Some of the top female leaders in the animation industry pointed out both the positive aspects and the challenges of producing content in the post-pandemic era during an inspiring panel at Ottawa Animation Festival’s TAC on Thursday (Sept. 22). Moderated by Ottawa Film Office commissioner Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos, the wide-ranging panel featured Atomic Cartoons/Thunderbird Ent.’s CEO Jennifer Twiner, Mainframe Studios’ exec VP Kim Dent Wilder, Nelvana president Pam Westman, 9 Story Media Group’s VP of development Karen Fowler and Mercury Filmworks’ VP of production and co-production Chantal Ling.
One of the main topics addressed by the group was how each studio has managed to increase representation of women, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people both in their animated shows and behind-the-scenes of their companies. Fowler pointed out that four of the studio’s shows are directed by female directors in Toronto. She added, “There has been a lot of focus on female heroines, but we want to battle the notion that girls have to be perfect. They ask but can girls be funny? And we all know that they can. You just have to write the girls like you write boys, so you can get all the nuances and foibles and create interesting characters with big hearts and big brains. From a story point of view, you have to make sure that girls are as righteously weird as anybody else, because we are!”
Wilder pointed out that Mainframe has about 750 employees across Canada and of that 40 percent are women. “We have a growing number of women in leadership roles,” she noted. “Of our executive team, almost 50 percent are women. On our producing team, I have 13 producers and only one guy. Of course, that changes over time. But we like to see that balance and having a diverse point of view in everything we do. We have a much harder time finding women in technical roles, but when we do, they offer an incredibly different POV and approach to leadership. We have a harder time finding women directors. We are constantly looking and asking people to step up. So, we are trying hard to elevate people in those roles.”
Embracing Positive Change
Ling said Mercury Filmworks currently has a 50/50 ratio of women to men across the board. “I thought I was happy to announce that we are at 50/50 but then I thought, can we be more, because you don’t want to settle. That is what is going to drive more opportunities for women. As women, it’s important that we continue to support and share with each other, and extend a hand out to people behind you because one day they are going to be in your place, and be inspired and learn by women who might be higher than you and stronger in you in other areas. If you can see women in those decision-making positions, then you can aspire to it.
Nelvana’s Westman noted that she’s the first female president at her studio, but added that the senior management at her company are still all white. “So, we took a really hard look at the organization and at the creative and how we would have primarily all-white male voices for all our non-human character’s voices if they were genderless (like mushrooms, for example),” she said. “So we decided to make the change, because it was embarrassingly late in time. We looked at our organization and identified areas that we needed to bring about significant changes.”
That’s why Westman and her team created a talent incubator for BIPOC newcomers who wanted to break into the animation industry. “The goal was to get people who don’t have the experience to invest in a six-month program and get their ideas from concept to pitching stage. We don’t own these ideas, but we just prepare them for how to proceed in our industry and achieve success… We want them to tell stories that will be accepted globally so that everyone can see what fantastic creators they are if they are given the right mentorship, time and effort. So, hopefully, in the future, our senior management will not be all men and all white.”
Thunderbird’s Fowler mentioned that her studio also offers similar mentorship programs and that they also try to choose shows that help them include authentic casting and focusing on storylines that reflect diverse experiences. “We have had 70 indigenous interns on our show Molly of Denali (co-produced with PBS) that are now working in the business today,” she said. “We have a mission that every person regardless of race or gender should be able to find themselves reflected back on the screen in a positive light. That’s something that we should all strive for. You can’t boil the ocean, but you can boil one pot at a time. By putting in those initiatives and mentorship programs and lifting those authentic voices, you get new stories. The stories that we have on Molly of Denali have never been told before. The one silver lining of the pandemic has been this increased racial awareness.”
Plus and Minuses of Remote Work
The panelists also discussed the positive developments that came about as the result of the Covid lockdown. Many mentioned the fact that they can work with artists that are not in the immediate range of their studio and can use digital technologies to connect them with employees who can now devote more time with their family instead of commuting. They also warned of the challenges of having younger employees who have not developed the necessary social skills required to work in a team because they only work remotely.
When asked about the current trends, the Canadian animation studio leaders mentioned the growing demand for live-action content. They noted that it is much harder to sell animation for 6 to 11-year-olds and 11 to 18 age groups, as that audience is leaving the screens and going to gaming, YouTube and TikTok.
“People are tightening their belt a little, but it’s also the time for brilliance to emerge,” said Fowler. “When there is so much demand, it creates a different matrix for how you develop shows. I think this is a beautiful moment for young creative voices to emerge and challenge those of us who grew up without Tiktok. I think that storytelling modalities can shift.”
Quality Over Quantity
Twiner noted that she’s seeing more hybrid content emerging across the board. “We are seeing more animation being filtered in the live-action space, especially in future,” she said. “There is more push for quality over quantity. Buyers are looking for big branded hits. There is still a huge need for content, but it takes time to really develop the top quality fare.”
Westman predicted that the industry is heading towards a tough year or two. “This is just a correction period after the amazing years we had. But it’s important to remember that animation continues to be a staple of every child’s life. If you can ride the high and the low, it will come back. The business shrinks a little, but it the kid’s business will always be fine.”
As Ling concluded, “We have to be diligent in our forward planning. We have to lean in and embrace positive and hopeful stories. We have been there before. The industry is taking a breath and we will bound back.”
The Animation Conference (TAC) is part of this week’s Ottawa Intl. Animation Festival programming, which continues through Sunday. For more info, visit animationfestival.ca.
