March 2025: Celia Zimmermann

Celia Zimmermann completed her degree in Multimedia Design in 2024. Today, she works as Head of Player Experience at SYBO. We spoke with her about her time at KEA and her career.

About KEA…

Q: How would you describe KEA in one word?
A: “Relevant.”

Q: What was your favorite module and/or your favorite teacher?
A: “I met many talented and supportive teachers during my 2 years at KEA, but my favorite teacher was Gullan Christensen and her lively, encouraging, curious, and kind nature. I clearly remember how Gullan brought different arts and crafts materials into class to spark our creativity and translate it into web design mock-ups, concepts, etc.”

Q: What is your favorite memory from KEA? For example, a fun story from your studies at KEA.
A: “I’m not very good at funny stories, so I’ll go with a more cozy one. My favorite memory is cycling to KEA every morning and having coffee and a roll with cheese with my friends before class — it’s the little things that count. Having talented women around me who inspired me with their creative ideas, cool skills, and work ethic was essential and brought me a lot of joy.”

Q: If you could go back in time and change one thing about your studies at KEA, what would it be and why?
A: “Honestly, I had a fantastic time at KEA, so trying to think of something I would change is a difficult question… But if I had to change one thing, it would be to spend more time at the KEA Library and in the KEA Maker Lab. I never tried screen printing, and I should have borrowed magazines and books for inspiration — KEA has quite a large selection.”

About the career…

Q: What was your first job after graduating from KEA and how did you get it?
A: “It was actually my KEA internship as a Social Media Intern at SYBO that led to my full-time position as a Social Media Coordinator at SYBO. If you don’t know, SYBO is a mobile game company located in the heart of Copenhagen, and we are best known for being the creators and publishers of the world’s most downloaded game (4 billion worldwide): Subway Surfers. I was offered the job around the time I graduated, which helped kick-start my career immediately — something that was my goal and dream when I first applied and became part of SYBO. I feel very lucky and grateful for the opportunity.”

Q: What did you want to be when you were younger, and how does that relate to what you do today?
A: “My childhood dream was to be an artist. Despite my lifelong passion for games, I never considered it as a career path or opportunity, as the industry at the time was so small and unknown. I work in a creative environment, and games are fun and playful. So in many ways, it aligns with what I am today, but I’m not as hands-on or digital as an artist would be. Earlier in my career, I worked with video production and digital content. Nevertheless, I still experiment with small creative projects on the side in my free time.”

Q: What does a typical workday look like as Head of Player Experience at SYBO?
A: “A typical day as Head of Player Experience at SYBO primarily involves checking in with the team to see how they’re doing and what our priorities are for the week or day. Priorities are important, as our days are quite busy due to the many Subway Surfers updates, releases, and social media campaigns we run each year — they can and will change. My team and I develop strategies, plan, create content for, and manage all our Subway Surfers player support and our SYBO social media channels — TikTok, Discord, Instagram, LinkedIn, and more. In addition, we support other community, social media, and communication-related activities such as public relations, paid partner activities like influencers, and brand partnerships and integrations. Our most meaningful and important task is connecting with our Subway Surfers community, listening to them, and being their voice within the studio.”

Q: What is the best part of your career?
A: “That my passion for games has led me to an amazing group of talented people who are just as passionate about games as I am — and it really shines through in our work and in the experiences we create and deliver to our players as a team.”

Personal…

Q: Can you tell us a fun or unusual thing about yourself, and how you use it in your daily life? For example, a skill or something few people know about.
A: “It’s a bit strange and maybe a bit nerdy… I can touch type at high speed and accuracy at a professional/competitive level. It’s an excellent skill to have at work — and if I ever need to impress someone.”

Q: What is your favorite book to read or podcast to listen to?
A: “My favorite book is ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ by Haruki Murakami. I read it a little over 2 years ago. It gave me some perspective on starting to run (and that it’s never too late), as well as the importance of practice and consistency, especially when it comes to habits — and specifically running. I also started running, and I still do it every week.”

Q: Which personal achievement are you most proud of, and why?
A: “I think we grow into what makes sense to us because it’s what we care about. My greatest achievement is that I dared to pursue a career within the craft and industry that I love, despite it being a risky and scary step for me to take at the time. It’s worth noting that I was enrolled at another university for a few years, and I had to withdraw my enrollment to start at KEA.”

Q: If you could choose to do anything for one day, what would you choose and why?
A: “Can I be the moon? Just float around. It seems peaceful.”

Q: If you could have dinner with four people, living or dead, who would you choose and why?
A:“I would share a meal with Björk, FKA Twigs, Yayoi Kusama, and Vivienne Westwood.

All four women are incredibly talented, brave, authentic, and out of this world. I love and appreciate their voices and how each of them expresses themselves.”

Q: What advice would you give KEA students or other KEA alumni?
A: “Trust yourself and take chances by seeing challenges or problems as opportunities to learn and grow. Step outside your comfort zone — academically, professionally, personally, and in other ways. You miss out if you don’t. And also remember to just be yourself.”