Tara Kemes, Studio General Manager, Cinesite

Tara is the general manager of Cinesite Feature Animation, Vancouver. She joined the studio in early 2018 to lead its work on MGM's film, The Addams Family,

Prior to joining Cinesite, Tara spent several years at Vancouver's Rainmaker Entertainment (now known as Mainframe Studios), last serving as the vice president of culture and talent. In that role, Tara focused on creating a positive and inclusive environment for the team, and she brings that same drive to Cinesite Vancouver in a broader oversight role.

Tara is a recent board member for QMUNITY, British Columbia's queer, trans, and two-spirit resource center, as well as a contributor to various industry-specific organizations in Vancouver. There's a shared mentality in all of this work: Tara's guiding principle is to support, lift up, and empower others, and it shines through in her management of Cinesite Vancouver.

Paulene Hamilton, Head of People and Talent, Blue Zoo Animation Studio

Paulene leads the People & Talent team and champions all the people 'stuff' across the whole studio. She oversees all the people and talent related projects that support the studio to achieve its ambitions. She is always striving to make sure that Blue Zoo is the best place to work in our industry. The People and Talent team have recruited and welcomed over 200 new Blue Zooers since March 2021, all while everyone in the studio is working remotely!

Natasia Schumacher, Head of Operations, Method Studios

Natasia kickstarted her career in Visual Effects at Framestore in 2014; quickly evolving in her role as she supported the studio's growth from 100 to 300 employees during her tenure. Discovering her passion for creating a positive work environment, she was given the opportunity and dove into the role of Facility Manager where she endeavored to build a strong and diverse company culture.

In 2016 she joined Atomic Fiction as the Senior Manager of Facilities where she focused her efforts on the expansion and build out of the studio, while fostering a creative work environment where each individual felt supported, welcomed, and empowered to do their best work. Following the acquisition by Method Studios in 2019, Natasia took on a new challenge as Head of Operations, where much of her focus was dedicated to a smooth transition as Method Montreal settled-in with its new family of studios globally. Over the past couple years, she has played a key part in building a strong, interconnected global company culture and supporting the team as Method Montreal navigated through the global pandemic.

Natasia is an Executive Board member for Women in Animation in Montreal and is an active Access VFX member.

She continues to make a difference in the Visual Effects industry by creating relevant events, experiences, traditions, and encouraging a sense of belonging for all!

Imke Fehrmann, COO & Executive Producer, Akkord Film Produktion GmbH

Imke Fehrmann has been producing Animation and Visual Effects for more than 25 years. She has been managing and producing innovative projects all around the world, building and leading creative teams everywhere.

Since the beginning of her career in 1990, she has been passionate about the art of animation and the people who create it. Imke has successfully worked in Producer roles for Animal Logic and Lucasfilm and as Executive VFX Producer for Framestore and Rodeo FX, and has led the animation studio Hahn Film as CEO.

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

Imke’s global experience in animation and VFX production combined with her passion and talent of not only bringing people- of different backgrounds, skill sets and talents- together but also helping them bring their optimum creativity and efficiency to the projects, is what sets her apart as a successful Producer.

Imke is an active member of Women in Animation and VES for years, and as of 2018 also founding member of the German Initiative for Women in Animation, VFX and Visual Arts.

Karin Larsson

Karin Larsson studied Industrial and Organizational Psychology. After her PhD she worked as a seminar manager for a German Business school nearby Cologne. After living for a couple of years in the USA she worked for several consultant companies and trained people in teamwork, communication and sales.

Karin is interested in teaching people how to build a successful team, solve problems in team situation and be able to enjoy a productive team.

At the Filmakademie she is a lecturer for teambuilding and coaching at the Institute of Animation.