Sessions focused on the people of visual effects, their experience and how they continue to promote and support a happy, healthy and thriving industry.
Sometimes with growth comes leadership and culture challenges. Some of the leadership team from Steamroller Animation engage in a lively discussion about leadership, lessons learned along the way, being vulnerable, how to foster growth and relationships within your team, culture, as well as some of the challenges that a growing studio faces.
SPEAKERS
Aaron Gilman
CCO // Steamroller Animation
Aaron graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and went on to receive an Honors Certificate from the Vancouver Film School in 2000.
With 22 years in the VFX industry, Aaron has worked at all levels of animation in film, games and TV. Beginning with his early film work, Aaron was an animator on Matrix Revolutions,
Hellboy and Constantine with the acclaimed Tippett Studio. Eventually making his way to Weta Digital as a Senior Animator on Avatar, Aaron would remain with the award-winning New Zealand-based company for 8 years. In that time he worked on 14 feature films, including as Animation Supervisor on The Avengers, Iron Man 3, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip, and Godzilla. In 2016 Aaron made his way to Vancouver Canada as Animation Director at DNEG where he oversaw numerous projects before taking on the Head of Animation role.
In 2021, Aaron assumed the Chief Creative Officer role at Steamroller Animation and has since been working closely with the leadership team to help guide the studio into the future.
Aaron brings a wealth of animation and leadership experience to the Steamroller team. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Amanda Renfroe
Head Of Animation // Steamroller Animation
One of Steamroller’s most veteran team members, Amanda Renfroe joined Steamroller as a production manager. She has climbed the studio ladder and is currently the Head of
Animation for Steamroller.
Amanda has animated, led, and supervised several elite projects within the gaming and film industry throughout her career. Some projects include Destruction All-Stars (in
partnership with Lucid Games), Anthem (in partnership with BioWare), Cyberpunk 2077 (in partnership with CD Projekt Red), and Spice Frontier (Steamroller project), Mortal Kombat
11 (in partnership with NetherRealm Studios), and Prey (in partnership with Arkane Studios).
Amanda is passionate about empowering Steamroller to be the best version of itself, ensuring that both animators and leadership have an environment where they not only feel comfortable, but also, where they can be challenged and grow professionally.
Jalil Sadool
CEO & Co-Founder // Steamroller Animation
Jalil Sadool is the CEO and Co-founder of Steamroller Animation with over fifteen years of experience working in the film industry as a professional animator. After graduating from
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2004, he soon began his animation career at Rhythm and Hues Studios working on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and
the Wardrobe. In 2006, Jalil moved to New Zealand to join Weta Digital Ltd, where he spent five years as Senior Animator on The Water Horse, Prince Caspian, and James Cameron's Avatar. In 2009 he was Sequence Lead Animator on Matt Reeves' Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In 2011, Jalil moved from VFX to Feature Animation and joined DreamWorks
Animation, where he worked as Lead Animator on Rise of the Guardians and How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Together, with two industry colleagues, Adam Meyer and Keith Lackey, Jalil co-founded Steamroller Studios in central Florida in 2015. Under the banner of their new studio, Jalil worked on multiple high-profile projects including Rise of the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dauntless, Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Horizon Forbidden West. Jalil and his team at Steamroller Animation are currently producing their own animated TV series called Spice Frontier.
MODERATOR
Jessica Glass
Production Technology Department Manager // DNEG
Jessica has been collaborating with teams in the tech industry for over a decade, contributing to workflow, process and diverse projects in leading tech companies such as Rogers Communications, Digital Domain, MPC and the American Marketing Association. Throughout her career, she has always strived to reconcile technology and humanity and make tech more accessible and intuitive for its users.
She strives to make others around her develop their full potential and has been a pillar in the Tech community for many years. As Co-Founder of YVRFF (Vancouver Virtual Reality Film Festival), and Founder of CRAFTGRAPH (a networking series bringing together professionals from the computing, recording and art & film technologies fields) she has been a champion of change, creative collaboration and innovation.
Jessica is currently the Production Technology Department Manager at DNEG in Vancouver. As ProdTech Department Manager, she provides dedicated and consistent line management, ensuring appropriate crewing and career development for the R&D and Pipeline teams.
Sessions focused on the people of visual effects, their experience and how they continue to promote and support a happy, healthy and thriving industry.
Sometimes with growth comes leadership and culture challenges. Some of the leadership team from Steamroller Animation engage in a lively discussion about leadership, lessons learned along the way, being vulnerable, how to foster growth and relationships within your team, culture, as well as some of the challenges that a growing studio faces.
SPEAKERS
Aaron Gilman
CCO // Steamroller Animation
Aaron graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and went on to receive an Honors Certificate from the Vancouver Film School in 2000.
With 22 years in the VFX industry, Aaron has worked at all levels of animation in film, games and TV. Beginning with his early film work, Aaron was an animator on Matrix Revolutions,
Hellboy and Constantine with the acclaimed Tippett Studio. Eventually making his way to Weta Digital as a Senior Animator on Avatar, Aaron would remain with the award-winning New Zealand-based company for 8 years. In that time he worked on 14 feature films, including as Animation Supervisor on The Avengers, Iron Man 3, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip, and Godzilla. In 2016 Aaron made his way to Vancouver Canada as Animation Director at DNEG where he oversaw numerous projects before taking on the Head of Animation role.
In 2021, Aaron assumed the Chief Creative Officer role at Steamroller Animation and has since been working closely with the leadership team to help guide the studio into the future.
Aaron brings a wealth of animation and leadership experience to the Steamroller team. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Amanda Renfroe
Head Of Animation // Steamroller Animation
One of Steamroller’s most veteran team members, Amanda Renfroe joined Steamroller as a production manager. She has climbed the studio ladder and is currently the Head of
Animation for Steamroller.
Amanda has animated, led, and supervised several elite projects within the gaming and film industry throughout her career. Some projects include Destruction All-Stars (in
partnership with Lucid Games), Anthem (in partnership with BioWare), Cyberpunk 2077 (in partnership with CD Projekt Red), and Spice Frontier (Steamroller project), Mortal Kombat
11 (in partnership with NetherRealm Studios), and Prey (in partnership with Arkane Studios).
Amanda is passionate about empowering Steamroller to be the best version of itself, ensuring that both animators and leadership have an environment where they not only feel comfortable, but also, where they can be challenged and grow professionally.
Jalil Sadool
CEO & Co-Founder // Steamroller Animation
Jalil Sadool is the CEO and Co-founder of Steamroller Animation with over fifteen years of experience working in the film industry as a professional animator. After graduating from
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2004, he soon began his animation career at Rhythm and Hues Studios working on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and
the Wardrobe. In 2006, Jalil moved to New Zealand to join Weta Digital Ltd, where he spent five years as Senior Animator on The Water Horse, Prince Caspian, and James Cameron's Avatar. In 2009 he was Sequence Lead Animator on Matt Reeves' Rise of the Planet of the Apes. In 2011, Jalil moved from VFX to Feature Animation and joined DreamWorks
Animation, where he worked as Lead Animator on Rise of the Guardians and How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Together, with two industry colleagues, Adam Meyer and Keith Lackey, Jalil co-founded Steamroller Studios in central Florida in 2015. Under the banner of their new studio, Jalil worked on multiple high-profile projects including Rise of the Tomb Raider, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Dauntless, Fortnite, Cyberpunk 2077, and Horizon Forbidden West. Jalil and his team at Steamroller Animation are currently producing their own animated TV series called Spice Frontier.
MODERATOR
Jessica Glass
Production Technology Department Manager // DNEG
Jessica has been collaborating with teams in the tech industry for over a decade, contributing to workflow, process and diverse projects in leading tech companies such as Rogers Communications, Digital Domain, MPC and the American Marketing Association. Throughout her career, she has always strived to reconcile technology and humanity and make tech more accessible and intuitive for its users.
She strives to make others around her develop their full potential and has been a pillar in the Tech community for many years. As Co-Founder of YVRFF (Vancouver Virtual Reality Film Festival), and Founder of CRAFTGRAPH (a networking series bringing together professionals from the computing, recording and art & film technologies fields) she has been a champion of change, creative collaboration and innovation.
Jessica is currently the Production Technology Department Manager at DNEG in Vancouver. As ProdTech Department Manager, she provides dedicated and consistent line management, ensuring appropriate crewing and career development for the R&D and Pipeline teams.
