LEONARDTOWN, Md. – Visual Effects Coordinator Tierra Harris never envisioned that starting her higher education path as a teenager living in Hollywood, Maryland would result in her landing a successful career in Hollywood, California. But today, the 2016 College of Southern Maryland (CSM) alumna fully credits her entry as a dual enrolled student and then full-time student at CSM – and her college studies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) – for her ongoing success in the visual effects television and film industry.
“My time at CSM helped me to hone in on what I really enjoy as a career,” said Harris, whose visual effects work has appeared on Amazon Prime, Netflix, Apple TV, Marvel and Disney Plus. “The faculty were so helpful in guiding me into a program that was a great fit for me. I would absolutely recommend CSM to anyone looking to start their higher education; the school was an immeasurable resource for me – robust with culture and innovative ways of teaching.”
Harris attended Leonardtown High School and the Dr. James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center where her interest in graphic communications took root. Graphic communications taught by teacher Casey Page “helped me become a much more rounded artist in everyday life,” Harris said, “as it touches on several different mediums of expression, including the Adobe Suite and varying photography styles.”
While in high school she also signed up for CSM’s dual-enrollment program. She then went on to attend CSM full time from 2014 to 2016, joining the volleyball team and becoming active with CSM’s collegiate robotics team – earning slots at the world championship competitions three years in a row.
“She was a great student, and a pleasure to have on the robotics team.” shared Dean of the School of STEM and Professional Studies Dr. Bernice Brezina. “It’s great to hear about her success.”
After receiving her associate degree in Applied Science and Technology from CSM, Harris attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media and Technology Studies. While studying there, she was chosen for a Hollywood Internship Program, where she had the opportunity to intern at the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) and at The Refinery Creative as an audio/visual intern.
Harris shifted her career focus and interest to visual effects (VFX) and moved to Los Angeles to begin her professional career with Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures, serving as a post-production assistant on the CW’s superhero series Black Lightning, which aired from 2018 to 2021. Ever expanding her opportunities, she landed at her second show, working as the visual effects (VFX) production assistant on the second and final season of Carnival Row, an Amazon Prime Video production, which aired in 2023. Her next foray brought her to the 2023 Netflix film, “They Cloned Tyrone,” where she worked as the assistant VFX coordinator.
Visual effect companies, called vendors or artists, are hired to create animation or computer-generated imagery for a show or film, and everything they produce must be placed in the show’s final cut. As the VFX coordinator, “my role is to facilitate getting any necessary materials to vendors and tracking the progress of each shot as we get updates from the artists,” she explained.
Harris accepted her first VFX coordinator position on Apple TV’s World War II miniseries, “Masters of the Air,” working with Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum with Steven Spielberg’s and Tom Hank’s production group, which aired in 2023. And in September, Marvel’s Agatha All Along premiered on Disney Plus, with Harris as the VFX coordinator chair. She has several more projects in the works.
Harris said the world of visual effects is “an intense field that requires long hours of sometimes painstaking work for artists, but seeing the finished product come together piece by piece is definitely worth it.”
“Tierra’s achievements reflect the transformative power of a College of Southern Maryland education and serve as an inspiration to current and future students,” shared CSM Foundation Director of Development Toni Kruszka. “We take pride in celebrating our alumna’s journey and her many accomplishments.”
Harris’ educational journey is far from over. As a lifelong learner, she is currently enrolled in the Harvard Graduate Extension School working toward a graduate certificate in Front End Web Development.