VES Brings Women Leaders Together at Inaugural Summit

The Visual Effects Society (VES) is bringing together industry voices for its inaugural ‘Women Who Lead Summit, with the organisation announcing the event’s speaker lineup ahead of the half-day programme. The event will take place at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, with tickets now on sale.

The program will consist of two keynotes and two panel discussions where there will be ample discussion about leadership, professional experience, and opportunities for women in the field of visual effects. A networking breakfast at the beginning and lunch towards the end of the program will give a chance to women entrepreneurs to network and connect.

The event will bring together leading figures from the industries of HBO, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Disney, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros., and WetaFX.

Key Highlights:

• VES hosts inaugural Women Who Lead Summit in Los Angeles
• Industry leaders discuss women’s leadership and technology in VFX
• Brit MacRae delivers closing keynote at the summit

"Our vision is to inspire a community grounded in strength, collaboration, and meaningful connections, one that supports women at every stage of their leadership journey," said Neishaw Ali, chair of the VES Women Who Lead Committee. "We believe that investing in women leaders isn't just about creating opportunities for individuals; it's about strengthening our entire industry."

The panel titled “Opening Doors for the Next Generation of Leaders” will be chaired by Janet Muswell Hamilton, VES, Senior Vice President of VFX at HBO. The panel will involve senior industry executives such as Jennifer Bell from Universal Pictures, Kathy Chasen-Hay from Paramount Pictures, Anne Putnam Kolbe from Netflix, Christine Mansfield from Disney, and Lori J. Nelson from Warner Bros. Pictures. It is believed that the discussions will revolve around developing leaders, career prospects, and how the industry can develop better paths for emerging women leaders.

The second panel, “Storytelling Enhanced By Technology,” will be moderated by Annie Chang, Vice President of Creative Technologies at NBCUniversal. The panelists include Dina Benadon from Super 78, Pavani Boddapati from WetaFX, and Connie Wailan Siu from Promise. The topic will discuss the influence of new technology and innovations on the way creative work is done. The topics under discussion will include real-time production, immersive technologies, AI-powered businesses, and other emerging creative technologies.

The final keynote will be delivered by Brit MacRae, a professional in the technology and entertainment industry with a track record involving innovative media and movie production. Brit is the co-founder of KINO, an entertainment tech company that is backed by Sequoia, ARK Invest, and Slow Ventures.

Women Who Lead Summit is one of the several components of the Visual Effects Society’s Women Who Lead initiative, committed to help women working in the visual effects industry develop their professional skills and network. The other components of the initiative include a mentoring program among peers, Career in VFX videos, and a newsletter. Ali, who is a founder, CEO, and executive producer of SPINVFX, is a VES fellow and used to be on the board of VES globally.