Is the Animation Industry Doing Enough for People of Colour?

Monday 09 Nov 2026 - 15:30
Anthony Burgess Foundation
Runtime: 75 mins (approx.)

For far too long, having no people of colour in positions of power has been normalised. The amount of people from minority backgrounds entering the animation industry is not reflected in the number of those leading it. This session looks to highlight the roadblocks in place across the industry that prevent people of colour from progressing their careers, how studios can remove them and whether or not POC talent needs to break away from the mainstream industry in order to thrive.

Guests

Rico Johnson-Sinclair

Rico Johnson-Sinclair is a Film and HETV professional working across inclusion, talent development, and curation, with experience working internationally and nationally with organisations such as Berlinale, Marché du Film in Cannes, the BFI and Warner Bros. Discovery.

Amy Ashton

Amy Ashton is the co-founder and director of BlackFrame, a newly launched initiative that amplifies Black talent in animation. Working as a freelance producer with 12+ years of industry experience, Amy has produced a wealth of content including commercials, children’s series and music videos across both live action and animation. Alongside the day job, Amy has dedicated herself to promoting diverse talent with a focus on championing the incredible variety of Black artists and crew that our industry has to offer. Amy is also part of the leadership team at WIA UK, an extension of WIA Global, who are focussed on supporting and uplifting people of underrepresented gender identities within the UK animation industry.

Michael Morgan

Born and raised on Movies, Videogames and Comics of the 1980s. Always drawing and creating art as a child, over time Michael would find himself on a path in becoming an Animator in the world of film, VFX and Videogames.
A Leader, a Mentor, an Artist, a traveller around the globe, living an Animated life!