Animation can be a hard career path to break into. As both a competitive work environment and an extremely busy one, it can be hard to connect with others in the industry and feel a sense of community.
That’s where Women in Animation (WIA) comes in. It is a national organization, but has recently opened a local chapter at Northern Kentucky University. While originally focusing on women specifically, it has now opened up to be a community for all animators.
Ashia Hilliman, the president of NKU’s WIA, spoke on some of the key aspects that make WIA important for animation and digital design students. Hilliman is a junior animation major who created the local chapter of WIA to better connect animation and digital design students on campus.
The environment Hilliman described for the average animation and VFX/3D design student was a fractured one. With many of the students being commuters and classes being split between SOTA and Griffin Hall, it can be hard to have a sense of community.
Hilliman also found that WIA offered the opportunity to network with professionals, which is important in an industry where Hilliman believes “ignorance is the death of a good career.” While the local chapter has only been around a month, members are already starting to see the benefits.
Senior 3D design major Oskar Boughter describes the organization as “a great opportunity for networking.” The sense of community Boughter has developed through WIA has also been productive since most of his class time is spent in the lab or presenting his work, scenarios that leave him little time for socializing with peers.
Boughter also found that WIA offered him the ability to build a schedule for his professional development and foster a good attitude towards working in his career. He’s also received the chance to meet like-minded people during the short length of the local chapter’s existence.
Some of the events that WIA have put together include watch parties for various shows, a 24-hour animation contest and getting the opportunity to meet and interview colorist Rose Kang and background artist Amelia Orzano, who both worked on the Disney cartoon Kif.
Their next watch party is Friday Oct. 31, where they’ll be watching the pilot to the Australian series The Gaslight District. They will also be participating in the open house for the recently moved animation studio OddBeast on Monday Nov. 3 at 8 a.m.
Hilliman said she’s hoping to accomplish further goals this year. One task includes expanding the executive board, which currently only includes Hilliman and Co-President Natalie Garret. In addition, Hilliman would like to secure more studio tours and brainstorm future events.
To get a better grasp on possible events the organization could hold and what it might look like after further establishing itself, it might be beneficial to examine University of Cincinnati’s Animation Club (UCAC), which has been on campus for years. Long-time member, Nikki Dashley, described UCAC as similar to the networking and team building of WIA.
Events like UCAC’s Esquire Showcase, which displays dozens of animation projects created across the year, might allow WIA to expand its reach and popularity with animation and DFX students alike.
When looking towards the future, Hilliman said she is optimistic yet aware of the challenges in funding a smaller and newer organization can have. Despite these challenges, the organization shows no signs of slowing down as it grows and expands the number of events it offers.