Women In Animation Launches Database For Underrepresented Talent

“I’d love to hire women, but I don’t know where to find them”: it’s a familiar statement in the animation industry. Women in Animation aims to make it obsolete with a new initiative, the WIA Talent Database.

The database, which catalogues people working across all production roles in animation, is intended as a resource to be used by studios when hiring. It includes women, trans, and nonbinary members of the animation community, across all countries.

Potential employers can filter candidates according to various professional criteria, such as knowledge of the cg pipeline or years of work in a given role. The system also features a gallery view that enables multiples candidates’ artwork to be displayed side by side.

The database has launched with more than 5,000 candidates. People can apply to add themselves by heading to the website or emailing database@womeninanimation.org. The information they supply about themselves will be checked by WIA before being included in the database.

WIA president Marge Dean said, “While studios around the world have heard our call for balance and pledged to champion diversity, the reality is that most animation hires are influenced by word of mouth and proximity to the hiring parties. Increasing the visibility and accessibility of women will make it harder to deny our existence.”

WIA is the largest group dedicated to the advancement of women in the animation and vfx industries. The organization, which has ten chapters around the world, aims to secure gender parity across creative roles in animation by 2025.