Her Story
About Shanna
Shanna Alcide serves as a supervisor on the animated series Paw Patrol at Guru Studio, affiliated with Nickelodeon. In this role, she leads a team responsible for groom and simulation of hair and fur for 3D characters, ensuring realistic movement and detail in scenes. She began her career after earning a certification in 3D animation from Dawson College in Montreal, starting with a position in Hong Kong before moving through contracts in live-action films and feature animation in Canada. Over her 11 years in the industry, Alcide has advanced from artist to team lead, emphasizing perseverance and equality in her work. She is an active member of Women of SIGGRAPH, where she participates in committees focused on mentoring young women, trans women, and non-binary individuals to foster diversity and reduce barriers in animation. Alcide credits much of her professional approach to the influence of her partner, who has modeled resilience in male-dominated fields.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Shanna
01What do you attribute your success to?
My partner has a lot to do with this. She's the top of her field, she's a woman as well, she's of Asian descent, and she has never taken no for an answer, and I think she's one of my biggest influences. She has an approach to how to thrive in a male-dominated field that I didn't see.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Perseverance is one, for sure. Don't take no for an answer. As artists and animators, we tend to be very creative, and we tend to be very sensitive about our work, and sometimes I've seen many female artists that are fantastic and really good, but they've gotten some bad comments, or they didn't make it, and they gave up. You have to keep going through all the comments.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Persevere and fake it till you make it. If you know how to do something, just say yes, you're gonna learn it anyway. Don't make yourself small. I think we do that way too much. And be proud of what you accomplished, you're not gonna be the best, you're probably not the worst, but you have what you have, and you have to keep going with that.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
It's getting more and more techy, it's getting more technical, so we're hiring more people that come from an IT background. A lot of big companies have major waves of layoffs every 6 to 7 months, or when they hire someone, now you have a 3-month contract. Young indie artists are making their own indie studios and shorts that make it to the Oscars.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Equality is really important to me. I think treating every worker's and job applicant with the same fairness is very difficult task to do. Everyone deserves a shot. You should get a shot for everyone.
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