Madilyn Davidson
Publish Date: Monday, 4 May 2020
Madilyn Davidson

Bachelor of Screen Arts Animation graduate

Bachelor of Screen Arts Animation graduate Madilyn Davidson was born in the Waikato and grew up in Pirongia and later Auckland.

She moved to Invercargill after completing high school - a big move, considering she knew no one in the South Island.

Madilyn chose SIT to study after hearing about the course at Auckland Armageddon, but didn’t know very much about the institute itself.

“I wanted a course that would challenge me mentally, creatively and personally,” she says.

“SIT appealed to me as somewhere outside of my comfort zone that I could really focus on finding the person that I wanted to be.”

Madilyn very much enjoyed working with her peers throughout the course.

“I enjoyed collaborating with the talented students and cultivating my own wealth of experience through the unique range of perspectives.

“I enjoyed working with the SIT Production team on a number of projects, I learnt a lot from these hands-on opportunities that I pursued outside of my mandatory course hours.”

Leaving SIT after graduation, Madilyn was nervous about what her future would hold.

“ I did not feel prepared at all to tackle my career, least of all the one I dreamed of having. But now looking back at all I did and all I have done, I am confident in the ideals I stood for then and the values I will continue to stand for. SIT taught me the importance of standing by your work and your passion no matter who is standing against you.”

During her time in Invercargill, Madilyn met a number of people within the film industry. These are contacts she considers herself lucky to know and to have worked with and who she will keep in contact with still.

“The people you meet in Invercargill are people you share a connection with forever,” she says.

“I have never run into someone from Invercargill who I didn’t immediately bond with. The community is small, but strong and it is a city full of beautiful, happy people.”

Madilyn now works as a Post-Production Producer in Auckland.

She got the job after three months of interviews and pestering.

“I made sure that I ended up being the best choice. I pushed myself to fill the role to the best of my abilities, now I am working alongside our Senior Producer in a junior position learning more than I ever could have hoped.

“As a junior producer I am responsible for scheduling artists, licenses and rooms in our studio. Our studio works on TVC, Series and Long Format projects. I work with VFX artists to fulfil client briefs on time and to budget.

“I also work freelance in Art Department, I have been involved in a number of short films this year gaining valuable on-set experience.”