Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1079787
WHAT DO YOU WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD YOU BEFORE YOU STARTED A FAMILY? FAWN: When I was pregnant there was only one other mom and now they're like four of us. I find more people say, "These story ladies, they know what it's like to be a mother." And that's pretty valuable in the story room. You can give perspective that was not usually available. ELIZABETH ITO: Maybe Disney moms won't be dead anymore. FAWN: When I came back from maternity leave, Josie, who's the other mom, was my supervisor. She was like, "I know what it's like so if you need to leave the room to go pump, just walk out. No need to explain to anybody." ANNA: You always feel like somebody is getting a little bit of the short end of the stick, but at the same time I feel like it's made me a much more efficient worker. ELIZABETH: It would have been nice to know that it's going to be really difficult to figure out daycare. I don't think I expected it to be so emotional and taxing. Some studios have daycare, like Disney, and it felt like how come everybody doesn't have that? It would be so useful, especially if do you want to encourage moms to come back. KC: Beforehand you're scared of all these things. It's unknown but you're capable of doing it and you'll make it happen. Whether you're afraid about your finances or finding daycare you figure it out and talking to people helps. ELIZABETH: I think another piece of advice is just to reassure somebody that all babies are so different. For me, I wouldn't have been able to work from home with my first kid cause he was not an easy baby. JESSICA: I think you call it spirited. MONICA: It's very difficult to give advice because everybody wants different things from life. I had my daughter when I was 22. At 22, by the time you realize what's going on, the child is already grown up. At the same time, I missed out on enjoying the moments because I was so young. When you're older, you savour each moment. KATYA: When you have kids, you join the biggest club on earth. IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE CULTURE WITH RESPECT TO MOMS IN THE WORKPLACE WHAT WOULD BE AT THE TOP OF YOUR LIST? KC: At The Simpsons we're really lucky in that we can have flexible hours. As long as you come in and you get your work done, everybody's pretty happy. And that really helps, especially if there's a day where you need to come in late because there's a school performance or you need to take a longer lunch. TERI: Last year, my husband and I were both on the same show in Hollywood and the earliest that the studio opened was 8:00 a.m. My daughter was in daycare in Burbank so we had to get in right when the studio opened and could only take a half hour lunch so that we could leave by 4:30 to commute and pick her up before the daycare closed. So having earlier hours would help so much. AND ONSITE CHILDCARE? ELIZABETH: Daycare [at studios] would be a game changer even just care after school. [Also] when after work mixers are scheduled, just planning those things around people who have kids. FAWN: We do have flexibility at work to go pick up kids. When I was offered a position as [supervisor], the first thought that popped in my head was, I can't work those hours because you have to be there for other people. And they're like, "Think about it. We'll be understanding." And they have been. I try to leave at six and then if I need to I do work [at home]. LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING DISNEY DOES—THE AT-HOME WORKSTATION. MONICA: They give you all the equipment? FAWN: On Tangled, I believe, people were saying we work long hours on production. They wanted some flexibility [to] work from home. [Disney] listened and now allows people to have the Linux machine [or] for me a Cintiq. I can set up my own station at home. I don't want to have to go home and then come back. GINA WARR LAWES: The work-from-home kits at Disney were a godsend for me when I first started. It was one of the reasons I was interested in working for Disney. I would kick something off, leave, have dinner with my kids, and then when they went to bed I could hop back on the machine and continue working so I didn't lose cycles. It benefited the studio, it benefited the production and it benefited me. MAIRGHREAD: It makes the world of difference when you work from home because for the first three months they just eat and sleep. I wish studios realized if you trust your workers, you're going to get even better work out of them. BETH: For me personally, working from home would be very difficult. Directing, I need to be near all the people and communicating back and forth with them is a big part of it. HAS THE DECISION TO HAVE CHILDREN IMPACTED YOUR CAREER TRAJECTORY? BETH: I am an individual who has always had a ton of anxiety about everything. Should I take that job? Did I make the right F E AT U R E "It helped immensely to have a producer who was a woman and who was a mom. As long as it's an understanding crew, then you're setting up a good situation for people." 28 KEYFRAME