A series of presentations and discussions on the role animation plays in social change.
Interested in a career in animation, video game, or VFX industries? The pathways into the industry aren’t always obvious.
In this panel, learn how to challenge the status quo and create alternative career opportunities for untapped talent.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Jinko Gotoh
Producer
(Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, The Illusionist, 9, Finding Nemo)
Jinko Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated producer and consultant for the animation industry. Her strengths and passion include the discovering and nurturing of diversified and creative talent, and charting new technologies and creative processes.
Jinko is currently producing her second animated feature for Netflix with Mark Osborne directing. Her other producing screen credits include: 2020 BAFTA winner and Oscar-nominated Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and Oscar-winning Finding Nemo.
Jinko started her feature animation career as the CGI producer on Space Jam. Jinko then became the Director of Digital Production at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where she helped build The Secret Lab.
Jinko is devoted to advance women and all under-represented people in the industry. She serves as vice president for Women in Animation. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences representing diversity and inclusion on various committees. She also co-chairs the PGA Animation and VFX Committee. Beyond that, she is the co-president for Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which provides K-4 music education to underserved neighborhoods.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Math and MFA in Film from Columbia University. Jinko is also a published poet and the happy rescuer of many, many dogs.
Arnon Manor
Arnon Manor is a filmmaker, director, producer and writer, and recently created the Peabody Award-winning Netflix animated short, Cops and Robbers. He leads the Education Committee of the Visual Effects Society, with the purpose of creating opportunities and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in VFX through education.
Throughout his career, Arnon has collaborated with the industry’s most talented filmmakers on over 60 features, and has been Vice President of Visual Effects at Sony Pictures for the last 10 years. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Producers Guild of America, the Visual Effects Society and the Academy of Television.
Allison Frenzel
Allison Frenzel is an education programs specialist with the California Department of Education’s High School Innovations and Initiatives Office. She supports all Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) and Secondary Arts programs in the state of California. Prior to her work at CDE, Allison spent 15 years as a classroom teacher and program coordinator in Sonoma County, and founded Pulse Arts, a 501(c)3 dedicated to connecting professional creatives and public education.
Through programs like the AME Workforce Development Program, the Hip Hop Education and Equity Initiative, and partnerships with the California Film Commission and creative industry, Allison's work is centered around supporting arts education equity and increasing access to industry-connected creative learning and career preparatory opportunities for AME programs in the state of California.
Nicole Hendrix
Producer, Co-Founder & Executive Director // BRIC Foundation
Nicole Hendrix is a four-time Emmy-winning Producer and has won five PromaxBDA GOLD awards as a Producer and Creative Director. With a multi-disciplinary background, Nicole has used storytelling as the main ingredient in her successful campaigns that span across television, games, live events, and film.
She is the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the BRIC Foundation, an organization that focuses on increasing representation for women and people from underrepresented groups in the entertainment industry. She is also the Co-Founder of the Concept Art Association, and organization focusing on elevating and raising the profile of concept artists within the entertainment industry, where she directs their yearly Concept Art Awards show.
Meredith Dean
Clinical Program Director // The Animation Project
Meredith Dean, MA, LCAT, RDT/BCT, ICADC is the Clinical Program Director at The Animation Project. She is an experienced therapist, educator, manager, clinical supervisor, trainer and community-builder who has worked with young creatives for over fifteen years. Meredith has also worked extensively with substance-dependent adults, survivors of domestic violence and incarcerated/system-impacted men and women.
She is the co-Founder and serves on the Advisory Board of Drama Therapy Review and in her free time, enjoys music, travelling and experimental baking. TAP’s mission and work combines Meredith’s passion for storytelling, social justice reform, the arts and creative group process. In her behind-the-scenes role, she marvels at the brilliance and resilience of TAP’s participants, the care and humor TAP staff brings to their work and the potential for TAP’s therapeutic workforce development model to deeply transform lives, communities and the animation industry.
Alison Mann
Talent Manager & Co-President // Fourth Wall Animation
Alison Mann is a Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation at FourthWall Management. In her role, Mann is responsible for managing talent and strategizing the development and talent for the feature film, international and series-based projects, collaborating with business affairs, recruiting, and the creative team to foster new relationships with key creatives within the animation industry.
She is also the co-founder of BRIC Foundation, an organization set up to solve how to create new access points for women and people from underrepresented groups so they can excel at creative leadership and to enable culture change through engaging and empowering talent.
As creative and supporter of talent, Mann is passionate about storytelling and identifying and working with inspiring creators that can continue to elevate the animation industry.
Matthew Waynee
A produced screenwriter and teacher with over 20 years experience, Matthew Waynee currently works at LAUSD/USC Media Arts & Engineering Magnet in Los Angeles, where he helped build its CTE Video Production and Animation pathways from the ground up. He has written over $1,000,000 in grants and set up partnerships with DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Illumination Pictures, NBC/Universal, and Warner Bros.
He has been a guest speaker at the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University as well as presented around the country at the CUE Conference, Magnet Schools of America National Conference, Educating for Careers Conference, Hawai’i ACTE Conference, and the AME Virtual Institute.
He currently serves as the Apprenticeship Coordinator helping to build an Animation, Game Design, and VFX apprenticeship program across California. In 2016, he was honored to be named the National Magnet Teacher of the Year.
A series of presentations and discussions on the role animation plays in social change.
Interested in a career in animation, video game, or VFX industries? The pathways into the industry aren’t always obvious.
In this panel, learn how to challenge the status quo and create alternative career opportunities for untapped talent.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Jinko Gotoh
Producer
(Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, The Illusionist, 9, Finding Nemo)
Jinko Gotoh is an Oscar-nominated producer and consultant for the animation industry. Her strengths and passion include the discovering and nurturing of diversified and creative talent, and charting new technologies and creative processes.
Jinko is currently producing her second animated feature for Netflix with Mark Osborne directing. Her other producing screen credits include: 2020 BAFTA winner and Oscar-nominated Klaus, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, The Little Prince, Oscar-nominated The Illusionist, 9, and Oscar-winning Finding Nemo.
Jinko started her feature animation career as the CGI producer on Space Jam. Jinko then became the Director of Digital Production at Walt Disney Feature Animation, where she helped build The Secret Lab.
Jinko is devoted to advance women and all under-represented people in the industry. She serves as vice president for Women in Animation. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences representing diversity and inclusion on various committees. She also co-chairs the PGA Animation and VFX Committee. Beyond that, she is the co-president for Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, which provides K-4 music education to underserved neighborhoods.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Math and MFA in Film from Columbia University. Jinko is also a published poet and the happy rescuer of many, many dogs.
Arnon Manor
Arnon Manor is a filmmaker, director, producer and writer, and recently created the Peabody Award-winning Netflix animated short, Cops and Robbers. He leads the Education Committee of the Visual Effects Society, with the purpose of creating opportunities and increasing diversity, equity and inclusion in VFX through education.
Throughout his career, Arnon has collaborated with the industry’s most talented filmmakers on over 60 features, and has been Vice President of Visual Effects at Sony Pictures for the last 10 years. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the Producers Guild of America, the Visual Effects Society and the Academy of Television.
Allison Frenzel
Allison Frenzel is an education programs specialist with the California Department of Education’s High School Innovations and Initiatives Office. She supports all Arts, Media and Entertainment (AME) and Secondary Arts programs in the state of California. Prior to her work at CDE, Allison spent 15 years as a classroom teacher and program coordinator in Sonoma County, and founded Pulse Arts, a 501(c)3 dedicated to connecting professional creatives and public education.
Through programs like the AME Workforce Development Program, the Hip Hop Education and Equity Initiative, and partnerships with the California Film Commission and creative industry, Allison's work is centered around supporting arts education equity and increasing access to industry-connected creative learning and career preparatory opportunities for AME programs in the state of California.
Nicole Hendrix
Producer, Co-Founder & Executive Director // BRIC Foundation
Nicole Hendrix is a four-time Emmy-winning Producer and has won five PromaxBDA GOLD awards as a Producer and Creative Director. With a multi-disciplinary background, Nicole has used storytelling as the main ingredient in her successful campaigns that span across television, games, live events, and film.
She is the Co-Founder/Executive Director of the BRIC Foundation, an organization that focuses on increasing representation for women and people from underrepresented groups in the entertainment industry. She is also the Co-Founder of the Concept Art Association, and organization focusing on elevating and raising the profile of concept artists within the entertainment industry, where she directs their yearly Concept Art Awards show.
Meredith Dean
Clinical Program Director // The Animation Project
Meredith Dean, MA, LCAT, RDT/BCT, ICADC is the Clinical Program Director at The Animation Project. She is an experienced therapist, educator, manager, clinical supervisor, trainer and community-builder who has worked with young creatives for over fifteen years. Meredith has also worked extensively with substance-dependent adults, survivors of domestic violence and incarcerated/system-impacted men and women.
She is the co-Founder and serves on the Advisory Board of Drama Therapy Review and in her free time, enjoys music, travelling and experimental baking. TAP’s mission and work combines Meredith’s passion for storytelling, social justice reform, the arts and creative group process. In her behind-the-scenes role, she marvels at the brilliance and resilience of TAP’s participants, the care and humor TAP staff brings to their work and the potential for TAP’s therapeutic workforce development model to deeply transform lives, communities and the animation industry.
Alison Mann
Talent Manager & Co-President // Fourth Wall Animation
Alison Mann is a Talent Manager and Co-President of Fourth Wall Animation at FourthWall Management. In her role, Mann is responsible for managing talent and strategizing the development and talent for the feature film, international and series-based projects, collaborating with business affairs, recruiting, and the creative team to foster new relationships with key creatives within the animation industry.
She is also the co-founder of BRIC Foundation, an organization set up to solve how to create new access points for women and people from underrepresented groups so they can excel at creative leadership and to enable culture change through engaging and empowering talent.
As creative and supporter of talent, Mann is passionate about storytelling and identifying and working with inspiring creators that can continue to elevate the animation industry.
Matthew Waynee
A produced screenwriter and teacher with over 20 years experience, Matthew Waynee currently works at LAUSD/USC Media Arts & Engineering Magnet in Los Angeles, where he helped build its CTE Video Production and Animation pathways from the ground up. He has written over $1,000,000 in grants and set up partnerships with DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Illumination Pictures, NBC/Universal, and Warner Bros.
He has been a guest speaker at the University of Southern California, the University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University as well as presented around the country at the CUE Conference, Magnet Schools of America National Conference, Educating for Careers Conference, Hawai’i ACTE Conference, and the AME Virtual Institute.
He currently serves as the Apprenticeship Coordinator helping to build an Animation, Game Design, and VFX apprenticeship program across California. In 2016, he was honored to be named the National Magnet Teacher of the Year.
