Sam Keehan

Sam Keehan is a motion graphics designer currently living and working in London. He gained his BA in Visual Communications from LSAD in 2013. Since graduating Sam has freelanced with MPC and Territory Studio both in London.

advice for students:

What advice would you give to students who are beginning their studies?
The best advice is to work hard. You will learn to design your way out of difficult situations both in college and beyond, but sometimes life just throws a mammoth job at you. If your ground work in college is done to the best of your ability, you will have the skills to get you through days when you need to really power through large amounts of work. Another thing would be to take advantage of the extra time available at this stage. Experiment with software and techniques, push yourself to research and to learn. You never know you have a talent for something if you don’t try it!

And for students about to graduate?
Be as methodical as you can when applying for jobs. Don’t miss out on an interview because of silly mistakes. Also, try not to be nervous when contacting studios, or walking into interviews. Though the industry is fast paced and competitive, everyone in it is still a person, and they have all been in your situation. Many of the people I have come across have both been easy to talk to and extremely helpful, so don’t be afraid to chat to people or make contact.

What are you up to now?
I’m currently freelancing in London, and also working remotely for companies in Ireland. Most of the work I do is for MPC in Soho, and Territory near Old street. Besides that I am working on personal projects and trying to improve my skills in the required software so that younger students can’t take my job!

How did you get there?
Things moved quite quickly for me once I finished college. That was more down to me wanting to get going than being offered anything. After finishing my studies at LSAD I had made my decision to get into motion graphics fairly quickly and spent the summer researching and getting in touch with studios. After interviewing I pounced on an internship at Territory and since that finished I’ve been freelancing. I’ve just been constantly trying to hone my craft as often as I can since. Freelancing has definitely kept me on my toes though, constantly needing money has made me take on lots of projects that I don’t think I would have taken on otherwise. Its been great, and I’ve learned a lot so far! Also the people I’ve met since I moved to London two years ago have really helped me, both professionally and personally. They are a great bunch of friends and a brilliant bunch of animators to be inspired by!