How Do You Actually Become a Leader in VFX and Animation? Part 1

Working hard, becoming brilliant at your craft and earning a promotion should make you a great leader… right?

Not necessarily.

Being an exceptional animator doesn’t automatically mean you’ll be good at managing animators. Being a brilliant producer doesn’t prepare you for every difficult conversation. And being the most technically experienced person in the room doesn’t always make you the person others want to follow.

So, how do you actually become a leader in VFX and animation?

In the first of this two-part conversation, hosts Simon Devereux and Nene Parsotam are joined by six leaders from across VFX, animation, production and workforce development to explore what career progression really looks like, and why getting the title is often only the beginning.

Dasha Sherman, Co-Founder and Director at KoalaFX, Emma Kolasinska, Executive VFX Producer at Lux Aeterna, Lucy Cooper, Managing Director at Union Visual Effects, Dan Cripps, Animator, Animation Director and Head of Animation at Blue Zoo Productions, Kate Lander, Director, Career Expert and Workforce Development Specialist, and Jon Mason, Founder of Jollywise, share the lessons they’ve learned through building studios, leading teams and helping others take their next career step.

Together, they discuss the importance of visibility without self-promotion, building an internal personal brand and demonstrating the 'extra value' you bring beyond your job description. They also explore why progression is rarely linear, how quieter and more introverted people can make themselves seen, and why not everyone needs (or wants) to climb the traditional leadership ladder.

From creating opportunities for visibility and navigating non-linear careers to recognising hidden potential and learning when to step back, this is an honest conversation about what leadership really demands, and why success eventually stops being about what you can do and starts being about what you can help other people do.