear implant. She is the Production Coordinator for Signing Animation's film Liftoff. Megan has been working to pave a path for everyone like herself who has a dream of being part of the film and television production industry. Megan started her production career in 2009 with Dreaming Tree Film's program “Fresh Films”, she then went on to perform at Walt Disney World Resort, finally making her dreams come true by moving to Los Angeles in 2015. Her credits include shows with Lifetime, Netflix, Panavision, and FX Network. In addition, Megan has appeared on the Netflix show “Nailed It” as a home baker (Season 1, Episode 4). Megan is passionate about community outreach and was crowned California Miss Amazing, and National Miss Amazing in 2017. When not hard at work Megan enjoys exploring the stunning California coast and spending time with her dog Moe.
The Story: Liftoff
This story was born out of a desire to see accurate Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (HoH) stories in animation. We want to tell stories with Deaf/HoH main characters who have authentic, well-rounded experiences.
Liftoff is a 9-minute 3D-animated short film which explores the mind of a Deaf dancer as she faces her fears about her big audition Vivian is a born optimist and has loved dance ever since she was a little girl, but at 22, she's out on her own for the first time and finds her insecurities appearing the night before her audition for her dream ballet company. Will she conquer her nerves and show her true self as a performer, or will the anxiety swallow her whole?
While assembling our team, we found that Deaf/HoH talent was severely underrepresented in the animation industry, as were Deaf/HoH stories. Therefore, we created the animation studio and non-profit Signing Animation to uplift talent of all hearing types in integrated environments while creating Liftoff. We are creating meaningful representation for the Deaf/HoH community through our film, and affecting meaningful change to the animation industry for Deaf/HoH artists through our work at Signing Animation.