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.

Rebecca Nisco is an award-winning American composer currently based in San Francisco, California. At the core of all her work, whether for stage or screen, is a love of storytelling and collaboration. Selected composition credits include original scores for the multi-award winning independent shorts “The Pigeon of Waterloo”, “Outside Chance”, and “Hit and Run”, as well as music for the show “Art of Sin” in collaboration with Thistle Dance Company, an immersive dance experience that explores the seven deadly sins and spans the three floors of the Jefferson Market New York Public Library. Her music has been performed and recorded internationally at venues such as The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage and Air-Edel Studios and with ensembles such as the Baltimore Choral Arts Society where she received the singers choice award for her choral piece “Ave Maria.” She is also a recipient of the CT Artists Respond grant that supported her multidisciplinary project “Hit the Sky” that released Fall 2023. Current projects include composing an original score for the independent feature film “The Country They Call Life”, music supervising the independent feature film “Throuple,” and co-writing an original musical, “Like Cinders,” with Lindsay Kennedy. Rebecca currently works at Pixar Animation Studios as an Assistant Music and Sound Editor.

Cassandra Rodriguez is a part of the Post Production family at Pixar Animation Studios. In her current role as Mastering Coordinator she supports the creation and QC of the studio’s final film masters as well as providing editorial support across all projects, her most recent films being “Turning Red”, “Lightyear”, and “Elemental”. Cassandra began her career in film in 2012, having first worked in development & entertainment partnerships for studios such as Universal Pictures, 21st Century Fox, and Paramount Pictures. She has recently been accepted into the Hollywood Professional Association as one of this year’s Young Entertainment Professionals.