This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSD chapter.
Do you have dreams of working in film and television? How about animation? Now, here’s the real question: amongst the trials of college life, how often are you discouraged from pursuing those dreams? It’s undeniable that university life can be difficult. Trudging from an exam to the library to an extracurricular job can seem stifling, especially for a creative spirit. As graduation nears, success in any field, let alone the competitive ones of film and television, can seem like an unlikely occurrence. However, Mike Judge, producer, animator, and Triton alumni, proves that ambition, commitment, and adaptability can accomplish those seemingly far-fetched dreams.
Let’s meet Mike Judge. He is perhaps best known for his work as creator of the popular animated T.V. shows Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill, along with successful films such as Office Space. Judge also starred, amongst a number of film and television roles, as Hank Hill in King of the Hill and as both title characters in Beavis and Butt-head. His success was far from overnight; in fact, working in entertainment did not always appear to be in Judge’s future. A Physics major at UCSD, Judge did not pursue television and film until he had decided that life as a programmer or musician was not for him. After that, he ran with a long-possessed love for animation, began to create his own animated shorts and form film concepts, and eventually grasped animation and film deals with entertainment giants Fox Network, MTV, and Comedy Central. As mentioned, Judge found success with King of the Hill, Beavis and Butt-head, and Office Space. Since then, he has worked on films such as Idiocracy, founded an animation festival called “The Animation Show,” and created the HBO comedy Silicon Valley, which premiered in April 2014 and has been renewed for a second season. Judge’s success seems far from slowing down, and we cannot wait to see what he creates next.
Here at Her Campus, we hope stories like Judge’s encourage you to continue to pursue your goals. Even if the accomplishment of your ambition seems difficult, chase it, collegiette! Judge’s story shows us that a little trial-and-error may be necessary, but beyond persistence and hard work lays our great success. That’s just the power of a Triton!