International Women’s Day is celebrated in countries around the world. It is a day when women are recognized for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political.

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2018 (Fri 9^th March), HSBC held an event at The Bartley Lodge Hotel in Hampshire with inspiring guest speakers including LoveLove Films’ very own animator JoAnne Salmon and Personal Branding & Corporate Image Consultant Lesley Wrankmore.

The animation industry can often be seen as a “Boys Club” with 74% of females over the age of 30 working in animation and VFX in the UK feeling that they have or will experience career barriers relating to their gender (AWUK survey 2014/15).

LoveLove production coordinator Shannon interviewing JoAnne

JoAnne was interviewed by LoveLove’s production coordinator Shannon Reeve all about her journey of becoming an animator/illustrator, a dream she’s had for as long as she can remember, and the effects of her Treacher Collins Syndrome – a genetic disorder that effects approximately 1 in 50,000 babies worldwide, characterized by deformities of the ears, eyes, cheekbones, and chin as well as typically hearing and breathing problems.

JoAnne said of talking at the HSBC event; “It was fabulous getting to tell my story in front of a room full of inspiring and amazing women. The afternoon tea was absolutely great too, thank you HSBC for organising it!”

JoAnne and Shannon with the HSBC team

The theme for this years International Women’s Day is #PressForProgress, a call for people to press forward without complacency, and make positive changes and move towards equality. The idea is that the theme doesn’t only apply to the day itself, and should be carried right through the year to inspire action and gain a focus for any initiatives or campaigns.

To read more about JoAnne’s inspiring journey, visit: https://lovelovefilms.com/blog/animator-joanne-salmon-journey/

To read tips from JoAnne and the LoveLove team for International Women’s Day, visit: https://lovelovefilms.com/blog/international-womens-day-2018/

Visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/ to find out how you can take action!