What is it like to work behind the scenes and in front of the camera as a female professional in the entertainment industry? What does animal wrangling for film and television entail? JoAnn Dawson has worn many hats in diverse types of productions, including acting and animal wrangling in the film adaptation of the Toni Morrison novel Beloved. She has published a series of novels for preteens and a memoir about her adventures in the hospitality industry. She and her husband Ted Dawson have owned several animal stars, including Barney the Percheron, who appeared with Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman (2017). Her latest film project Cream of the Crop has been accepted for several film festivals and is slated for release on Amazon Prime in December 2022.

Join JoAnn Dawson and Professor Elizabeth Scarlett for a conversation on the contemporary scene for those, especially women, who are or aspire to be creative artists in film and television, and on the role of animals in media.

Pre-registration Zoom link (register in advance to receive an invitation):
https://buffalo.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEod–qrTsqH9F8cfLTeFJs8MggSigK_iWg

Free and open to the public. Sponsored by the University at Buffalo Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Gender Institute.