Join the Department of Cinema Studies for a talk with Dr. Stephanie Mastrostefano, Senior CG Animation Coordinator at LAIKA Studios, on Friday, May 16th at 10 am in the EMU Diamond Lake Room (Room 119). Free and open to the community! 

Drawing on Dr. Stephanie Mastrostefano’s graduate research into women’s labor in the Ink and Paint Department at Walt Disney Studios during the 1930s, and her current role in production management at LAIKA Studios, this talk invites us to consider how we can bring the tools of academic scholarship into the everyday work of making, managing, and imagining animation’s future. Dr. Mastrostefano reflects on how historical labor patterns continue to influence the animation industry today, not only in organizational structures and workflows, but in whose voices are heard and whose work is seen. By blending historical research with personal experience, she addresses the ongoing challenges and opportunities for women in animation and explores how bridging scholarship and industry can lead to meaningful change. 

Dr. Stephanie Mastrostefano (PhD 2024, University of Oregon) is a Senior CG Animation Coordinator at LAIKA Studios in Portland, OR. Her research examines how cinematic technologies, labor practices, and social attitudes shaped—and sometimes subverted—women’s roles in animation during its industrial development. After a decade researching women’s contributions to animation, Stephanie transitioned from academia to industry to actively promote pathways for women’s advancement from within. She now oversees CG animated shot production on LAIKA’s upcoming feature, Wildwood.