Masha Ellsworth is a lead technical director in the characters department at Pixar Animation Studios and an indie filmmaker with a passion for storytelling.

She started her career in animation in 2007 when she became an intern on “Ratatouille” working in sets and lighting departments. Later, she transitioned into characters, working on feature films like “Up”, “Toy Story 3”, “Brave”, “Cars 2”, “Inside Out”, “ Finding Dory”, “Cars 3”, “Good Dinosaur”, “Coco”, “Incredibles 2”, “Onward”, and “Turning Red”. Masha was born and raised in Northern Ukraine and graduated from Bringham Young University in Provo, Utah with a double degree in Computer Science and Visual Art.

Thomas Sanghyun Hong is a Tokyo- and Seoul-based film producer, critic, coordinator, and translator specializing in Korean and Japanese cinema. Beginning his career in advertising in 2004, he later transitioned into cultural programming and documentary production, debuting as a producer with For the Islanders (2008).

Thomas has worked as a commentator, columnist, and critic for major outlets including The Chosun Ilbo, and currently contributes to Hitocinema (Mainichi Shimbun) and CoAR. He has served as a program advisor for major film festivals such as BIFAN, Takasaki, and Jeonju IFF, and is a judge for the Mainichi Film Awards and Digicon 6 Asia.

His latest documentary, Table of the Flowers (2024), explores the lives of Chinese chefs in Japan. Fluent in several languages and holding dual master’s degrees in film and diplomacy, Thomas brings a unique international perspective to every project he touches.

Alejandra Hernandez(Alex) is a Storyboard Artist born in the rainy heights of Bogota, Colombia. Her passion for storytelling brought her to San Francisco, where she has lived for the past 8 years. She has worked with Amazon Prime and Cineplex USA as an illustrator and has collaborated in multiple indie short films as a storyboard artist and production assistant. She has a BFA in Animation & VFX from the Academy of Art University and is pursuing a Master's in Advertising while working as an art teacher in the Bay Area.

Hani Farrukh is a Muslim American storyboard artist based in the Bay Area.

He has worked on multiple short films for the Pixar Co-op program. He has also worked on a Qatar Airway commercial for a freelance director, and a test storyboard for a feature film called Mustache directed by Imran J. Khan and produced by the producer of EIGHT GRADE and THE BEAR.

Hani enjoys drawing out storyboards where characters work through obstacles to achieve their goals because he wants to inspire people to over come similar challenges.

August Park is a modeling and rigging artist based out of Brooklyn, New York with previous experience at Pixar, Hornet and DreamWorks. When they're not pushing points, you can find them painting, making comics, or biking around in search of a good slice of pizza. 

Uma Havaligi Tailoring/Simulation Supervisor for “Little t”; Uma grew up in India dreaming of making animated movies. Her dream came true and she has worked as a tailoring and simulation artist on features and shorts like Megamind, Boss Baby, Incredibles 2, Soul, Float, Little t and others.