ATLANTA — An Atlanta filmmaker and animator who built a following by turning personal setbacks into comedy is now working to create a pipeline for young creatives in underserved communities.
Sierra McKie is the creator of the viral animated series My Crynicles - the Mini Series and founder of Juvenile Studio. McKie describes the project as a chronological retelling of the frustrating, personal and emotional moments that shaped her early adulthood.
“It’s a series of events that made me cry in chronological order,” McKie said. “My friend was trying to get me to start a YouTube channel because I would always get on Snapchat and complain about my day, and my friends thought it was hilarious because I have a funny way of saying things that makes pretty much any situation into a funny thing.”
What began as a low budget portfolio project has grown into a viral brand and a launchpad for her work as a writer and independent creator.
McKie said her path into animation began out of financial necessity. After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in communications, she planned to move to Los Angeles to pursue writing, editing and voice acting.
The original concept for My Crynicles was a live action series, but production costs quickly forced her to pivot.
“I started learning about how expensive equipment was, and how hard it was to get the same right,” McKie said. “So, I decided that the cheapest way to get this thing started was to do animation.”
Inspired by anime, including Sailor Moon, and the simple production style of South Park, McKie began experimenting despite having no formal illustration background. Her first pilot was created using Bitmoji.
“I’ve always loved anime and cartoons since I guess like five years old,” McKie said. “A lot of my artwork is anime inspired. It was at first Bitmoji, since I didn’t know how to draw. It was just supposed to be like the pilot for the show because my main passion is writing. I’ve been writing since middle school.”
After an unanswered outreach to Bitmoji, McKie taught herself illustration using free YouTube tutorials and learned software including Adobe Character Animator and Cinema 4D.
“I even actually reached out to Bitmoji, but they never responded to me,” McKie said. “I just decided to teach myself how to draw, and ever since then, it’s just been a learning process. I learned everything on YouTube.”
The work gained traction in 2019 when she released a trailer that helped expand her audience online. That momentum later led to additional projects, including a self produced animated music video for hip-hop icon Lil Wayne’s “Mahogany.”
“The Mahogany video was just like a side project I did one day,” McKie said. “I listened to the song and I couldn’t get this idea out of my head and I decided to make it for fun. I just threw it together within a day.”
McKie said she draws inspiration from independent creators who built their own platforms, including Issa Rae and Tyler Perry.
“How she started on YouTube with Awkward Black Girl, and then transcended that into Insecure and HBO,” McKie said. “I definitely draw a lot of inspiration from her, because I am also an awkward Black girl, so I really resonated with her growth and her journey. Tyler Perry, even, has taken his stage presence and turned that into a multi-billion dollar company and he does everything himself, and that’s essentially what I’m doing, writing, editing, animating, voice acting.”
Today, McKie operates independently while building toward Juvenile Studio, which she founded as an LLC in 2022.
Her long term goal includes opening a multi-level creative facility offering free resources for young artists, including computer labs for writing, editing and animation, along with recording booths for podcasting and voice-over work.
McKie plans to launch the first location in St. Louis, where she hopes to build opportunity pipelines for young creatives facing educational and economic barriers.
“I think I really want the first Juvenile Studio to be in St. Louis just because I feel like there’s so much creativity there, but they don’t have the opportunity to let it out,” McKie said. “I want to eventually create a space where I can teach other people how to do what I do, because I really think that everybody can make their own chronicles. It’s a matter of opportunity, learning, and time.”
McKie offered advice for others chasing their dreams.
“Start today,” McKie said. “Don’t let anyone make you feel like you have to choose between having a lucrative career and a creative career because I did practically all my work on the side of the jobs that I had. I worked a lot in college. At one point, I had like four jobs and was taking 19 credit hours. Even if you don’t know where to start, start with you. You are your biggest inspiration. See yourself as the main character and go from there.”
