PVS Internship Experience

Thank you for doing this interview Rodney. Please share what your experience with PVS was like?

My internship experience was phenomenal! My intentions for choosing PVS for my internship were to acquire knowledge on what is required to own and properly protect my IPs [intellectual properties], and to learn how to pitch your IPs to agencies for publishing.

Knowledge & Skills Acquired

The workload was hefty, but it was worth every hour because I learned the basic information of what I needed to have in order to pitch my ideas. My supervisor also offered me insights as well as tips on how to make the reader want to know more when they read the logline or description on the back of my comic book. 

Pivotal Moments of The Internship

Please share a story of a significant moment during your internship.

Coming into the internship, I knew nothing about what a pitch bible was. Now, I know how much research and development goes into creating a pitch bible, how in-depth I need to get when developing the world in my stories, and how much of my product needs to be manifested for the agency to have as a sample. 

Vision for the Future

Imagine us sitting down together two years from now or further looking back. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?

I hope to take what I’ve learned and apply it to creating the most compelling story in the comic book industry. 

Advice for Creators and Future Interns

Who would you recommend should do this internship and what advice would you give them?

If you are someone who plans on creating their own IPs in the future, the PVS internship is a great way to start that journey. I definitely look forward to being a longtime collaborator with PVS.

Get in touch with Rodney here:

Instagram:  @rodneyford.artist : https://www.instagram.com/rodneyford.artist?igsh=eGl2OGRvZzJ1c3gw 
Email: [email protected]

Thank you for doing this interview Terri. Please share a bit about yourself and why you chose to do an internship with PVS.

From middle school to high school to present day, my dream has always been to create comics. I have been self-taught for quite some time and wanted more professional help in comic creation. Majoring in Digital Animation didn’t give me much insight into the ins and outs of creating a comic from scratch either. I truly wanted to learn more about the process. I wanted to know what it takes to create a story, a world, and characters. It’s something I have been passionate about and still is. That is why I chose to do the internship with Prime Vice Studios. Prime Vice Studios’ internship was the key to all my problems. I am even more passionate about comic creation than before I started the internship. 

PVS Internship Experience

What was your experience with PVS  like?

My experience with Prime Vice Studios was valuable. I have always struggled with whether comics are something I can pursue as a career. Due to my doubts on this, I majored in Digital Animation which is crazy because I love creating comics. When I was told about the internship I truly was excited and grateful. Things were finally getting brighter for me. This experience has allowed me to create many things that I am proud of. It has also taught me how to manage time as well which was very helpful. The workshops that Prime Vice Studios teaches have been fun and insightful. I learned so much and my perspective on comic creation has changed completely allowing me to create with less stress. Prime Vice Studios makes comic creation enjoyable. Being able to sit in a room of comics during the workshops was also inspiring. It gets you in the mood to create. Everything I learned is worthwhile, this experience will forever be engraved in my memories. It truly was an eye-opener.

Knowledge & Skills Acquired

What were some of your impactful moments during your internship?

From the start of the internship to the end, it made a significant impact on my life. One core memory I had was, “I can make a living from comics.” This is when I knew everything would be okay. My parents even began to see that I was doing incredible things which made me happy. I remember during the internship I asked about paneling. I have always struggled with paneling, it would stress me out. One tip was to view things in bigger shapes before details. Place all the panels first then add the subjects in big shapes. This is something I still use even after the internship. It makes everything so much easier. This tip helped me realize that comic creation is made through tedious steps, which allowed me to perform differently and more efficiently. Without this tip I would still be in a slump because comic creation is hard, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of passion and drive but it’s all worth it! 

Pivotal Moments of The Internship

Please share a story highlighting a pivotal moment of the internship.

The workshops at Syndicate Comics were my favorite things to attend. Sometimes I would be in a slump and go to the meetings and after I would be inspired and go home and draw for hours. Attending the workshops was the key to igniting my passion for comic making. I became more passionate and was able to talk about my story amongst others which was nice. Connecting with others as well was essential, and I enjoyed it. I got to follow many comic artists on Instagram and many other platforms. I even participated in Free Comic Book Day at Syndicate Comics. It was a lot of fun and a great way to connect with other comic artists. It was a ten out of ten experience. I still attend these workshops and events, because they are helpful!

Vision For The Future

Imagine us sitting down together two years from now or further looking back. What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your progress?

The progress that I have made from this internship has already shown many accomplishments. One thing I look forward to in two years would be publishing my first comic online and in print. This is a dream of mine. I am currently creating two comics at once. I can see myself in two years publishing my comics in no time. 

What do you hope your comics and IPs will do in the world?

I wish to bring multiple different romance comics to the world. I hope to inspire many others to create comics themselves. I want to show them that yes you can make comics as a living. 

Advice For Creators & Future Interns

Who would you recommend should do this internship and what advice would you give them?

Anyone should be able to do this internship. Especially those who are passionate and hardworking should do this internship. Comic creation is a difficult job. It takes a lot of time and energy, yet it’s worthwhile. You will see a difference in your mindset, process, writing, and more if you do this internship. You will see that creating comics can be easy, you just need help from professionals like Prime Vice Studios! They are the best. If you are a student interested in this internship you must improve on time management. Time management is everything in the comic industry and it’s a must in the internship. Make sure to take care of your body and health. Your health is important. Taking breaks is okay. This internship will make you a better artist and writer. Give it everything you got, and good luck!

Final Thoughts & Follow Up

What type of clients, audience do you want to connect with or work for?

I want to work with anyone passionate about creating comics and making a story come to life. I wouldn’t mind doing pencilling, inking, coloring, etc. Just give me the work and I can do it. I love anything comic-related and would love to work with many other creators. If you are a writer looking for someone to make your story come to life, I can help. If you are an artist looking for a writer I can also help you write your story. It’s the best of both worlds. 

Thank you again for providing this wonderful testimonial Terri. You’re an amazing talent well on your way to achieving all of the success you deserve. 

Get in touch with Terri here:
​
○        Website: https://starcrashy.wixsite.com/starcrashi 
○        Social Media: @starcrashy 
○        Email: [email protected]
​

If you would like to be a PVS intern, apprentice or volunteer fill out the application through the button below. PVS is looking to work with talented individuals. ​

Interview conducted by Carlos Perez
​Edited by Ananya Vahal

Thank you for doing this interview Faith. Please share a bit about yourself.

I’m Faith, and I’m an animation major at Kennesaw State University. I’m a 2D artist and illustrator who loves bringing fun, relatable characters to life for others to enjoy.

I grew up in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Even then, I always had a heart for gaming, movies, and cartoons. I believe those things are what inspired me to draw a lot as a kid. And of course that love for drawing grew overtime!


PVS Internship Experience

Please share why you chose to do an internship with PVS.

I wanted to do an internship with PVS because I was eager to gain experience collaborating in a creative environment. When I discovered Prime Vice Studios during my online job search, I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to get involved.

What was your experience with PVS  like?

I always have a great time working with Mr. Perez. He consistently goes above and beyond, providing reassurance and offering many helpful tips and research insights. Whenever I needed help, or just wanted to share my ideas, he was always open to hearing them and was very encouraging to make that idea expand into something bigger. The “Make your own comics” workshop was a PVS event I attended at Syndicate Comics and I met so many nice artists and it was very fun sharing our characters and ideas with each other.

The most interesting thing I found about the internship was hearing Mr. Perez’s background story, his experience with SCAD, and how he started Prime Vice Studios. The highlight of my internship was sharing my alien character Luminous with Mr. Perez and working together to help create this character and his world.

Another benefit of this internship was the networking opportunities. I’ve spoken to some comic illustrators and some students from Kennesaw State’s Animation Studio Society.

Pivotal Moments of The Internship

Please share a story of a significant moment during your internship.

When I attended the Free Comic Book Day event at Syndicate Comics, I sat with Mr. Perez and PVS cofounder Ananya Vahal, explaining to them how I was having a very hard time deciding what I wanted to major in. I was nervous about choosing a major that was considered useless in the job field. Both Mr. Perez and Ananya Vahal really encouraged me to major in something I love, which is animation. Sitting with them not only helped me choose to major in animation, but I also got to experience what it’s like vending as an artist, which made me interested in doing the same with my artwork. 

Knowledge & Skills Acquired

One mistake that I made that turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned was taking my time and doing a lot of research. I used to rush into my ideas and never planned them out. Because of that, I'd get easily discouraged and mentally give up if it didn’t turn out the way I wanted to.

Setting up comic panels, writing comic scripts, learning about the Comic Draw app, and how to use it, and how to build your character, setting, and relationship with other characters. I also earned a free Grow with Google Marketing Certificate during my internship. I got some marketing information that I could possibly use when I start selling things. 

Vision For The Future

Imagine us sitting down together two years from now or further looking back.
What specific accomplishments would have to happen for you to be happy with your
progress?

I’d say publishing my first comic and making money from the hard work I put into it would make me happy with my progress in the future. I hope that my artwork makes people laugh, cry, think, or form any range of deep emotions. To me, it shows that what I've created means something much more to the audience.

Advice For Creators & Future Interns

Who would you recommend should do this internship and what advice would you give them?

I would recommend this internship to anyone who’s interested in illustration and bringing your creations to life. I also recommend students from High School to College to join this internship. I recommend doing this internship if you really want to train yourself to network and build your ideas.

Final Thoughts & Follow Up

What type of clients, audience do you want to connect with or work for?

I’m looking to connect with and work for other artists, anyone who is working in the animation industry, or writers for children’s books.

Thank you again for providing this insightful testimonial Faith. You’re a wonderful talent well on your way to achieving all of the success you deserve. 

Get in touch with Faith:

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: faithieartist
​

Interview conducted by Carlos Perez
Edited by Ananya Vahal

Ricky Can0 is a writer and filmmaker. He worked with us to design the cover of his first book Identical: The Switch. Identical is hybrid novel which incorporates qualities of a screenplay and traditional novel in a single thriller filled with twists and turns. 

Ricky is a creator on the come up with many stories to tell. Checkout the following interview on Instagram or YouTube where we discuss his creator journey, how to self-publish on Amazon and of course IP development. 

Find Ricky on Ig: @ricky_thewriter_cano  

link:
 https://www.instagram.com/ricky_thewriter_cano?igshid=YzAwZjE1ZTI0Zg==

Ronny Rodriguez had it all. He was on top of the world. All the boxing rankings had him at the top of the pound-for-pound list. The Bronx native was the prince of New York and had the woman of his dreams by his side. With plans to propose to his life's love, everything changed in the blink of an eye.

Now, Ronny Rodriguez is a former World Champion. He lost the love of his life; he’s been in prison; his residency has been revoked & he’s been deported. Eight years after the incident, he’s back in the States on a quest to find out what truly happened on that fateful night. Unwilling to accept his current life, his burning desire for the truth has led him to uncover a far more sinister plot than anyone could have imagined and those willing to kill to protect it.
 

This year Prime Vice Studios has opened the opportunity for internships. It all started when we were approached by Riipen.com. They asked if we were interested in having virtual interns: Students who can work remotely on projects or special solutions for school credit. 

Riipen.com is a wonderful company based in Canada that connects businesses with college students for special projects. Employers can post projects and colleges also post projects that students are available for. The projects are approved by their professors, provide an opportunity for students to gain real world experience and provide some sort of business solution for the employer.

Due to the pandemic it has been difficult for many students to be able to do internships. Internships are sometimes required for graduating in certain programs. They also are a vital stepping stone in career development. Virtual internships are a great solution to this issue. Companies and students work remotely and without geographical limits while providing mutual benefit to both parties. We have had a positive experience working with Riipen and highly recommend them to employers and universities. 

This summer we worked with a student from Miami University, in Oxford Ohio who is working on her bachelors degree in Interactive Media Studies. A fascinating interdisciplinary degree designed to provide depth in theory and practice of interactive & digital design, development, business, innovation, and digital disruption. PVS had the pleasure of working with Jiamiao Chen, a junior in the program with a minor in photography. 
​

PVS: Jiamiao, how was your overall experience interning with Prime Vice Studios?

Jiamiao: It was my first virtual internship, and I cherish[ed] this chance a lot. Before it, I [was] still a little worried about how it would work, but everything [was] good for me. This is a memorable experience for me, and I learned a lot.

PVS: What were some things that you learned working with PVS?

Jiamiao: First, on the most basic level, I learned how to communicate better with my supervisor.

Good communication can improve a lot of work efficiency. More importantly, I have learned the marketing strategy of a brand: 

I need to analyze the website design and user experience, as well as the content marketing of social media, identify the potential customer groups, and so on. At the same time, I learned about IP content. With Carlos' help, I found the direction of photography that I wanted to develop, and I developed my personal brand.


PVS: How are the things that you learned helpful for you and your professional career?

Jiamiao: During the internship, I have been reflecting on what I have learned in the past and thinking about my future career direction. For me, this is a good experience to understand my thoughts on digital marketing.

I also learned some relatively professional internet content marketing strategies. More to the point, Carlos showed me some different way[s] with my photography.  I will devote myself to building my own photography brand and making my own photos.  This will also be my future career direction.

PVS: You did an excellent job helping our company develop its user experience and e-business approach. Did you feel that you were able to use your expertise in a relevant manner during this internship? Are there any things you wished you would have gotten to work on?

Jiamiao: Yes, in fact, during the internship, I found that I was relatively sensitive to user experience analysis and e-commerce. Perhaps because I'm a deep internet user, I use social platforms a lot and have a certain sense of quality content. In the process of learning in school, I combined my past user experience and some professional knowledge, and I am glad that I can help your company with my skills. I think it was a good experience for both of us.

PVS: What were some challenges that you faced during your internship?

Jiamiao: Since this was my first internship, my presentation and PPT at the very beginning were more like homework assigned by professors in the school, which was immature. But with Carlos' reminding and help, I kept modifying my PPT to make it better.

During the process of editing the PPT, it was a big challenge for me to think about more individuals. For example, how to make [it so that it can be seen at a glance that] this PPT…is made by me, the selection of background pictures, etc., even with my own watermark on each page.

Every time I consider[ed] why I use[d] it, it [was] like a soul-searching process. It was as if every semester a professor would ask me who I am, what I was interested in, what I wanted to be in the future. Every time Carlos remind[ed] me to develop my personal brand, maybe knowing more about myself [was] my biggest challenge.

​PVS: What are some advantages that you felt you had during your internship?

Jiamiao: I have certain advantages in user experience analysis, content analysis and visual layout analysis of websites and social platforms because that's what I learned in school, and I'm a big fan of social media. More, perhaps because I am a Chinese student studying in the United States, I have my own different understanding of some content marketing under the intersection of the two cultural backgrounds.

​

Kalani Caraballo

"I’M SHOWING PEOPLE THAT THROUGH MY DETERMINATION AND HARD WORK THINGS CAN HAPPEN. I’M HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO INSPIRE, LIKE OTHERS HAVE INSPIRED ME."

 @DummieComicsInc
 @K.Caraballo

www.Gumroad.com/DummieComicsInc



Bio:

Kalani Caraballo is a writer based out of Kearny, New Jersey. He has been producing and writing comic books since early 2016. Titles such as Home, Manifesto, Pistol Grip, and the newly released title Messenger. Along with his Editor/Fiancee Chrissy Torres, they operate their own publishing company Dummie Comics Inc.


Where are your from?

I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Both my parents are from the greatest island on Earth, Puerto Rico. My family left Hawaii for Newark, New Jersey when I was three years old. My Dad and Mom divorced when I was four, and my Mom moved my brother and I to Kearny, New Jersey where I still currently reside.

Where did you grow up?

My beginning years I started out in Hawaii, Newark, and my formative years I was in Kearny.

How did your experiences affect your writing?

In general, my life is in my writing. Through my writing you can see my vision and sometimes my opinion on certain things. I know my experiences definitely helped me write Home. At the same time some of my father’s experiences made it into Manifesto. So nothing is spared honestly. I’m growing in life through my writing.

You and your partner run your own publishing company Dummie Comics Inc. What inspired you to start your own business?

I have to say it started with the idea of just wanting to write and publish a comic. Originally the idea was just to do one. My first comic I wrote was this Hip Hop, Alien story, titled Last of a Dying Breed. After commissioning an artist to illustrate Last of a Dying Breed, I had started writing Home.

I ended up losing interest in Last of a Dying Breed, and solely focused on Home. I completed the full series of Home in a span of two weeks. While I was finishing Home, the idea of Manifesto came to me. After completing Home, I immediately started writing Manifesto. I realized I had two comic series on my hand. At that moment it became about Dummie Comics the brand, not me.  

The mission for Dummie Comics Inc to inspire others to do things that other people might have told them that they could not ever accomplish.

Please share why you feel this is an important mission and how your comics fulfill this mission.

When I originally told people about me wanting to get into the comic business everyone I knew laughed at me. They said things like, “You can’t draw”, “How are you going to compete with characters that have a 75 year legacy?”, we heard it all. I want to inspire people to give themselves a chance.

I knew if I didn’t trust my gut feeling, and listened to those people, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today. Everyday I wake up, and push this brand as hard as I can, and the results show.

This isn’t a little comic thing or a hobby. Slowly but surely things are happening. I’m showing people that through my determination and hard work things can happen. I’m happy to be able to inspire, like others have inspired me. Keep going! And only listen to yourself.

What type of stories do you like to make comics about?

To be honest it depends on my mood when I pick up the pen to write. It also depends on the character I am writing for at that moment. I tend to enjoy writing stuff with a lot of grittiness to it.

What’s your process? Elaborate on how you work through your projects. How do you break up your time for your projects at different stages?

My process is simple. Usually when I come up with an idea for a comic I like to know how I’m going to end it, so I usually write the ending first. From there everything comes naturally.

I’ll envision the entire story, and flesh out what I want to see on each page. Then I’ll begin my dialogue.

Once I complete the script, and we green light the script to be illustrated, I’ll go through the entire script one more time, and make any corrections, then I’ll send it to my Editor and partner Chrissy Torres. She’ll make her corrections, and then send it back to me for my approval. Once completed, we send it to our illustrator Frank Castro, and then play the waiting game.

While an issue is being illustrated, I’ll start working on another script. Sometimes for the same character, other times for another. It’s all about balance, and lucky for me, each of our characters have different universes, so there’s never a loss of creativity, because they’re all different.

What do you recommend to aspiring writers/creators that you wish you had known much earlier? What would you tell yourself 20 years ago?

Have fun. Remember you’re creating a comic book. It’s a source of entertainment. Your imagination will take you as far as you let it. Just keep creating, and don’t stop. 20 years ago I was 11 years old, I would probably tell myself not to worry so much, and to have fun.

As long as you have your imagination you’ll be alright, and nobody can take that away from you.

What do you love best about making comics?

My favorite part about making comics, is being able to express myself, and seeing my vision come to life. But also, its the reaction we get from our readers.

Being able to see people react to something you saw in your head is always a good thing, whether positive or negative. Every time we’re about to release a new issue it’s an exciting time. Sometimes the feeling of seeing the finished product can be better than sex.

What do you wish was different about the comics industry?

I wish consumers/retailers were more open minded, and that people got out of their comfort zones and to give more things a chance. I know a lot of consumers and shops that won’t buy anything that doesn’t bare a DC or Marvel logo. I'll tell you right now, some of the best comics in the world aren’t even produced by those two. People don’t know what they’re missing out on.

Which books do you recommend artists should have in their reference library? Favorite instructional material?

To be honest, I’ve never picked up anything as instructional material. When I began writing, I kind of just dove in head first, and hoped for the best.

I believe I looked up a few articles on writing comic scripts on Google, mainly they all said, “Comic book scripts are instructional manuals for what the artist is going to draw on the page”. Once I heard that it was go time.

The best references to me are comic books themselves. You have to be a fan of the medium to know what you want to see out of your comics, and what you don’t want to see in your comic books. My teachers were Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Kevin Eastman, etc. I mean how could I fail going to the college of those guys?

Top 5 Favorite Artists?

In no order:

Frank Castro (Artist of Home and Manifesto)
Jack Kirby
Rob Liefeld
George Perez
Frank Miller

Honorable mentions:
​
Michel Fiffe
Kevin Eastman

Top Favorite Comic characters? 

In no order:

Foolkiller
White Tiger
Hardware
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Guardians of The Galaxy (Early team)
Spider-Man
Gambit
Youngblood
Spawn
NFL Super Pro
X-Force 
Fantastic Four
Copra

​
Top 5 Favorite comics, graphic novels? 

Frank Miller’s Daredevil run
Jim Valentino’s Guardians of the Galaxy run
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby’s run on Fantastic Four
Secret Wars Volume 1
Steve Gerber’s Foolkiller run 
Michel Fiffe’s Copra 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Dwayne McDuffie’s Hardware

What type of work are you interested in doing? Now? In the future?

Right now I’m really excited about everything Dummie Comics Inc. In 2019, I’m looking to finally completing all issues of Home and Manifesto. Manifesto #3 is on the way, and Home #3 should be completed shortly there after.

As far as the future, I’m looking forward to introducing two new series. I consider these to be my dream projects, and ultimately, my best work. I can’t wait to see these projects come to life. 

How can others find/ purchase your work? Website, social media link, etc

You can follow Dummie Comics on these social networks:

Facebook.com/DummieComicsInc
Instagram:
@DummieComicsInc
@K.Caraballo

Our work can be purchased on www.Gumroad.com/DummieComicsInc 

​Ananya Vahal

"My mission as a writer is to empower people of color to write their own stories."

@ananyavahal
www.ananyavahal.com

Bio

I’m Ananya Vahal and I’m an Indian-American writer. I'm also the President of The Sid Foundation Inc., the writer/creator of Lung Girl Comics, and writer/content editor here at Prime Vice Studios. I have an MFA in Writing. My genres include creative nonfiction, digital content creation, and comics. I like reading and writing funny stuff. 
 

Where are your from?

I was born in New Delhi, India. I grew up all around the world and have been living in the Atlanta area for over 15 years. 
 
Where did you grow up?

I grew up in New Delhi, India, Dubai, U.A.E., Charlotte, NC, and Kennesaw, GA. 

How did your experiences affect your writing?

The purpose of my writing is to tell the stories that have been historically ignored or suppressed in our country. My purpose came about because of my experience growing up in a country where the only signs of existence of my culture were a funny accent and a smelly bowl of curry.

I didn’t know any writers that looked like me growing up and no one was telling the stories of my family. I want little brown girls today to be able to see themselves in books, movies, and all forms of media because it was denied to me. 
 
You’ve created an original intellectual property: Lung Girl. How did this character & story come about? 

Lung Girl came about because of a necessity on many levels. In 2014, my brother Sid died due to complications from his double lung transplant. My parents and I wanted to start a charity in his name to help other people going through the same situation.

We establishedThe Sid Foundation in 2015 to raise funds and awareness for lung transplant research and assist lung transplant patients with funding and resources. I always knew The Sid Foundation would have a heavy art aspect to it because Sid was an artist and an avid comic book reader. I also found that lung transplant was a complex and often gruesome topic to talk about with people in the community. The best way to tackle this issue was to create a comic book character who could represent the nonprofit and help us tell our story. Therefore, Lung Girl was born.

Lung Girl is a twelve-year-old Indian superhero who fights bad guys and lung health issues in her city. She has super lung powers which give her super strength and allow her to fight. She makes the perfect mascot for The Sid Foundation and helps us attract an audience that we normally would have missed.

 
You have published two Lung Girl comics. How was that experience?

The Lung Girl comics are published annually through The Sid Foundation. It has been an interesting experience.

First, I had to raise funds for the project.

Then, I learned how to write comic book scripts. I have an MFA in writing, but they don’t teach you how to write comic book scripts in a writing program, so I had to learn the process of turning my story into panels and pages.

Finally, I hired a sequential artist to illustrate it. That process took a couple of months. I have been working in-house with Prime Vice Studios since the second issue published in 2017.

Once the comic book was fully illustrated, I sent it to the print shop. I also uploaded it on Amazon for a digital version.

Also, before I got them printed or turned into a digital comic, I had to purchase an ISBN number for them and get a copyright on them, so they could be protected.

It’s a process that takes time, effort, and constant learning which is why we only produce one comic a year for the time being. Once I have more staff and more funding, we plan to publish more comics annually. 
 
You have recently graduated with your MFA in Writing. What drove you to pursue a Masters degree?

I graduated with my MFA in writing from SCAD in June 2018. I have been writing since I was nine years old. I picked up writing as soon as my family moved to the United States. It was my way of making sense of my new life in a completely new country.

I wrote journal entries, poems, and songs until I was in high school. However, since I didn’t know any writers in real life, especially ones that looked like me, I didn’t know that it was a profession I could pursue.

For some reason, I couldn’t stay away from writing. Once I got to college, I tried several different majors before settling into English with a minor in Spanish. I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2010 with my bachelor’s degree.

​Even with an English degree, I didn’t know what I should do as a profession. The only options I was exposed to were Law School or Journalism and I didn’t find myself drawn to either one. I decided to take a break after graduating to figure things out and during that time I took the GRE and the LSAT so I could keep my options open for grad school. 
 
During my break year, my life took a complete turn when my brother became ill and was hospitalized. I spent almost a year in the hospital with my brother as he fought for his life and received a double lung transplant. After that, I became interested in the health care industry, specifically, physical therapy. So I changed my course and began pursuing physical therapy.

After about two and a half years of working in physical therapy and applying to schools, we got a call that my brother was hospitalized again. This time he didn’t survive.

After my brother’s death, I once again evaluated my course in life and after making peace with the fact that I was not getting into physical therapy school, I decided to go back to my original calling, writing.

I definitely took the long and winding road. I had a lot of life experience under my belt to write about. I began researching the writing programs at several universities. Once I was introduced to SCAD, I decided that was the program for me. Their program focused on digital media and creative nonfiction. I learned ways to write my story effectively and share it with the world digitally. 
 
What type of stories do you like to write about?

My mission as a writer is to empower people of color to write their own stories. Today, there are more stories published about people of color than by people of color. This means that we are being written about in ways that we do not control. 

We are being written about from the White perspective which often includes stereotypes and oppressive narratives. We need to control our own narrative. 

I think words are the most powerful tool against oppression. So, to make a long answer short, I write my stories. Stories that are highly underrepresented in the literary world and in today’s media. Stories about what it’s like to be a South Asian immigrant growing up and living in the United States. Stories about my family and my culture. 

#browngirlwrites #ownyournarrative 
 

Top 5 favorite writers.

Roxanne Gay, Scaachi Koul, Issa Rae, Lilly Singh, and Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie

Favorite comic characters.

Obviously, I love the new Ms. Marvel (representing the Desis), Black Panther (duh), Batman (he’s always been my favorite superhero), and Lung Girl! (yup, that’s a plug). 

 
Top 5 favorite comics & graphic novels.

The new Ms. Marvel series, Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Avatar: The Last Airbender series, Tales for La Vida: A Latinx Comics Anthology, and Saint Love City Funk: Boogie Down Blues.

​Saint Love City Funk: Boogie Down Blues

 
What type of work are you interested in doing? Now? In the future?

I am already doing the type of work I want to do which is write, build community, and educate. I hope to continue doing this work at a larger scale in the future. 
 
How can others find or purchase your work? Website, social media link, etc.
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You can find my work, my services, and my #browngirlwrites blog on www.ananyavahal.com. 
Twitter and Instagram: @ananyavahal 
Facebook: Ananya Vahal ​​
Medium: Ananya Vahal