Essa Hansen grew up in the beautiful wildernesses of California, from the coastal foothills to the Sierra Nevada mountains, and then the Canadian Rocky Mountains, before settling back at the California coast. She has ranched bison and sheep, trained horses, practiced Japanese swordsmanship, and is a licensed falconer.
By day she works for Skywalker Sound as a sound designer on science fiction and fantasy films for clients such as Marvel, Pixar, and Disney Animation. Her credits can be found under Nia Hansen on IMDB.