Game Changers, hosted and produced by Moore’s Animation & Game Arts BFA program, is an annual event that brings accomplished women and nonbinary professionals to Moore, to speak with our community.
This year’s Game Changers event is focused on women- and nonbinary-owned animation studios and features Ashley Kohler, CEO of Awesome Inc., Tammy Hahn from Deux Wave and Tamarama Studios, and Lizzie Ku-Herrero from Super Dope. The panel will be hosted by content creator and Moore Animation & Game Arts alum Celeste Cottrell ’19.
Participant Bios:
Elizabeth Ku-Herrero is a co-founder and director at Super Dope Studios. In 2015, she graduated from the School of Visual Arts in Computer Art and Visual Effects. Her thesis film, "Taking the Plunge," was honored with a Student Academy Award, Student Emmy, and a Black & Gold Cube by the Art Directors Club, among others. For five years, she freelanced within the New York commercial animation industry, working as the CG lead at Nathan Love and as an adjunct undergraduate professor at the School of Visual Arts. On the cusp of the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her friends started Super Dope, a remote animation studio. As a mixed-race woman of color, Ku-Herrero is extremely passionate about sharing her story and connecting with other artists around the world. She believes in the power of sharing personal struggles, representation and communal support.
Ashley Kohler is the multi-hyphenate head of Motion Design and animation studio Awesome Incorporated. She launched Awesome Inc in 2006 after eight years at Cartoon Network, bringing her experience and artistry to the company’s foundation. Supervising both creative and production, Kohler’s hands-on approach can be seen throughout Awesome Inc’s distinctive body of work and visionary team of talent. Her creativity, attention to detail and ardor for animation help distinguish Awesome Inc in the crowded field of content creation. Kohler has led teams on over 150 episodes of series animation for networks like Adult Swim, Hulu and IFC, while also supervising commercial, promo and packaging projects for clients including FX, Cartoon Network, Wieden+Kennedy and Nickelodeon. She is passionate about improving diversity in animation and empowering artists throughout the Southeast, and she serves on the board of directors for ASIFA South.
Tammy Hahn is the co-founder of Deux Wave, a Philly-based studio of tag-team animation directors, with Raymo Ventura. Exploring playful figments of mixed-media nostalgia throughout their work, their project palette is made up of music videos, shorts, live performance visuals, social media content and commercials.
Celeste “Cel” Cottrell ’19 is a community director in indie games and technology. Their experience lies in digital art, game development, e-sports events and streaming, as well as general community management. Cottrell is also the CEO and founder of the creative platform Black Card Members, a space for creative people of color to grow, connect and have fun.
