Cinesite is heading to the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) for two special sessions exploring the changing creative economy and the making of RAY GUNN, the highly anticipated animated feature from Netflix and Skydance Animation, directed by two-time Academy Award winner Brad Bird.

Across the festival, members of our team will join industry leaders and creators to discuss how animation professionals can build sustainable careers in an evolving media landscape, before taking audiences behind the scenes of RAY GUNN to explore the creative and technical craftsmanship that brought the world of Metropia to life.

🎬 See the full details for both sessions below:

The New Creative Economy

How do animation professionals build careers in a changing creative economy?

As traditional studio pathways evolve, animation professionals are finding new ways to build sustainable careers through entrepreneurship, independent production, creator-led platforms and IP ownership.

Cinesite’s Tamara Boutcher, Head of Production – Animation, will join Lindsay Knowler, Founder & CEO of Eat Your Peas, and Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre, Associate Professor at Université Laval, to explore the opportunities shaping animation careers and how the industry can help prepare the next generation of talent for a rapidly changing media landscape.

The conversation will be moderated by Mark Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Animation, Art, and Design at Sheridan College.

📅 Wednesday, September 23
🕐 10:30 AM – 11:15 AM
📍 National Arts Centre (NAC) · Le Salon (Canal Level)
1 Elgin St. · Ottawa, Ontario

Get tickets and find out more about TAC 2026 →