LIAF 2021: UK Animation Industry Event Session 3: Disability in Animation – are you hiring and if not why not?

ONLINE only book tickets

 
LIAF presents the 2021 UK Animation Industry Event – six panels giving insider access to some of the hottest topics of the year. We’ve gathered together some of the most passionate, honest and insightful experts from a wide range of different areas and backgrounds who are ready to cover all manner of vital topics to give you much food for thought.

Animation doesn’t stand still; and debates and discussions with animators and creative experts are the best way to get in touch with what’s happening, whether it’s a look into the minds of some of the most creative forces making music videos in the 2020’s, the advance of games engines, teaching kids with animation, how to get more people with disabilities into animation roles, current UK funding opportunities and a deep dive into the technology behind the Netflix series ‘Love, Death and Robots’.

For anyone currently working in the film and animation industry, thinking of working in the industry or just plain curious, these six talks are indispensable.

The panels will be chaired by Saint John Walker, Deputy Dean/Director at Escape Studios and Julian Scott, animation consultant at Film London.

LIAF 2021: UK Animation Industry Event Session 3: Disability in Animation – are you hiring and if not why not?

Hiring the people you’ve worked with in the past is safe, quick and easy. But familiarity comes at the cost of uniformity; can you create fresh, innovative standout animation if you’re always hiring the same people? Different people will have different skills with different insights and ideas. They will have different life experiences and different perspectives. They will tell different stories and make different shows in different ways. And some people are different because they are disabled.

A significant part of Film London’s new animation strategy is focussed on getting more people with disability into animation roles. Join us to discuss what you can do to attract talent with disability, what you can do to help them deliver their best work and how our Equal Access Network can help find the right people from across London.

Chaired by Julian Scott, Animation Consultant at Film London

Panellists

Chair: Julian Scott – Animation Consultant at Film London

Julian Scott is a BAFTA-nominated Executive Producer. He has been developing, financing and co-producing feature films and television in the international arena for over 25 years. As animation consultant for Film London, his focus is on generating inward investment for London’s animation studios, by finding partners outside the UK seeking creative and financial soulmates and advising on the UK animation tax credits. Other areas of his work include tackling skills and creative gaps in the animation industry and lobbying to get proper recognition for animation in the UK creative sector and advising studios on business and creative development.

Rebecca Baker – Equal Access Network at Film London

Rebecca Baker runs the Equal Access Network department at Film London, with a core mission to support accessibility and diversity within the film and television industry here in London. The Equal Access Network supports its 2,900 diverse and talented members ranging from new entry to highly skilled in addition to managing several initiatives to train, support and advance diversity and inclusion in film and TV.

Rebecca Gill – Producer

Rebecca Gill is an award-winning producer who develops, finances and produces live-action and animated content. Living with invisible disabilities – M.E, Lupus & Fibromyalgia – Rebecca has faced many discriminative barriers and challenges during her career. Her perseverance in pursuing her dreams has pushed Rebecca forward and established her passion for creating diverse and inclusive content as well as advocating for equality within the workplace. She is now an Animation Producer at Perpetual Arts Studios where the mission is to create content that represents the underrepresented. She also develops magic in film and tv by working as a VFX Production Coordinator at Cinesite.

Rick Williams CFCIPD – CEO Freeney Williams Ltd

Rick is the CEO of Freeney Williams Ltd, Europe’s leading specialist disability consultancy which provides strategic advice and guidance on employing disabled people and ensuring their access to goods and services. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, an Associate of both the Business Disability International and the Business Disability Forum as well as being a non-executive Director of Ofcom. Rick is blind and the combination of being a disabled person and experienced as a consultant, HR professional and senior manager, gives him a high level of expertise in organisational policies and attitudes towards disabled people and how they can be shaped.