Boardman native was part of ‘Secret Life’ team


Staff report

Boardman native Kelly Lake, assistant production manager for Illumination Entertainment, took part in the creation of the animated film “Secret Life of Pets,” which premiered earlier this summer.

“I worked on ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ for over three years, initially as a production assistant and ultimately finishing the project as a script coordinator,” said Lake. “During production, I helped process all the scripts that were delivered by our writers, and also helped manage all recording sessions.”

Owned by Universal Studios, Illumination Entertainment is located in Santa Monica, Calif.

Lake, who earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa., in 2011, and a master’s degree in film at University of California Los Angeles, has been with the company for four years.

During her internship in 2012, Lake was offered a full-time position as assistant to the executive in charge of the ride “Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem” at Universal Studios in Orlando, Fla. After a few months, Lake was transferred to the production department to work hands-on with the films “Despicable Me 2,” “Minions,” “The Secret Life of Pets,” and “Sing,” which will be released in December.

According to Lake, animated feature productions are exciting, but require three to five years to complete. “Crew members devote a little chunk of their life to a single movie,” said Lake.

“Each movie is a fun and unique opportunity to work with some amazing artists, writers, producers, editors, and other crew members,” Lake said. “It feels good to see your name in the credits alongside your friends and other colleagues after working together on a movie for several years.”