Meet Our Workshop Instructors
Alexander Matthews
My name is Alex Matthews. I was born and raised in Barbados and I have always loved cartoons and animation. In 2012 I dove head first into the animation industry, and spent the next 5 years developing my craft. In 2017 I immigrated to Canada, and since then I have gained further experience from working on 2D animated shows such as Rick and Morty, People Watching, Trailer Park Boys, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, Dallas and Robo, Inside Job and Loud House. Through these projects and my time spent in studios across Canada, I have accumulated extensive knowledge in Storyboard Pro and Harmony. In 2022 I was hired by Toon Boom, and I am truly happy to be part of their family. I now stand ready to give support to and guide anyone who wishes to know more about the amazing products that they develop.
Ari Wise
Ari Wise is the owner and director of Core Music Agency, Canada’s largest talent agency focussing on film, television and games composers. Before establishing his agency, Ari Wise was himself an award-winning film composer, with over 200 features, TV Movies, live and animated episodes of television, documentaries and short films to his credit. Some highlights include: "The Conclave" starring Brian Blessed and James Faulkner, "Police Academy, the Series" and "School of Life", starring Ryan Reynolds. A graduate of the University of British Columbia's Music Composition program, and of the University of Southern California's world famous, "Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television" Advanced Studies Program, Ari has spent the last 17 years representing a stellar roster of successful screen composers. To date, he and his fellow Core Agents have negotiated well over 1500 composer agreements, including for such masterworks as: A24’s The Witch and The Lighthouse, and 20th Century Studios’ horror prequel The First Omen.
His passion for the art and business of music in film has brought him to lead and participate in film festival industry forums and discussion panels at TIFF, VIFF, Victoria Film Festival, and Whistler Film Festival. He has been interviewed for, and been the subject of, featured articles in some of the industry's leading publications. In the past, Ari has served on the board of directors for the Vancouver Post Alliance and has chaired many Leo Juries.
Candice Huddleston Nieson
I am currently a Vice President with Front Row Insurance Brokers Inc., in the Vancouver Office.
Having worked exclusively in the insurance industry for 30+ years, with more than a decade focusing on the Film & Entertainment Field.
I don’t see myself as a typical insurance broker, but rather a business partner with my client’s. By learning about my client’s niche businesses and identifying their concerns, and coverage needs I work to arrange the best insurance options for them.
I also focus on the supervisory duties for the Vancouver Office, which includes staff mentoring, education and career development.
I am very pleased to be working with the ACE program to provide informative insurance workshops and look forward to assisting both ACE and it’s participants.
Emma Gignac
Emma Gignac serves as the Supervising Director and head of the Animation Department at Mercury Filmworks, bringing 25 years of industry experience. Throughout her career, she has gained comprehensive expertise across various animation disciplines, including posing, layouts, storyboarding, and digital animation. For the majority of her career, Emma has held the role of Animation Director, with the past decade dedicated to directing and enhancing team skills at Mercury Filmworks.
During her tenure at Mercury Filmworks, Emma has contributed to a wide array of series, including "Centaurworld," "Wander Over Yonder," "Star vs. The Forces of Evil," "Interrupted Chicken," "Hilda," "The Proud Family," "Tangled: The Series," and several short projects.
Hannah Hong
Hannah is Relationship Manager at RBC, with expertise in film and TV interim tax credit financing. Over the past few years, Hannah found her passion in the intersection of finance and the entertainment industry.
Her journey in the media and entertainment space started when she recognized the significant impact that tax credits have on the financial viability on productions.
Hannah and her team help in areas of production financing, foreign currency hedging, and talent acquisition and retention for Media and Entertainment clients by providing a needs-based strategy for continued business success in the ever-changing world of the entertainment industry.
Heather Renney
Heather Renney has 25+ years of experience in animation production and currently is a Supervising Producer at Atomic Cartoons. She has worked on many award-winning productions, most notably the Peabody Award-winning (2019) and Emmy nominated Molly of Denali for PBS/GBH. Heather is passionate about advocating for the advancement of women and BIPOC people within the industry, and does this by creating internship opportunities for underrepresented groups at Atomic.
In addition to her role at Atomic, Heather serves on the Board of Directors at VIVO Media Arts and volunteers for the Women in Animation Vancouver ACE Program as Associate Producer.
Hiba Hreiche
Hiba Hreiche, from Ottawa, has worked at CAVCO for 17 years. She is currently acting as a Quality Assurance Officer and was previously a Senior Tax Credit Officer. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Communications Studies, from Carleton University.
Irina Race
Irina Race is a seasoned Senior Relationship Manager at RBC, specializing in Film and Media. With a keen focus on tax credits financing and strategies, Irina brings extensive experience and expertise to her role. Her dedication to navigating the complexities of tax credits ensures that her clients maximize their financial opportunities in the ever-evolving landscape of the entertainment industry.
With a strong background in finance and a passion for the arts, Irina is committed to helping her clients achieve their goals while fostering long-lasting partnerships.
Jan Miller
Jan Miller is an international consultant and trainer specializing in film and television co-production and co-venturing. She also continues to present one of the world’s top Content Development & Pitching Workshops. She has offered her workshops and programming in close to 20 countries around the world and across Canada.
A talent that makes things happen, Jan was one of the driving forces behind setting up Canada’s first film school, the National Screen Institute (NSI). She also co designed and presented the Strategic Partners International Co-production Market, Trans Atlantic Partners (TAP), and was lead on the design and delivery of CMPA’s international Coproduction Accelerator Program. She established the Women in Film and Television-Atlantic Chapter and its annual Women Making Waves conference.. She also co-designed and presented several iterations of Women in View’s Five in Focus training opportunities, primarily for underrepresented communities, including one specifically for female animators, as well as the 2021 iteration, Five in Focus Indigenous. Jan has recently designed programs or developed training components focusing on content for the BSO, the Lunenburg DocFest Diversity programs, WIFT-T and the NSI. Jan presently serves on the Women in View Board Executive , the WIFT Canada Coalition, completed a term on the AFC Board and serves on the CSARN Board.
www.janmillerconnect.com
Jan Stebbins
Jan is an animation producer with over 19 years of experience in development and production. In addition to servicing a roster of clients through her consulting business, she works with emerging talent to develop and pitch new animated series.
Previously, she was the Executive Producer of Hornet Films, an award-winning development and production company located in New York. She oversaw all development and production of original animated content for film, television, and web. Prior to running the original content division, she was the Executive Producer for parent company, Hornet, which produces award-winning commercial projects. Prior to Exec Producing, Jan was a producer for Hornet and worked on a variety of animated and mixed-media productions. Before joining Hornet, Jan managed preschool animated series production at Chorion.
She began her career in the creative development department of Sesame Workshop, working in part on the redevelopment of The Electric Company. Jan received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Fordham University. Credits include Sherwood, Olivia, The Mr. Men Show, and The Octonauts.
Jan is a current undergraduate faculty member at The School of Visual Arts in New York City, where she teaches a class entitled “Developing the Animated Series.”
Janet Perlman
Janet Perlman is a Montreal-based animation director, writer, and illustrator known for her absurdist sense of humor and distinct animation style. Her short films have gained global recognition, including an Oscar nomination, an Emmy, and numerous international accolades.
In addition to her films, she has written and illustrated four children's books, including Cinderella Penguin, and the graphic novel Penguins Behind Bars.
She has worked extensively with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) where her films include “The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin”, “Bully Dance” and most recently, “The Girl with the Red Beret”. Her independent experimental films explore non-traditional storytelling, and include “My Favorite Things that I Love, “Sorry Film not Ready” and “Janet Perlman’s Pinocchio”.
Jessica Brunson
As a Line Producer with a lifelong passion for Animation, Jessica Brunson draws upon her experience in 2D and CG workflows to help create engaging and meaningful content while fostering professional growth and personal well-being behind the scenes. She is renowned for taking challenging projects head on, bringing teams together, driving innovation, and nurturing creativity. She believes maintaining a healthy crew morale by advocating for mentorship and sustainable work practices is key to allowing teams and projects to flourish.
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With 13+ years in the industry, she has worked on a wide range of shows including Star Wars Rebels at Lucasfilm, Harley Quinn at Warner Brothers Animation, and My Little Pony: Make Your Mark at Atomic Cartoons.
Katherine Devries
Katherine Sandford
Katherine has written hundreds of stories that have been broadcast all around the world. Recent credits: MITTENS AND PANTS (CBC), ELINOR WONDERS WHY (PBS), Sesame Workshop's NATURE EXPLORERS (which she also developed) and the Canadian kids cult classic TOOPY AND BINOO. Katherine has been nominated for many awards over her career: WGC Screenwriting Awards, Prix Jeunesse International Award and most recently both a 2024 Canadian Screen Award and Writers Guild of Canada Award for Best Writing: Preschool.
Katie Wilson
Kim Hsu Guise
Kim Hsu Guise (she/her/elle) is the Feature Film Executive, Western Region for Telefilm Canada. Kim has over 20 years of experience in the film and television industry as a lawyer, business affairs advisor and production executive. She has a full spectrum of experience including negotiating production-related deal terms, assessing project pitches for financing, setting strategic direction, and building and leading a diverse team of industry experts.
Before joining Telefilm in June 2022, Kim was a consultant, advising clients on career development strategies with an equity, diversity and inclusion lens. Before that, Kim was the Director of Local Content at TELUS and the Executive in Charge of Production for TELUS Original Programming and STORYHIVE, overseeing a multi-million dollar portfolio supporting BC and Alberta filmmakers and cultural organizations. She played a key role in setting TELUS’ local content strategy and enabling TELUS to become an innovator and leader in local programming and the creative industries. Prior to TELUS, Kim was an investment analyst in the western office of Telefilm Canada, where she was a member of a multidisciplinary team that delivered legal and business affairs expertise in all aspects of the development and production financing of screen-based projects. Before Telefilm, Kim was a financial services lawyer at a national business law firm with a practice that combined secured lending and entertainment law.
Kim has been recognized for her work. She was the recipient of the 2018 Women in Film and Television Vancouver Bron Iris Award which is awarded to a person who has demonstrated a commitment to the promotion of women creators and their screen-based works either through curating or programming, or through print and online media sources. Kim is also a 2016 Canadian Screen Award winner as the Executive Producer, Best Web Program or Series, Non-Fiction for "Secret Alberta: The Former Life of Amber Valley."
Lori Massini
As General Counsel at Thunderbird Entertainment, Lori Massini works with the executive team to ensure that there is a high standard of legal compliance across the business and provides advice to business units across the company, while also continuing to oversee Thunderbird’s Legal and Business Affairs team. Lori joined Thunderbird in 2021 and was most recently Senior Vice President of Legal and Business Affairs. Prior to that, she practiced entertainment law for more than 10 years, assisting numerous Canadian and American producers and studios with their legal and business affairs needs. Lori has acted as production counsel for original programming for networks such as Nickelodeon, Disney, Food Network and Discovery. She has extensive experience negotiating contracts for actors, directors, producers and crew, managing employment and labour issues, advising on corporate legal matters and overseeing complex financing arrangements. Lori has also created the online course, Producer Essentials: A Comprehensive Guide to Business Affairs and Production Law for Film and Television, with fellow entertainment lawyer Heather Watt, to help those interested in the field.
Manpreet Dhillon
Manpreet is passionate about taking an human centered approach to helping individuals thrive in the workplace, especially those from equity deserving backgrounds. With over 20 years experience in human resources, diversity and inclusion and management consulting with much of that time spent in higher education, technology, international NGOs, UN agencies and government, Manpreet brings a systemic change approach grounded in coaching and internal audits.
Manpreet had ranked #15 globally on the 2020 EmPower Ethnic Minority Future Leaders list. Manpreet received her Master's in Organizational Management and current certifications include: Certified in Gender Mainstreaming and Certified Internal Auditor. She is a settler, born in Canada with parents from India, living with an invisible disease and advocating for others who live with it too. She is a contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul, Forbes and CHRP People Talk.
Marcia Gwendolyn Jones
As a Feature Animation Producer, Marcia Gwendolyn Jones catalyzes creative vision from script to screen. Known as “The Closer,” Marcia delivers challenging projects on time and on or under budget, while balancing artistic goals and creative vision.
Marcia creates high crew morale even under intense deadlines through great collaboration and communication, so that teams feel valued, supported, connected, thrive and do their best work. Born and raised in New York, Marcia was an expat from 2013-2021, living and working in Canada, Ireland, and France. In 2021 she returned to the US to join Skydance Animation and has also recently worked with Laika Studios as a Development Producer.
Mindy Johnson
Award-winning author, historian, filmmaker, and preeminent expert on women in early animation, Johnson’s groundbreaking book, Ink & Paint
The Women of Walt Disney’s Animation, (Disney Editions) redefines our collective history.This essential volume casts a light on the thousands of unsung female artists behind the creative and technical advances within the animated art form. Recipient of the 2023 ASIFA June-Foray “Annie” Award, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences AMPAS/Oscars.org Film Scholar Award, along with the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Educators Forum Grant, Mindy’s research continues into the earliest women of animation with several forthcoming books and film projects.
Most notably, she recently unearthed the oldest-surviving hand-drawn animated and directed films by a woman. This game-changing discovery of Bessie Mae Kelley and her early work at the dawn of animation re-defines the established understanding of our collective past. Kelley’s restored films debuted in their World Premiere at the Academy Motion Picture Museum in Los Angeles - 100 years after their creation.
Mindy’s young-reader volume entitled, Pencils, Pens & Brushes – A Great Girls’ Guide to Disney Animation, (Disney Press) celebrates the contributions of 20 remarkable women within early Disney animation and is a treasure for all ages. Hercritically acclaimed debut, Tinker Bell – An Evolution (Disney Editions) was honored with rare consecutive Family Choice Awards, and she is a contributing writer for the epicvolume, The Walt Disney Film Archives –The Animated Movies 1921-1968, (Taschen); as well as the celebrated collection, Marc Davis: Walt Disney’s Renaissance Man, (Disney Editions).
A sought-after commentator, speaker, lecturer and panelist, Mindy explores a wide range of subjects within her presentations and appearances at numerous studios, campuses, international festivals, and conferences including: The Smithsonian Speakers Series, The Pordenone Silent Film Festival (Italy), Hippfest (Scotland), Ottawa International Animation Festival, NAFF Festival-Bosnia Herzegovina, Lucasfilm, Dreamworks, TCM ClassicFilm Festival, Film Forum-NYC, D23 Expo, ABC-Network Specials, San Diego ComiCon, CTN Expo, World Animation Festival and more. She has written for numerous international publications and produced record-breaking global campaigns for the film industry.
Mindy’s creative work extends to a wide range of film projects including associate producing the award-winning documentary Pencils vs. Pixels(2023), and creative work for a growing list of clients, including: AMPAS/Oscars.org, TCM/Turner Broadcasting, WNET/American Masters, SPARK Animation Fest-Vancouver, The Walt Disney Family Museum, The Walt Disney Company, HoriPro Entertainment, Pixar Studios, StageNine Exhibitions, Sony Animation, Primary Wave, SiriusXM Radio and more.
In addition to a background in network television and film production, Mindy is also an award-winning playwright, Grammy-nominated songwriter, musician, and a contributing artist on several internationally acclaimed recordings. When she isn’t speaking, researching, or writing on a myriad of subjects, Mindy also teaches film/animation studies, women’s animation history, screenwriting & intercultural film at CalArts, UCLA and other campuses in Southern CA, as well as Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.
Monica Keen
Monica Keen has worked at Telefilm Canada since 1991 in various capacities and funds. She began as a development analyst, has also worked as a feature film analyst and is currently a business analyst.
For the past 13 years she has worked primarily for the CTF and later the Canada Media Fund Program Administration team helping to administer a number of funds including the Aboriginal, POV, Diverse Language, Digital Linear Series and Performance Envelope Programs.
Nadine Westerbarkey
Nadine Westerbarkey has close to 30 years' experience in TV and film animation across
different countries starting from Germany to Australia and Canada. Nadine has worked
as animation director, animator, story artist, designer and other creative roles on
projects with studios like Disney, Dreamworks, Universal and Netflix. Currently, she
serves as Studio Creative Director at Atomic Cartoons in Vancouver, overseeing all
productions and their set up creatively while supporting studio creative teams during
development and production. In 2021, Nadine received the Vancouver YWCA Women
of Distinction Award for her focus on authentic storytelling, diversity and inclusion in her
work in the animation community. Through Women in Animation and Atomic, she is also
passionate about mentoring emerging artists and helping to guide their growth into
leadership roles in the industry.
Oana Suteu
Bio Coming Soon!
Rachit Singh
Rachit Singh is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in the Media and Entertainment industry. He has designed and contributed to pipelines for various award-winning projects including Last Kids On Earth, Molly Of Denali and Hilda and has worked with studios such as Disney, Dreamworks, Apple, Netflix, Rovio, Sony Entertainment etc. In his current role, as the Head of Technology, 2D, at Atomic Cartoons, Rachit oversees all pipeline development and setup for 2D animation at the studio.
With a strong educational background in Information Systems and 2D-3D Animation, he continues to explore new technologies to create efficiencies, improve artists' workflow and experience.
Rose-Ann Tisserand
​Rose-Ann Tisserand is co-founder of Flying Kraken Creative Studios, a boutique, Canadian-based studio that creates original animation content and specializes in award-winning animation design services. She is also Founder and Co-Executive Producer of WIA Vancouver’s award-winning Animation CareerEXCELerator Program(ACE) which advances the careers of those who identify as women into key creative roles by providing mentorship, training, and hands-on experience as they make a short film. Over 5 years, ACE has grown from 5 initial key creative roles in BC to 8 roles from across Canada. ACE is currently sponsored by Netflix Canada, Telefilm and Creative BC. She has worked as a production executive for 22 years over seeing 300+ hours of film and television production. She was supervising producer at Bardel Entertainment, Consulting Producer with the NFB, and is currently Executive Producer/Co-Creator of a series in development with Silvergate Media. She also sits on the Spark Animation Leadership Board and is Executive Advisor on the WIA Vancouver board.
Sarah Wall
Sarah has produced over 350 half hours of animated television for a wide range of clients and broadcast partners. This includes Not Quite Narwhal and Megamind Rules for Dreamworks, My Little Pony for Hasbro, Blaze and the Monster Machines for Nickelodeon and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs for Sony. As VP of Production at a major production studio she supervised a slate of up to 15 concurrent titles with responsibility for budgets, key crew recruiting, managing stakeholder relations and ensuring the creative vision is delivered. With 25 years of experience in the business, Sarah is keenly aware that every decision is made to drive the best work on screen. Sarah has a high degree of enthusiasm for creative artistry and new technology, and continues to support the world-class animation community in Vancouver, Canada.
Suad Bushnaq
Hailed as an ‘incredible artist’ by the legendary Hans Zimmer, Suad Bushnaq is a four-time Canadian Screen Awards nominated, and Hollywood Music in Media Awards winning composer whose versatile style spans a number of genres, and whose music, described as ‘reflective and touching’ by the BBC, has moved listeners to their core. With more than 40 film credits to date, she scored award-winning features & shorts that screened at festivals like La Biennale di Venezia, Locarno, Hot Docs, and Edinburgh. She was competitively selected for the Festival de Cannes ‘Spot the Composer’ programme, and the SESAC film scoring residency in LA where she was mentored by A-list composer Christophe Beck. Her awards include a Hollywood Music in Media Award and a Best Original Score at the Fine Arts Film Festival in LA amongst others. She holds a Bachelor in Music Composition from Canada’s top music school, McGill University, and is an alumnae of the prestigious and highly competitive Canadian Film Centre Slaight Music Residency. A dual Canadian-Jordanian citizen of Bosnian, Palestinian, and Syrian roots, Suad is currently working on releasing her AFAC supported album, 'The Edge of Life: Soundtracks from Arab Cinema’, was recently nominated for a Canadian Screen Award (Canada’s equivalent to a BAFTA) for her score for the feature film Jasmine Road by Warren Sulatycky, and recently scored Hanging Gardens, a feature film by Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji, which had its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Biennale di Venezia 2022.
Tara Audibert
Tara Audibert is a multidisciplinary artist working in film, animation, illustration, and fine art. Tara owns and runs Moxy Fox Studio currently producing the feature film Qaqsoss naka Wahuntuhsis (Fox and the Tiny Demon), TV show Lil Glooscap & the Legends of Turtle Island, short films I am the Warrior, The Importance of Dreaming, comics This Place: 150 Years Retold, and Lost Innocence. Her previous book illustrations include the award-winning Jo Jo Makoons series (by Dawn Quigley), Fiddleheads for Fox, Moonbeam (by Gail Francis) and Loaf the Cat (by Nicholas DeShaw). She is of hybrid Wolastoqiyik-French heritage and lives in Sunny Corner, New Brunswick, Canada.
Tatiana Kober
Tatiana started Bejuba! Entertainment 20 years ago to specialize in the executive production, financing and distribution of quality children’s and family entertainment across all platforms. The company specializes in coproduction, financing and sales. Tatiana believes creatives come first and believes in keeping as much IP ownership in the hands of creators. A Canadian and German citizen, Bejuba! is proudly Canadian. The company’s catalogue holds over 1000 half hours, that’s over 60 IP’s like “Wishfart” “Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave”, “Jeremy and Jazzy”, “The Hive” and “Big Block SingSong”. Bejuba! has been nominated several times in the Kidscreen Hot 50 as one of the top distribution companies. Bejuba! is a robust boutique which cherry picks its shows for originality, story and relatability to kids.
Many of the series are award winning. Tatiana is often called upon to speak at conferences around the world.
Prior to Bejuba!, Tatiana was Managing Director of distributor Egmont Imagination UK where she built the company from scratch for mother ship, Egmont Imagination in Denmark, a subsidiary of the European publishing giant. She held positions at BBCWW (German Sales Manager (fiction) and Children’s genre specialist, where, at the time, she secured the largest UK drama sale in the history of UK television. She oversaw the rollout of “Teletubbies” in Germany. She also worked at Endemol UK as the children’s sales manager, and as a consultant for National Geographic Kids in America. Tatiana started focusing on the business side of television when she left Canada to work in Tokyo for NHK Japan in the Hi Definition coproduction department. There she worked with the team to develop documentary co-productions.
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Tatiana studied at the prestigious Toronto Metropolitan University (Ryerson) and received a BAA, Bachelor of Applied Arts, in Radio and Television Arts. Upon graduating, she held various positions at public broadcaster, TVO in Canada, where she worked for 6 years in the Children’s, Science and Current Affairs departments, moving from production coordinator to production assistant to associate producer and director.
Tracey Mack
Tracey is honoured to Executive Produce the ACE program with Women in Animation. She is an award-winning Producer with twenty years of experience, producing over 120 hours of television in both live action & animated film, television and digital media. She is currently COO / Head of Production for Imagine Create Media, where she is a Producer on Scout & The Gumboot Kids for CBC, nominated for both a Prix Jeunesse and NHK Japan Prize.Through her own company, Urban Safari Entertainment, she has just finished development on the animated feature, A Christmas Crisis, with Hollywood Suite, which she also wrote, and has produced The Adventures of Little Jake & Many Skies for APTN, the award-winning Kids’ Cookhouse, and the web series PARKED.
Tyler Rice
Bio Coming Soon!
Vanessa Esteves
Vanessa Esteves is a Supervising Creative Producer, Writer, Content Creator and Showrunner with a passion for story-telling. Having over 18 years experience in the animation industry, Vanessa has worked in multiple genres with a strong focus on preschool and comedy. Vanessa works across Development and Current Series from concept to screen with a blended skillset of both creative and physical producing abilities. She has overseen many animated series and is the Co-Creator and Executive Producer on the animated comedy, Super Wish. When she's not helping create dynamic content, she is often found watching it alongside the audience, her two young kids.
Virginie Lavallée
Virginie is a Film and TV Producer with 15 years of experience in live-action and CG animation. Her live-action films have been screened in festivals around the world, such as the Cannes Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival. In 2011 she was offered an unexpected opportunity in the CG world and fell in love with the animation community. Since, she has worked on some of the most exciting properties in the world with partners like Disney, Netflix, HBO, TeamTo and Splash Entertainment.
She is also co-founder of The Happy Producers, a virtual community that promotes wellbeing in animation production. Through their e-learning programs, she teaches coordinators and project managers the mindset and strategies for low stress, high efficiency projects.