Visual Effects Society Debuts Women Who Lead Summit on Leadership, Equity, and Technology in VFX

The Visual Effects Society held the first edition of its Women Who Lead Summit, a sold-out half-day program of two keynotes and two panels on leadership, equity, career advancement, and technology in visual effects. The lineup put a producer, a film-fund co-founder, and studio executives on stage to talk through career advancement, developing more female VFX supervisors, and the barriers women face in technical roles.

• A sold-out debut drew a global crowd. VES says the event brought together more than 250 attendees from around the world at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
• Two keynotes bracketed the day. Producer Barbara Muschietti opened with a fireside chat, and KINO co-founder Brit MacRae closed with a talk on reducing Hollywood's risk aversion.
• Studio executives shared one panel. Executives from Universal, Paramount, Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. discussed career advancement and developing more female VFX supervisors.
• A second panel addressed technical roles. Speakers from WetaFX, Epic Games, Super 78, and Promise covered evolving VFX technology and the challenges women face in technical positions.
• The summit extends an ongoing VES program. It grows out of the VES VFX Women Who Lead initiative, chaired by SPINVFX founding partner and CEO Neishaw Ali.

Barbara Muschietti opens and Brit MacRae closes the day's two keynotes

The opening fireside chat paired producer Barbara Muschietti (IT, IT: Welcome to Derry, They Will Kill You, Ride or Die) with moderator Janet Muswell Hamilton, VES (HBO). According to VES, Muschietti discussed collaboration, creating opportunities to do the work she wants, and becoming comfortable with discomfort.

Janet Muswell Hamilton, VES (HBO) moderates the opening fireside chat with producer Barbara Muschietti. Credit: Visual Effects Society / RazPR.

Brit MacRae, co-founder of venture-backed independent film fund KINO, gave the closing talk on reducing Hollywood's risk aversion across creative, financial, and hiring decisions.

KINO co-founder Brit MacRae delivers the closing talk. Credit: Visual Effects Society / RazPR.

Studio executives discuss developing more female VFX supervisors

The panel "Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Leaders" was moderated by Janet Muswell Hamilton and featured Jennifer Bell (Universal Pictures), Kathy Chasen-Hay (Paramount Pictures), Anne Putnam Kolbe (Netflix), Christine Mansfield (Disney), and Lori J. Nelson (Warner Bros. Pictures). The discussion covered career advancement, developing more female VFX supervisors, and leadership skills.

The "Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Leaders" panel with executives from Universal, Paramount, Netflix, Disney, and Warner Bros. Credit: Visual Effects Society / RazPR.

A technology panel addresses the challenges women face in technical roles

The panel "Storytelling Empowered by Technology," moderated by Annie Chang (NBCUniversal), featured Dina Benadon (Super 78), Pavani Boddapati (WetaFX), Emily Hsu (Epic Games), and Connie Wailan Siu (Promise). It addressed evolving technology in VFX and the challenges women face in technical roles.

The "Storytelling Empowered by Technology" panel with speakers from Super 78, WetaFX, Epic Games, and Promise. Credit: Visual Effects Society / RazPR.

Neishaw Ali, chair of the VES Women Who Lead Committee and founding partner, CEO, and executive producer of SPINVFX, described the event as hopeful and inspiring, according to VES. The summit grows out of the VES VFX Women Who Lead initiative, which we previously covered.