Rooster Teeth and Powerhouse Launch Women in Animation Austin
Austin’s Biggest Animation Studios, Rooster Teeth and Powerhouse Animation
Band Together to Establish Austin Chapter of ‘Women in Animation’
Two core pillars of Texas animation, the Austin-based entertainment companies Rooster Teeth and Powerhouse Animation, have joined forces alongside the Texas Film Commission to establish Austin’s first Women in Animation (WIA) chapter. Women in Animation Austin will work to increase the number of women working in animation and support their career growth in Austin.
Founded in 1995, WIA is dedicated to advancing women in the field of animation. WIA envisions a world where women share equally in the creation, production and rewards of animation, and provides resources and connections to make it happen. The Austin chapter of WIA will cultivate this mission locally by providing networking, education and growth opportunities in Austin.
A Force To Be Reckoned With
Rooster Teeth and Powerhouse Animation both bring a multitude of animated entertainment projects to Austin. Rooster Teeth is currently in production on Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy for Netflix, gen:LOCK for HBO Max, the award-winning series RWBY which will premiere its 8th season this fall, and several ongoing animated series and shorts hosted on Rooster Teeth’s owned and operated platform. Powerhouse Animation is currently in production on Gods & Heroes, Mattel’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Season 4 of Castlevania, all for Netflix, and earlier last year released Seis Manos for Netflix.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Texas is ranked #4 in the US for Multimedia Artist and Animator employment. According to the Texas Workforce Commission, the Capital Area (which includes Austin) offers the highest average income for Multimedia Artists and Animators in Texas and is second only to the Dallas Region in terms of employment. Combined, Rooster Teeth and Powerhouse Animation attract the largest pool of animation talent and entertainment professionals in the state of Texas. Several of these entertainment leaders are contributing immediately to the foundation of the Austin chapter of Women in Animation.
Virtual Panel
On May 1, Women in Animation Austin will host its first event: a virtual panel featuring women creatives working in animation in Austin. Interested attendees can register to attend here. The panel will be moderated by Margaret Dean, President of WIA, and feature Steph Swope, Co-founder and Producer at Minnow Mountain, Yssa Badiola, Director at Rooster Teeth, Julie Newberry-Olson, Storyboard Artist at Powerhouse Animation, and Gracie Arenas Strittmatter, Technical Art Director and Deputy Director of Art & Animation at BioWare.
After working in Austin as a consulting producer for Rooster Teeth, I have been very impressed and excited about the potential explosion of the animation industry here. And I’m thrilled that the two leading studios are determined to have gender parity be central to that expansion. WIA is going to do all it can to support that effort.
-Margaret Dean, President of WIA.
Austin is home to many talented women working in animation and it would be amazing to see those ranks grow. With so many animation productions coming to this city, and many students graduating and entering the professional realm, now is the perfect time to establish this chapter and reinforce Austin as the center of all animation in Texas.
-Doreen Copeland, Head of Production at Rooster Teeth.
Powerhouse has many inspiring women in many key leadership positions and it makes our studio stronger. We are proud of our gender parity at the studio and are still looking to expand our roster of talented women. We are so happy to be working with WIA, our friends at Rooster Teeth and the Texas Film Commission on making sure the state continues to attract more women into the industry as animation continues to expand.
– Brad Graeber, CEO and CCO at Powerhouse Animation.
For more information follow Women in Animation Austin or contact them at [email protected].
About Rooster Teeth
From humble origins in a spare bedroom, Rooster Teeth created a new form of entertainment for a changing media landscape. The series Red vs. Blue sparked the growth of a passionate global fandom. Rooster Teeth built on that foundation, creating a dynamic entertainment business built through subscriptions, advertising, consumer products, live events, and more. Known for our powerful comedy brand and fan-focused approach, Rooster Teeth is a truly unique pioneer of the digital content industry. Rooster Teeth has a massive global footprint of more than 45 million subscribers to its YouTube Network, 5 million unique monthly visitors to its RoosterTeeth.com hub and 3 million registered community members. Operating since 2003, Rooster Teeth is now a subsidiary of WarnerMedia, learn more at RoosterTeeth.com.
About Powerhouse
Powerhouse Animation Studios was founded in 2001. Headquartered in Austin, TX with a studio in Glendale, CA, Powerhouse is recognized as a leading producer of action animation for its work on Netflix original series like Castlevania & Seis Manos, and many video game cinemas, trailers, and commercials. Powerhouse also has experience producing comedic series content for television, specifically on 2018’s The Adventures of Kid Danger for Nickelodeon. Powerhouse’s Boutique department produces a wide variety of short format work, including productions for major brands like Coca-Cola, Old Spice, IAMS, and Oreo, as well as video game content for titles including League of Legends, Call of Duty, Battle Chasers, Agents of Mayhem, The Banner Saga, and DC Universe Online. Powerhouse Animation Studios and its subsidiaries are currently in production on Castlevania, Gods & Heroes, Mattel’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, & Heaven’s Forest for Netflix.
About Women in Animation
Women in Animation (WIA) envisions a world in which women share fully in the creation, production and rewards of animation, resulting in richer and more diverse entertainment and media that move our culture forward. The mission of WIA is to bring together a global community of animation professionals to empower and support women in the art, science and business of animation by increasing access to resources, creating opportunities for education, encouraging strong connections between individuals, and inspiring excellence. For more information or to join WIA, please visit our website or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.
