News

The Women in Animation (Wia) 2021 spring mentorship program will be taking applications starting March 31, with a special focus on mentoring women of color through its Mentor Circles series. In a new development, the Wia mentorship program is collaborating for the first time with Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation, and Rise Up Animation to directly advance career opportunities for women of color in the animation industry. While applicants are not limited to people of color, they are strongly encouraged to apply through these partnerships. As part of the collaboration, each organization recruited and referred industry mentors from their networks, adding to Wia’s pool of mentors.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Wia for their Mentor Circles program,” said Waymond Singleton and Breana Williams, co-founders of Black N’Animated. “By having more mentors of color in these types of spaces it emphasizes that women of color, especially Black women,...

On Thursday, Women In Animation announced the opening of its 2021 Spring Mentorship Program, which will look to help advance the careers of women of color.

For the first time, organizations including Black N’Animated, LatinX in Animation and Rise Up Animation will collaborate with Wia on its Mentor Circles.

Having made an ongoing commitment to bring gender parity to animation by 2025, Wia’s mentorship program connects women and gender non-binary individuals at all levels of the industry—and who are pursuing a variety of creative roles—to knowledgeable mentors, who can advise them on their next professional steps, and help them meet their career goals. While the 2021 program was conceived with women of color in mind, applications are open to all.

Though the Covid-19 pandemic has made in-person gatherings trickier, the quarantine period has inspired Wia to go virtual, launching a proprietary online platform, for the organization and management of mentorship groups.