The winners of the 2021 Women in Technology Hollywood (WiTH) Leadership Awards were selected by the WiTH Foundation’s Board of Directors, and presented their awards during the March 8th event.
Nicole McMackin, CEO of Irvine Technology Company, Davida Johnson, managing director, UCLA Office of Advanced Research Computing — Data and Technology Solutions, Katie Hinsen, executive producer of dailies and digital intermediate for Nice Shoes, and Christina Aguilera, head of creative engineering for Amazon Studios, were selected based on their service as technology-career role models and mentors in their communities, and for helping to empower other women to be bold leaders.
The WiTH Foundation will be donating 100 percent of all revenues from Awards sponsorships to local charity organizations that consistently deliver on the goals of the WiTH organization, which include professional development, mentoring and networking, and community engagement. 2021 charity recipients include DIY Girls, PepUp Tech, St. Joseph Center Code Talk, STEAM: Coders and STEM Advantage.
Here’s a brief look at the winners:
• McMackin is responsible for the creation of a robust 12-week education program that trains and develops female CIOs in the greater Los Angeles and Orange County areas, which includes guest speakers, networking and mentoring. She has played a key role in getting a joint venture spun up between WiTH and the Hollywood IT Society to provide learning, connection, and community opportunities for people looking for work or wanting to improve their skills and marketability.
• Johnson has IT experience in telecommunications, managed an IT team during the home entertainment boom days, and has experience developing business continuity plans across a wide group of IT units for Warner Bros. Her current focus is in higher-level education IT organizations, developing technology focused partnerships at UCLA.
• Hinsen is also the co-founder of Blue Collar Post Collective, the largest non-profit in post-production dedicated to supporting emerging talent and increasing diversity in the industry. She has spearheaded numerous programs, including PDAP, paying for all costs allowing emerging talent from underrepresented backgrounds attend major industry events and conferences. She’s known as the “mother of mentorship” in post-production.
• Aguilera is among the most highly committed leaders in the women-in tech-space, and currently serves as president of WiTH. Prior to Amazon, Aguilera served as head of production asset management for Concentric Advisors, and worked for five years in asset management with Disney. Before entertainment, she spent more than 10 years in digital asset management with McDonald’s.
WiTH is an organization that serves as a catalyst for the advancement of women in entertainment technology, and the WiTH Foundation Board of Directors, which selects the Leadership Awards winners, includes representatives from women’s organizations at Amazon Web Services, Cognizant, Deluxe, Expert.ai, FilmTrack, Google, KeyInfo, Los Angeles Distribution & Broadcasting, Premiere Digital and Signiant.
To learn more about WiT Hollywood, please click here.