IWD 2025: Women Who Lead at Outpost VFX

In anticipation of this year’s International Women’s Day celebrations, we sat down with some of our female leaders to discuss their lived experiences, the paths they took to get to where they are, how we can best tackle unconscious bias and much more.

A huge thank you to our contributors:

• Rachel Matchett – Managing Director (UK)

• Becca Scott – Managing Director (Montreal)

• Jenn Fairweather – Global Head of Production

• Kate Warburton – Executive Producer

• Caitlin Gilbert – Head of Production (Montreal)

• Kavitha Balasubramanian – Head of HR (India)

How long have you been in the industry and what path did you take to get where you are today?

RM: I’ve been in the creative industry since leaving art college in the late 90s. Treading door to door as a jobbing illustrator made me realise I needed stability! I applied for runner jobs at animation companies to stay in the creative arena. From the bottom rung, I worked through the years in Production, earning my stripes to get me where I am today.

BS: I’ve been in VFX for around 15 years now. I started out as a runner, then worked my way up to Production Assistant, then Coordinator, and when I’d maxed out my growth opportunities there, my boss very kindly called in some favours and helped me make the move to MPC Advertising as a Bookings Coordinator. My dream, however, had always been to work in film and TV, so when an opportunity to work at MPC Film arose shortly after, I jumped at the chance.

When MPC opened their Montreal studio, I was given the opportunity to be a part of the early team in Montreal. I moved up through a host of production roles before finally moving into the role of Associate Executive Producer. It was at this stage Outpost got in touch and asked if I’d be interested in opening their Montreal studio. I jumped at the chance to build something new, with a company that aligned much more with my values. Outpost has been home for me for six years now.

JF: I’ve been in visual effects since 2011, so roughly 14 years (I can’t believe it’s been that long) and prior to that I worked in post-production dubbing Japanese anime into English. I originally took film studies in school, but it was a program designed to analyse films like visual literature rather than making them. When the internet killed the dubbing industry, I was looking for a new adventure and I stumbled upon visual effects through MPC’s website. Thank you, Harry Potter. 

KW: I started in VFX in 2014, so a little over ten years now. I initially wanted to get into physical production but was applying to any job that had ‘production’ in the title when I first came to London, and ended up as a PA for a boutique VFX company called Munky. I then worked my way up to Line Producer there, before we were bought by Technicolor and the whole team moved across to form Technicolor VFX, under the Post arm. It was there I started working with Rachel [Matchett], and became an EP. After living through another corporate merger, we both left to come to Outpost!

CG: I have been in the film industry for roughly 15 years, and VFX for six years. I studied cinematography as well as Production Planning and Management at university. After school, I worked as an Editor, then eventually as a Director and then as a Producer for a small commercial company. I came into the VFX world as Production Manager, and since then, I’ve found myself right at home in the world of schedules, budgets, and building up my teams.

KB: I have been in this industry for more than three years now. My career in human resources and business operations spans over 20 years. I started working in the year 2000, after completing my MBA with a major in Human Resources. I have been fortunate to work with companies across various industries and each experience has added immense value to bring me where I am today.

Did you have a professional female role model or mentor when you started your career? How did they help you?

CG: I’ll start by saying I had a Producing professor who tortured me, endlessly. Many years later, we finally talked about that experience, and she mentioned that the way she pushed me wasn’t quite fair, but she saw my potential and wanted me to succeed. We’ve had many discussions since that she’s introduced into her teaching practices, about how important it is to uplift women, and how important it is for us to be human in this industry as all films are a group effort. This experience has always reminded me what I need to do as a woman in a leadership position, not just for women, but for men, too.

KB: When I started my career, the role models were all men. I may have had a couple of managers who were women and doubled up as mentors, but there was no formal mentoring in place. And this highlights the stark inequality, doesn’t it?

BS: I have been very lucky to have some great mentors in my career – both male and female. To highlight the females in that group, the first was Head of Production at a post house I worked at in London. It was my first job in the industry as a runner, and she saw my drive and curiosity, and gave me opportunities to progress.

At MPC I was incredibly lucky to have Rachel Matchett as my Head of Production. Rachel was incredibly supportive and gave me so many opportunities to push myself to learn, grow, and take on more responsibilities. She always made time to talk through issues and most importantly, always listened. I was fortunate to have Lena Scanlan take me under her wing in Montreal, pushing me to grow from Department Manager to Central Production Manager, to Producer.

KW: I have had the privilege of working with incredibly accomplished, intelligent, dynamic women for the majority of my career. Like Becca says, working with Rachel since 2018 has really defined my career. She has taught me that you don’t have to compromise on who you are to achieve in this industry and has been a constant source of support and guidance.  

JF: I didn’t have a female role model, but I was fortunate to have an MD who was very supportive and encouraging. She recognized my hard work and celebrated it by giving me opportunities to grow.

RM: My first boss was female – an independent Creative Producer in the animation world. Back then it wouldn’t have dawned on me this was a special thing, but on reflection I was very lucky for this to just be normalised so quickly for me.

From your experience, why does equality matter at work?

KW: I feel like that’s the same question as why equality matters full stop. We only win if everyone wins. Beyond that, everyone has the right to come to work and succeed based on merit, as opposed to factors such as gender, race, sexual orientation, etc.

KB: To state it quite simply, for me it comes down to being a basic human right. There are studies showing the positive impact that equality at the workplace can achieve. It promotes a sense of wellbeing and improves job satisfaction. When team members trust that they have equal opportunities for advancement and growth, they demonstrate higher levels of satisfaction, commitment and engagement.

JF: Equality matters because women work just as hard, and in many cases harder, to gain the respect and space they deserve in the workplace. Unfortunately, VFX is still very much a male-dominated industry, especially on the creative side, so it’s hard for women to feel like they belong when they’re often having to justify their abilities and prove why they should hold leadership positions. 

RM: I think Jenn’s point speaks to me about respect and attitude. It’s good to know there are no mental blockers, or internalised attitudes that affect how you work with your colleagues.

BS: A person’s gender, race or sexuality does not determine their intelligence or skill. Having wider representation of talented people in leadership roles inspires those coming up in their careers, as they see themselves reflected in those who manage them. Surely a more motivated workforce benefits everyone.

CG: I would choose the word equity, over equality, but it matters everywhere. We come from a multitude of different experiences, and I believe everyone has the ability and potential to share novel ideas and reframe dated practices. That would include all races, religions, sexual orientations, lived experiences and certainly does not exclude gender.

Figures show that visual effects is still a highly male-dominated sector – why do you think this is?

CG: Women still only account for 27% of the STEM workforce. We see so few women in our supervisor positions in VFX, and I think a lot of that has to do with basically being overlooked and not engaged with. Women are often treated more harshly, more critically, and are more often discounted by their male counterparts. Add to this that we’ve only really put emphasis on getting women into STEM from an earlier age within the last 15-20 years or so.

I also fear society still genders things like gaming or coding. I could go on and on about the ways that women are still discouraged from these activities, but I’ll be brief and say we just need to introduce them to what possibilities having computer and tech expertise can do for them, and encourage them to practice, play and create.

KB: I think VFX has been notoriously known for poor work culture, inhumane hours and demanding schedules. Within the traditional roles of men and women, you would typically not find a woman opting for such a career out of choice. We may have inadvertently discouraged an entire gender from wanting to pursue a career in this field for this reason. But this must change and I believe at Outpost we are always striving to set a stellar example.

JF: Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of misogyny in our industry where men feel threatened by women. I’ve experienced first-hand micro aggressions as well as blatant disrespect towards women. I’ve noticed it more from some older men who come from certain generations that still believe a woman should be in the kitchen and feel entitled to their positions due to the years served in the industry, not because of their ability. Ironically, it’s usually the men with the least ability who feel threatened by our capabilities and try to hold us back.

RM: It’s not the kind of thing that can be changed overnight, or the past few years of more rapidly changing attitudes. We just have to keep doing what we can in our own areas of influence to help generate opportunities for growth.

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “Accelerate Action”. How can we accelerate action within VFX and make the sector more equitable?

KW: Realistically speaking that question has to be asked of everyone, and not just women. I will always push to achieve parity when it comes to hiring, pay discussions, etc, but the greatest disparity is amongst the artist ranks. A real change there will take department heads, who are currently more likely to be male, pushing to hire, train, develop and promote female artists.

This is historically an industry that bleeds into your personal life in a big way, and it’s not sustainable for women with children to thrive when they are faced with decisions about how they want to spend their time. 

CG: I think we could foster women entering the industry, by offering mentorship for junior artists, in particular. We often don’t have the luxury of time to spend with junior artists across the board – the industry has been unstable. If we can’t as a company create time for mentorship, then it might be interesting to collab with different studios to start a collective for young women. People could volunteer to spend time with burgeoning talent, get them connected to other people across the industry and allow them to find mentors who specialize in what interests them. A network is crucial to the film industry, and it can be daunting to figure out how to break into one that can benefit you.

KB: We have women in key leadership roles in all our studios, ensuring that women are heard and respected. But the shortage of women among the artist pool is a larger issue that stems from years of poor work culture and ethics in the industry. We must participate in events that are beyond VFX-specific and have grassroots-level interactions to showcase what a VFX career can look like, thus raising awareness and interest among young people of all backgrounds.

What do you think are some examples of unconscious bias at work? How can they be avoided?

BS: Separate female steering or social committees frustrate me. Creating separate committees or groups of female crew creates further divide. If there is a true desire to include female voices, then include them as you would anyone else, don’t make women a side project. It’s also frustrating when female VFX Supervisors or artists in the industry are assumed to be in Production because that’s traditionally been a female dominated department. Never assume.

KB: Unconscious bias creeps up on us at work every so often. It takes a great deal of awareness to spot it, and maturity to stop it. For example – gender bias can result in men being chosen for more challenging roles or technical responsibilities instead of an equally qualified and experienced woman. This unconscious bias can also lead to pay inequality.

Unconscious bias may also lead to microaggressions that are incredibly difficult to pin.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have also worked in places where I was empowered to make decisions free of any bias and based only on the eligibility for the role and requirements. I once hired a woman who was five months pregnant but a perfect fit for the role, knowing fully well that she would require a long, paid break within the next couple of months.

JF: One of the biggest unconscious biases at work is women not being able to consistently perform due to their obligations at home as a mother. Unfortunately, it’s still a reality for most women when they have children to have to maintain their households while juggling their careers. There is an unconscious bias on whether a woman can be just as available as a man when she’s a mother (especially around overtime), whereas there’s no question whether a father can be available, no one ever asks if a man will be challenged by his work hours based on his home life.

CG: I feel women are societally conditioned, more so than men, to shoulder the burden of responsibility for themselves and others around them from an earlier age; far more than boys are expected to mature emotionally. Women, statistically, are often left with the burden of ‘babysitting’ men’s emotions, and this happens in family dynamics, personal relationships and is not entirely vacant from the workplace. This leads some women to step back, consider the negative reactions they could receive, and to be strategic (albeit, slower) in their own responses. It appears to be ‘shirking’ or ‘shying away’, which I’ve seen in this industry can lead male superiors to discount their ideas, lash out, or not listen.

I’ve heard people say they wished women would speak up more, but more times than not, when they do, they are not listened to, or worse, their character is criticised unfairly and with a lot of problematic language and quite a bit of bias. I’ve witnessed it, I’ve experienced it. And it’s just one more burden women have to bear when they are trying to be taken seriously; that, and being societally obligated to ‘have a thicker skin’.

KW: I feel like I touched on this before with regard to the maternity leave / motherhood aspect, like Jenn has. Beyond that, I echo Caitlin in that I believe there is an expectation of women in the workplace to be unimpeachable when it comes to what they say, and how they act, which isn’t always extended to our male counterparts.

CG: I think we can start by calling out the need for people (mainly men) to do their own education, pointing to what critical information they need to look at, but I think we make that imperative by giving men access to training in how to communicate, especially as they move into managerial or supervisor roles; to be instructed on how to listen, and to consider what is useful constructive feedback, and what is not. Giving thoughtful feedback and taking the time to understand what problems a person might have, is what makes a good leader. This sort of consideration and life skill would benefit both men and women, and I think it’s a vital piece missing from people who lead others.

KB: Having had the good fortune to work with different perceptions, I think bias can only be reduced if leaders, HR professionals and women everywhere start calling them out for what they are and explaining their detrimental effect. Most people do not realise it when it happens, and some acknowledge it gracefully when informed. It is a systemic change that needs to be brought about through increasing awareness and holding those in leadership positions accountable to bring about change within their span of influence. Developmental programs aimed at coaching leaders on how to bring about this change should be a part of this process.

Which female figure, living or deceased, inspires you the most and why?

RM: I saw Jane Fonda’s speech recently at the SAG awards and it was amazing. There’s someone who really walks the talk and will make you reflect on how much chat there is but not much actual doing.

KW: It’s cliché to say my Mum right? I have always looked to the women who surround me the closest in terms of family, friends and work as my biggest inspirations, as opposed to known figures.

BS: The three mentors I mentioned earleir have been this for me, I owe them all so much – they have by far had the biggest impact on me.

CG: Katherine Hepburn, for this quote from an interview with Barbara Walters: “I have not lived as a woman… I've just done what I damn well wanted to, and I've made enough money to support myself, and I ain't afraid of being alone.”

JF: Frida Kahlo is someone that inspires me. She lived life unapologetically and her strength, through loss and success, is very inspiring.

KB: On a personal front, I have a handful. On the professional front though, until I joined Outpost I hardly had any women who inspired me. It was a refreshing change for me to work with all the great women here, especially Niki [Hunt, Global Head of HR] who has set the bar high with her work ethic and innate ability to grasp the crux of the matter accurately. And she does this effortlessly. I secretly hope that I can inspire others too!

What advice would you give to the next generation of women and girls entering the VFX industry?

KB: At the risk of generalizing, I’d say the next generation of women and girls are a strong breed and they are confident, know what they want and are unafraid to ask for it. This tenacity will bring about a much-needed change in the VFX space. Work-life balance is a key aspect that the industry has been missing, and that is a deal-breaker for the next generation. As more women join the VFX workforce, we can impact greater positive change. I will welcome them with open arms!

CG: This would be for any woman, going into any field, but especially those going into the film industry: you must ask for what you want or need, and if you don’t get it, you need to demand it.

It’s not an inherent skillset, it’s not biological, it’s not gendered; like all things you do in your life, you study it, you practice it, and then you master it.

Don’t ever let anyone dictate the limit of your excellence, ever, and when in doubt, to quote Mr. Rogers, “Look for the Helpers”, and when you get ahead in your career, become the helper. 

KW: Women supporting women is the most powerful tool we have. Don’t let yourself believe that there is only room for one of us at the top.

JF: Do what you love, don’t let anyone tell you you can’t.