About the Author

Frances Padua

Production Manager in VFX & animation - Vancouver, Canada

Frances believes that great production isn’t just about schedules and pipelines β€” it’s about people.

β€œWhen we invest in Production and provide the tools, support, and resources they need,
we naturally build a more resilient team and a smoother production.”

With over a decade of experience in film & TV at studios like Netflix Animation Studios, ILM, Zoic, and Atomic Cartoons, Frances has led cross-site teams, built scalable workflows, and championed people-first leadership in high-pressure environments. Now, she helps others grow in VFX and animation by making complex processes accessible, clear, and easy to understand for Production roles at any level β€” mentoring future Production rockstars along the way.

Driven by the philosophy that successful projects begin with empowered people, Frances has helped Prod teams thrive β€” not just by teaching tools, hotkeys and ShotGrid tutorials, but by encouraging purpose, values-based leadership, and connecting with So You Wanna Be Prod’s growing global community of Production professionals.

The mission? To pave the way for a new generation of production who lead with proficiency, knowledge, and heart.

Industry Experience

Production track record and career path overview.

As a Production Manager: 2020 - 2024

As a Production Coordinator: 2014 - 2020

Get in touch

Questions? Career advice?
Can’t find what you’re looking for?

I’m here for you!

 

or email me

hello@soyouwannabeprod.com


social links below

@soyouwannabeprod

SOY is 4 years old!

Here’s what others have to say!

  • "...this will be going in my Glimmer Jar"

    Frances, Founder of So You Wanna Be Prod

    on a recap of the 4 years so far: READ MORE

  • "I’ve been a long time reader of your blog and love the content you’ve put out over the years, some of which has been so helpful to myself and fellow friends and colleagues that work in animation production."

    Joseph, Producer

  • "Thank you so much again for being so attentive and kind. I've been receiving a significant amount of positive comments from recruiters and people in the industry since implementing your feedback!"

    Lily, Production Assistant

  • "Your insights not only helped me improve the clarity and focus of my resume, but also gave me so much more confidence in how I present myself as a candidate. You really took the time to understand my background and offer advice that was both actionable and encouraging."

    Natalie, Production Coordinator

  • "Thank YOU for creating such a valuable resource through your website. I’ve found it incredibly helpful and have shared it with many of my peers as well."

    Avni, Production Assistant

  • "...the fact that you’d take that much of your personal time and put that much effort in helping someone you don’t even know is so touching and means a lot to me! These days, after months of looking for a job and feeling quite alone in the process, it’s not something I’m used to, and I can’t thank you enough. Truly!... Your insights have been so so helpful - I've actually been using the CV I modified thanks to you in all of my applications since we spoke!"

    Dawn, Production Coordinator

  • "Thank you so so so much for all this and for continuing to make content and resources for the community."

    Mariel, Production Coordinator / Instructor

  • "I wanted to say, thank you so much for taking the time to give me such a great point of view of my resume, many things I hadn't thought before, this is so valuable and I appreciate it so much."

    Mardia, Production Coordinator