ASIFA-Hollywood announced Monday its new slate of officers for its executive board of directors. The new officers are:
- Board President, Sue Shakespeare
- Vice President, Jerry Beck
- 2nd Vice President, Brooke Keesling
- 3rd Vice President, David Derks
- Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Jeff Wike
- Secretary, Jeanette Bonds.
All of the newly appointed officers are currently active in their positions with ASIFA-Hollywood. Executive board officers are selected for a term of three years, with the possibility of a second term if re-elected, for a total of six years.
Shakespeare has served on the ASIFA-Hollywood board for six years and is the president of the independent animation studio, Creative Capers Entertainment. “Having a female as well as independent studio presence as an executive board officer is extremely important,” says Shakespeare. “In this capacity, I’m excited to bring a point of view to the ASIFA-Hollywood board that directly aligns with its diverse membership.”
The organization also recently issued its Call for Judges for the 48th Virtual Annie Awards. Applicants must have an established career in animation and exemplary professional credentials in at least one of the Annie Award categories. Individuals in the animation community, who are interested in being a nomination committee judge, will find the application at members.asifa-hollywood.org/judge-application.
“I’d like to encourage members from the animation industry to participate who can help us increase the diversity in our judging panels,” said Shakespeare. “It has been an ongoing initiative within ASIFA-Hollywood to increase the diverse voice of our judges, and this year’s goal is to have the most diverse group ever!”
Annie Judge candidates do not have to be members of ASIFA-Hollywood but, whether they have applied in the past or are applying for the first time, need to submit a new application.
“We are doing more to reach out to animation organizations including Women In Animation, Black N’ Animated, LXiA (LatinX in Animation), as well as other under- represented members of our community,” commented Frank Gladstone, ASIFA- Hollywood’s executive director. “Increasing diversity in the Annie Award judging population is perhaps a small step in broadening our industry, but it is a necessary one.”
All important dates, details, rules and regulations for the 48th Annie Awards (April 16, 2021) can be found at www.annieawards.org.
ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, Animation Educators Forum, animated film preservation, special events, scholarships and screenings.
