Kiran Bhakta Joshi, Founder/co-CEO, Incessant Rain Studios

Kiran Bhakta Joshi , a 30-year animation veteran and Director/Producer, is the Founder & co-CEO of Incessant Rain Studios – a state-of-the-art animation, visual effects and movie studio. He has over three decades of technical, artistic and management experience in Hollywood’s film industry. Prior to Incessant Rain Studios, he was the Visual Effects Supervisor at The Walt Disney Studios where he worked on films such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Working as the Visual Effects Supervisor he managed the early development of Tangled and Frozen at Disney before leaving to establish Incessant Rain Studios.

 

His latest short film Mandala won multiple awards at various international film festivals. He was the Co-director & Producer for the award-winning documentary Moving Mountains: The Awakening. He was the Executive Producer on Bobblehead: The  Movie.  He also worked as the Executive VFX Producer on Selma, Chappie, Stranger Things, House of Dragons, A Series of Unfortunate Events, S.W.A.T., Red Sparrow, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Asura, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Yellowstone,  Brave New World, SEE, 1883,  The Meg, Sacred Lies, Watchmen, Lost In Space and many other films.

 

Kiran’s IMDB

Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt, CEO & Co-Founder, Chocolate Tribe

Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt/ Chief Executive Officer (CEO):

An attorney, creative business entrepreneur and aspiring writer, Nosipho is a multi-potentialite that thrives in idea synthesis, rapid learning and adaptability. With a passion for storytelling and breathing life into concepts in visually realisttic ways, but also a passion for advocating strongly for creatives, Nosipho co-founded Chocolate tribe in 2014. Nosipho graduated with a master's in law and Political Justice at the University of London, Birkbeck College.

Nosipho has helped cultivate Chocolate Tribe into a professional Animation and VFX studio that not only produces work of the highest international standard, but with its over 25 years of industry experience; Chocolate Tribe is a studio that aspires to harness and develop the potential of young talent in the Animation and VFX industry.

As the owner and CEO of Chocolate Tribe, Nosipho continues to be an advocate for growth, training and development. Nosipho has been pivotal in brokering both local and international deals that has seen Chocolate Tribe increase its client base.

Nosipho is also the founder of AVIJOZI an animation, VFX and interactive event, that is meant to empower the youth to access opportunities in this industry.

Saraswathi Vani Balgam, Founder, Writer, Director, and Creative Producer, Dancing Atoms

 In 2013, Vani founded Dancing Atoms, LA-based content and creative development motion pictures production company. She is working on two preschool shows, one with a Canadian production company and the other with a Thai Company. She currently consults and advises people with art direction, character development and storytelling.

Vani has mentored over hundred Unreal artists and contributed as a creative producer for their Unreal short films during the Unreal Fellowship. She crafted a Women Creators Program in partnership with Epic Games that has created a lot of buzz around it.

Previously in her illustrious career, she was the founding director of Rhythm & Hues Studios, Asia & Head of Creative Management and Training at DreamWorks Animation, Shanghai.

Vani actively promotes community building all over the world. She is currently heading the Women in Animation India Collective and has been President of Asifa India for over two decades.

 

Imke Fehrmann, Producer and Coach

Imke Fehrmann has been producing Animation and Visual Effects for more than 30 years. She has been managing and producing innovative projects all around the world, building and leading creative teams.

Since the beginning of her career, she has been passionate about the art of animation and VFX the people who create it. Imke offers a wide range of global experience in animation and VFX production. She has successfully worked in Producer roles for Animal Logic and Lucasfilm and as Executive VFX Producer for Framestore and Rodeo FX and most recently as CEO at Akkord Film, Berlin. 

In 2016, Imke began collaborating with award winning filmmaker and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, initially starting with mentoring and coaching of Waadi Animations team in Karachi, Pakistan. Imke has been Lead Producer on Sitara: Let Girls Dream, the first ever Pakistan animated short film that qualified for the Academy Awards.

Imke is also working as coach and recently began the process to be an ICF-certified coach to support diverse and creative teams globally and to help animation and VFX professionals to bring out their best selves while working, collaborating and communicating - with creativity and empathy.

Imke works as Mentor Coach (EMEA) for the WIA Women in Animation mentorship program, and has been an active member of WIA and VES for years. In 2018, she was also a founding member of the German Initiative for Women in Animation, VFX and Visual Arts, and is member of the board of the Animation Association Germany as deputy chair.