Black Women Animate’s initiative honors Black people in animation who are blazing a trail to the future; honorees include Disney TVA’s Jay Francis, Mounia Aram Company’s Mounia Aram, ‘Craig of the Creek’ storyboard artist Tiffany Ford, and veteran animator Dan Hasket.
The 2nd Annual Black in Animation Awards Show, hosted by Black Women Animate (BWA Studios), will be held on November 14, 2021, at 5:00 PM PST / 8:00 PM EST, to close out the 4th Annual BWA Studios Boot Camp training event. The initiative continues to honor Black people in animation who have and currently are paving the way for this sector of the entertainment industry. Attendees can watch the Black in Animation Awards Show virtually, and register to watch the show and participate in the BWA Studios Boot Camp here.
This year’s event theme is “Lift While We Climb.”
Honorees include:
- Trailblazer Award - Jay Francis, Vice President, Current Series and Diversity, Disney Television Animation
- Cultural Innovator Award - Mounia Aram, Founder & President of Mounia Aram Company
- Next Gen Award - Tiffany Ford, Cartoonist and Illustrator, and storyboard artist for Craig of the Creek
- Lifetime Achievement Award - Dan Haskett, veteran animator
- International Award - Thandiwe Mlauli, Founder & CEO of Studio Yezi
- Social Impact Spotlight Award - Laurence Ralph, independent filmmaker and Professor of Anthropology at Princeton University
- The Rising Star Award will be announced during the Awards Show.
Honorees were selected by the Awards Show Nomination Committee inclusive of industry veterans and community leaders:
- Camille Eden – Nickelodeon VP of Recruiting and Talent Development
- Nicole Rivera – Cartoon Network VP, Original Series Development
- Lynne Southerland - director/showrunner
- Sidney Clifton - Jim Henson & Deluxe Animation EP, BWA Studios Supervising Producer
- Carl Reed - Lion Forge Animation President
- Jinko Gotoh – Netflix producer
- Marlon West – Disney Head of Effects
The show will once again be hosted by Grammy award-winning artist Estelle.
“Following last year’s success, we wanted to continue to honor and acknowledge Black legends in animation,” reflected BWA Studios founder and CEO Taylor K. Shaw and founding and managing partner JLove Calderón. “That’s where this year’s theme stems from; as Black folx continue to play an incredible role in the animation industry, it creates space for generations to come. We want to keep celebrating this through our Black in Animation Awards Ceremony while also giving audiences firsthand access to tools in which they too can excel in our industry during our Boot Camp event.”
The fourth annual BWA Studios Boot Camp is a free, two-day virtual event running from November 13-14, 2021. It includes intensive workshops and insightful panels featuring industry experts and animation gurus from Cartoon Network Studios; Nickelodeon; Netflix; Titmouse; Inspire Justice; Disney TVA; Illumination; 9 Story; Pixar; Wayfarer; Belong and MTV Studios. The BWA Boot Camp and Awards Show is produced by BWA Studios in partnership with A Wynn Wynn Productions, and West Peek Productions.
Source: BWA Studios
