The Pacific Ocean glitters behind a beachfront, members-only social club in Malibu, California. Nigel Tierney (B.S. ’07, M.S. ’08) settles into a long conversation chronicling his journey to realize his California dreams, while actor Jon Hamm sits nearby having breakfast with a companion. It is a quintessential Los Angeles, California scene — but for Tierney, it’s just another Monday.
And yet, the 42-year-old animation director and producer, who has worked for companies Ilke DreamWorks and Yahoo, hasn’t forgotten where he came from: the medieval town of Kilkenny, Ireland. Tierney left his Emerald Isle home in 2002 to travel to the United States to work as “the Irishman” character at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and attend Tidewater Community College. He eventually transferred to Old Dominion University, scrambling together scholarships and construction gigs in pursuit of two computer science degrees, and congregating with any student organization offering free pizza.
Tierney recalled his first day on campus and being among people from so many different places in Virginia and around the globe.
“It was kind of mind-blowing,” he said. Tierney’s interest in entertainment, and animation, specifically, started in high school and was inspired by the “Shrek” movies. “I was like, ‘I want to work on “Shrek 17” or something one day,’” he recalled, his Irish accent still strong after all these years.
His hustle is innate. But, what carried him as a Monarch — and what defines him now — is his ability to build community wherever he lands.
“You cannot meet Nigel and not love Nigel,” said Dionicia Mahler-Rogers, Ph.D., associate director for the Center for Career and Leadership Development. She worked with international students during Tierney’s time at the University, and her office became an unofficial hangout for Tierney and others. “They brought so much life and light into my day,” Dr. Mahler-Rogers said.
Tierney — along with Monarch swim champion Patrik Balint (B.S. ’08) from Budapest, Hungary, and Mragendra Singh (M.S. ’08) from Bhopal, India, — co-founded an international student group that embraced a mission grounded in creating space for anyone who felt like an outsider.
“The premise was, if you weren’t born on the quad, you were foreign to campus,” Tierney said. “Everyone was welcome.”
Singh, now an award-winning writer-director, recalls how they organized themselves with tongue-in-cheek formality. “Patrik was president, Nigel was prime minister,
and I was secretary or treasurer,” he said, laughing. “But, these were just titles. We all did everything.”
The group hosted events like a homecoming ball, picked up new students from the airport and provided mentorship. But mostly, they made the University feel
like home.
“It was basically like my family for many years there,” said Virginia native Caitlin Kelly (B.S. ’08). She recalls how Tierney ensured everyone felt included, valued and
seen, qualities that would become his trademark.
Steven Risch, director of International Admissions, helped Tierney secure his graduate school scholarship at Old Dominion University. He watched the young Irishman juggle financial hardship, a rigorous computer science program (Tierney completed his master’s in record time) and multiple campus jobs. “I saw that the University helped develop his hustle mentality,” Risch said. “He definitely worked his tail off.”
Tierney’s hustle paid dividends. After graduation, he crashed with Singh in Los Angeles to attend an animation convention where he brought his own printer to update his resume for on-the-spot interviews.
“I wasn’t a talented artist,” Tierney admitted. But, he knew computers and math helped him create animation projects. “That was the cheat code.”
He eventually landed a gig at DreamWorks Animation, where he worked on “Kung Fu Panda,” “The Croods,” and “Shrek 4: Shrek Forever After,” the very franchise that
inspired him as a teenager in Ireland.
His breakout project came in 2019: “Earth,” a computer-animated music video (with a live action introduction) for rapper Lil Dicky featuring over 30 celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Ariana Grande and Snoop Dogg, that sought to raise awareness for environmentally focused nonprofits.
“Everyone contributed their time,” Tierney said of the project, for which he co-directed and co-produced the animation. “They all believed in the cause.”
These days, Tierney runs his own production company, Tierney Corps., and works with major brands, such as The Walt Disney Company, the National Football League and IMG, a sports marketing company.
Reflecting on his time as an Old Dominion University student, Tierney waxed nostalgic for campus life. “I would wish I’d have a community like that again — just
to accidentally bump into somebody who’s trying to do something, trying to hustle together and make stuff.”
From University programs to student-led organizations, Tierney’s advice for current and future Monarchs is to take advantage of everything that’s offered.
“You’re only in school for four or six years — however long,” he said. “Milk it for what it’s worth.”