When it came to choosing a creative discipline, Millie Holten selected the ‘all of the above’ option. The 29-year-old from Melbourne is a writer, comedian and artist with a particular specialty in cooked content.
With the release of her web series Descent, she’s broken out of “struggling artist” jail. The series is about three scientists who travel to the bottom of the ocean to find “Eel City”, produced by comedy heavyweights Aunty Donna. Holten co-created, wrote and performed in the series, and is moving right along to her next projects.
Holten’s toes are dipped in the pond of sketch and improv comedy, podcasts, video games and web-comics. Her viral character Long Head has now become a TikTok animated web-series.
It’s this kind of government-funded art that makes Millie an exemplar of being able to make a life out of being a silly creative. And before she becomes too cool for us and becomes one of the big-time names of Australia’s comedy industry, we were able to chat with her for Insider Trading about her mindset in her flourishing creative journey.
Hint: if you’re looking to break into the creative industry, check out our newly relaunched Pedestrian JOBS and craft your next move.
(Millie’s guide to being professionally silly. Image: Supplied)
Insider Trading: Millie Holten
Howdy Millie! I think it’d be easier for our readers if you just listed the multitude of professional titles you have on your resume.
Sure! My main gigs right now are freelance screenwriter and director, comedy performer, illustrator, and Narrative And Art Lead at Toot Games. Listing them like that, it sounds more broad/complex than it is. In reality, if there’s a gap that needs to be filled on a project, I’ll jump in there.
It sounds chaotic. What’s a typical day like in your shoes?
While I have eggs in a lot of baskets, the different eggs don’t need me at the same time, so my days are pretty varied. It’s strategic whack-a-mole, getting down the to-do list to make sure each project is chugging along.
If it’s a Toot Games day, I’ll be at my desk, drawing my characters and assets for levels, writing dialogue, etc.
When I’m doing the animatics/storyboards for an animated project, it’s me glued to my desk.
If I’m screenwriting, I’m still at my desk.
Honestly, 90% of my life is spent at my desk. My posture is fucked. I need a new chair. Oh, man.
Occasionally, there’ll be more special days – like a shoot, voice-over session, live show, or writers rooms. When those occur, I try to find a desk in the room so I don’t get too startled by the change in environment.
What’s the lore of your journey?
My favourite class in high school was VCE media, but I didn’t think that the arts were a viable career. None of my family works in the arts, so it seemed really risky to pursue. Instead, I thought marketing would be a nice middle ground. It was not. I dropped out two days into that degree.
Dropping out was a big deal for me, as I’d always been a big studious nerd. I think it was so out of character that my family knew it was the right move. I moved to London for a year, where I felt far enough away to start improv and write film reviews on my personal website without worrying about what people would think. When I got back, I decided to apply for screenwriting at VCA – and it was the best decision I ever made.
I kept doing live comedy alongside the degree, including sketch shows at the comedy festival. I also dabbled in game jams, podcasts and comics. Basically, I was having a go at a lot of things and enjoying that learning process, even though I was very shit at them at the start.
Organically, those things led to more work. The Long Head animation came from the EP cold emailing me after seeing one of my comics on instagram. Similarly, my first proper writer’s room gig came from someone seeing my name shortlisted for a screenwriting competition five years prior. The little things have added up.
If enough people take a chance on you, they recommend you to other people, and then eventually you are a known quantity and it’s easier to get projects off the ground. Those early years, it’s a lot of no’s. Still is, to be honest. But it stings less now.
(An inside-joke turned-Government funded animated TikTok series is goals.
Image: Supplied)
With the creative journey there are naturally moments of doubts on whether you can “make it”. During those early years of no’s, how do you keep your morale up?
Comparison is the thing that usually brings about those feelings. Intellectually, I know that everyone’s running their own race. Still, there have been moments where I get really down on myself, worrying that I’ll fall behind my peers, or that I don’t have this intangible talent that others do.
The cure for me is always just focusing on my own lane, and working on something that makes me happy without worrying what it could lead to. Something really goofy that’s just for me – not a stepping stone. (Also, a sleep usually helps.)
Lisa Hanawalt [from BoJack Horseman] has a great talk about this:
With Long Head and My Arms Are Longer Now, are you at a point where you can say you’ve found success in the creative industries?
Oh, absolutely. Big time. I never thought I’d be able to live off creative work. None of my family work in the arts — so, trust me, I know this weird life is extremely rare and lucky. The fact that I live off my cooked work is insane. Sure, I’ve got dreams that have a bigger scope than the work I’m doing now, but where I’m at now is absolutely success.
How’s your bank account feeling about your career choice?
I think my bank account is worse off than people my age who went into a corporate gig after uni. Still, it’s better off than it was even two years ago, when I was worrying if I’d make rent every month. I’ve got some buffer time there, thank god.
Also, it’d be remiss of me not to acknowledge that if things ever do go to shit, I can always move back in with one of my parents for a bit — they both live locally and would let me crash. Not everyone has that option. Knowing that back up is there, even subconsciously, is a huge reason I’ve been able to take the leap into the arts.
(Millie at PAX 2024 displaying her game My Arms Are Longer Now. Image: Supplied)
What’s one thing that aspiring creatives can learn from you for their own leap into the arts?
I couldn’t narrow it down to one. Here’s three; pick your favourite.
- Treat it like a sport and get your reps in. These reps can be on stage, in a sketchbook, in final draft. Oh, and you’ll probably suck for a long time, which is fine. Everyone does! Your love of doing it should outweigh your insecurities about its reception. Through these reps, you’ll find your own voice – which is what you’ll eventually get work from! Struthless has a great video on this and so does Harold Barques.
- Finish the project. You can use spreadsheets, calendars, to do lists, index cards, etc to keep you on track. Just because it’s “silly” doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it seriously.
- Don’t just listen to me, I’m one person who’s been quite lucky!
You’re dabbling in quite a few creative mediums. From your POV do you think aspiring creatives have a reason to be optimistic in pursuing this?
In Australia, we are incredibly blessed to have loads of schemes that fund emerging voices across theatre, screen, games etc. If you want to do it, just know you have to put yourself out there a lot. Also, for every one “yes,” there are genuinely dozens of no’s.
Having the time to pursue art is a privilege in itself. Before I was working as a full-time creative, I had two casual jobs that paid enough to cover my rent/costs – so I had time to pursue the arts and get reps around work. It’d be far more difficult to be an aspiring creative under different circumstances.
(If you don’t watch Long Head, this’ll be your sleep paralysis demon. Image: Supplied)
You’re juggling projects and projects while also being a human being. Have/Are you burnt out?
I got pretty close last month. We were showing for the game at PAX, meeting with publishers, while gearing up for the Long Head release, alongside some other freelance work.
For years I was trying so hard to get creative work, and now that offers come in on work I’d love to do, my younger self would kill me for turning it down.
That being said, it’s all fun stuff. A bit of perspective gets you through it. I’m not a hospice nurse, or something. That’s an actual hard job. Not me, making an animation about a man with a long head. Happy days.
What’s currently your ultimate goal as a creative?
Of all the mediums/jobs I’m doing, my favourite is screenwriting. The ultimate goal would be creating and writing on a tv show with other talented people, and then show running it.
Producers, please DM me and I’ll send you my tax return, birth certificate and CVV number.
Find your dream job with Pedestrian JOBS here.
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