Toon execs work towards a European Women in Animation group

Corinne Kouper, head of development and executive producer at TeamTO is working with Lenora Hume, head of production at Shut Up! Cartoons and TeamTo’s rep in Los Angeles, to try to establish a French or Europe-wide group representing women in the animation industry.

There is already a US Women in Animation advocacy group (logo pictured), and Kouper, Hume and others would like to starts a similar organisation.

A meeting has been convened for women working at broadcasters, and female directors and producers for June 12 at Annecy’s Mifa. That meet-up will allow women working in European animation to meet WIA’s US members.

Margaret Dean, from Mattel’s Playground Productions, is the co-president of the non-profit US association, which is dedicated to connecting, supporting, and empowering women in the field of animation. She will attend the meeting, answer questions and explain WIA’s goals.

“In French animation, women executives are under-represented,” TeamTO’s Kouper (pictured) said. “This meeting will first test the waters to determine whether extending Women in Animation to France makes sense or whether we prefer create our own French/European network, or nothing at all. This is the first step, but the 2015 Annecy festival will shed light on women in animation and it would be great if we could officially announce something of this kind.”

In France, the idea of a professional female network has the support of several leading figures in the animation sector including TeamTo’s Clémence Bragard, Constance Lassort and Fanny Weber.

TF1 Jeunesse’s Eleanor Coleman, Dandeloo’s Emmanuèle Petry and Zodiak Media’s Patricia de Wilde also all back the plan.