Written by Anais Corrales
Names like Brad Bird, Glen Keane, James Baxter and Hayo Miyazki are legendary in the Animation industry. Millions of fans across the globe have grown up watching films they created such as “Toy Story” and “Spirited Away.” Their works are Oscar-nominated and Annie Award winners. Although they come from different backgrounds and companies they all have one thing in common: they’re all male.
This morning, the Gutstein Gallery was packed with students from visual effects, animation and more to hear what it’s like to work in animation as a female. The Women Leaders in Animation panel featured Head of Production at Sony Pictures Imageworks Lydia Bottegoni, and Claudia Spinelli, the vice president of current series animation at Nickelodeon.
The panel focused on how women are gaining traction in the industry, what it takes to be a part of big name animation studios and what they’ve learned from their experiences. Being in charge of over 500 artists at a time sounds like a daunting task, and it is. But these ladies stress the importance of cultivating a healthy team atmosphere for each of their individual projects. Although Bottegoni and Spinelli hold executive titles, they each feel they have a maternal outlook toward the people they manage and do everything they can to prevent “cliquey” behavior.
“You never know the lifespan of a show. So you have to work together. It’s important to be a family,” Spinelli said. “You have to be like, ‘Disney is the competition! Don’t fight with each other'”.
Those dreaming of working for industry giants should strive to be proactive and “fill the gap” — a quote made famous by Marvel’s Visual Effects leader, Victoria Alonso.
“Fill the gap means do the thing that no one else is doing,” Bottegoni explained, “You have to start at something. Hopes and dreams come later. Rarely do we hire anyone without experience. You know how you get experience? You fill the gap.”
Similar to other industries, one has to start from the ground up before you get to where you really want to be. After all, Grace Mirabella was a model before she became Editor-In-Chief of Vogue during the ’70s. And John Lasseter started as a tour guide on The Jungle Cruise before he moved on to Pixar.
Once you get the gig, expect to put to work. Meeting deadlines is one of the core values in any animation studio. The fast pace and grueling hours is part of the job.
Bottegoni said “there is no version of ‘we can’t get it done.’ We always have to get it done. Get used to a world where there are no exceptions.”
“Yes you work hard but I promise it’s fun and creative,” Spinelli said.
One of the obstacles that lays ahead for undergrads looking for work in the animation world is the disparity between jobs for men and women. A study featured in the Los Angeles Times found that the workforce in animation is only 20 percent female. How can female students hope to find work in an industry that is heavily male? Confidence in their work, according to the panelists.
“Women have to believe in themselves first,” said Bottegoni. “There is no gender difference in talent. Women can write anything, direct anything, do anything. Do not get trapped in a certain genre just because you’re a woman.”
Bottegoni explained that “SpongeBob Squarepants” has been in production for 10 years, yet has only recently hired females as storyboard directors.
Luckily, students have a very important tool to help strengthen their chances into getting a coveted seat in an artist chair: the Internet.
Aspiring animators are able to share their work through a gender-neutral lens through blogs and social media. Spinelli said she has found artists work on Tumblr, Youtube and Instagram and recently hired an animator after seeing their short film on Vimeo.
Her advice to undergrads is simply, “Get your work out there.”
Bottegoni admitted that she regretted not taking advantage of her education when she was an undergrad.
“I can’t believe I didn’t do more while I was in school,” Bottegoni said. When you’re at a place like SCAD, you have the opportunities to do things before you get to the real world.”
The one piece of advice they have for students is to take chances and learn everything you can.
