Women in VFX

Kind of the same deal as in the closely related land of cartoons.

Victoria Alonso, Marvel Studios’ exuberant EVP of visual effects and post production, told a roomful of VFX industry leaders this morning that it needs to invite more women into the industry, and onto the stage. And for entertainment industry newcomers trying to find their way into the business, she had simple advice: “fill the gap.”

VES VIsual Effects Society Eric Roth“I love the fact that you allowed a woman to talk to you this early in the morning,” Alonso told the mostly male audience. “It’s better when the room is 50-50 (male-female). It’s okay to let the ladies enter. They bring a balance.”

Alonso was speaking in a Q&A before more than 150 people at the Visual Effects Society’s VES Summit on Saturday morning. ...

Interesting about filling gaps.

When I first got to Disney, I looked for ways to make myself generally useful (and also not step on toes). This technique worked for a long while, but then I ran afoul of bad timing and not adapting well to a changing work environment (otherwise known as new management).

I think women have a tough time breaking into the biz because the reflex of many industry execs is to go with the "boys' club" flow. This is changing (albeit slowly), but overall women need to possess superior skills and have fine-tuned political instincts to climb the creative ladder.

It's good that a woman at the top of the ladder is out talking about the Way Things Work.