Insight
Women Shaping Our Creative Industries
International Women’s Day (IWD) was launched to champion and celebrate the achievements of women as a way to push for greater gender equality.
2026 marks 115 years of IWD, with work ongoing to raise awareness about discrimination and launch campaigns to forge greater gender parity.
At SAE, our courses aim to provide a platform for all aspiring creative professionals to pursue their passions, whether it be in Film Production, Music Production, Content Creation, Gaming or beyond.
Here we profile some of the most exciting female talents leading the way and making waves in their respective sectors. We’ve also highlighted some of our alumna who are also helping raise the bar for creativity with their work too.
Are you looking to develop your creative career? Get in touch with our team to learn more about our courses.
Eni Awoyemi | Content Creation
Eni Awoyemi has been a thought leader and creative expert within social media for over a decade, enjoying roles at Channel 4 before launching her brand, FeYi Flowers, in 2024.
At Channel 4, Eni worked on digital influencer partnerships and social media campaigns with her expertise emphasising the importance of utilising creators as brand ambassadors to ensure businesses can build successful strategies.
Her FeYi Flowers brand has gained exposure through her social media channels when she shared experiences of brand identity theft on TikTok. The story went viral, getting coverage in the mainstream media while grime artist Stormzy also waded in to place an order and share details of her business to his 3.5m plus followers.
Eni’s venture has been propelled by her ability to use content and digital platforms to influence and build a compelling brand story.
Laura Seears | Film Production Degree
SAE London alumna Laura Seears has built a thriving career as a steadicam operator, working across live performance, film, music and commercial productions for some of the UK’s most recognisable artists and brands.
Graduating in 2015, Laura wasted no time in carving out her path within the film industry. Just months after completing her studies, she undertook the Gold Tiffen Steadicam Workshop – a pivotal moment that set the direction for her career.
Highlights include live shoots with James Acaster and Steve-O, music videos such as Cat Burns’ People Pleaser, and cinematic releases like Holloway.
PinkPantheress | Audio Production
Breakout artist and music producer PinkPantheress was named as the BRIT Award’s 2026 Producer of the Year Award, becoming the first woman to win and the youngest ever recipient.
She released her critically acclaimed debut mixtape, To Hell With It, in 2021, going on to establish a global audience. Her track Boy’s a Liar spent 28 weeks on the Official UK Singles Chart (peaking at number two) and 22 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 (peaking at number three). Her latest mixtape, Fancy That, was shortlisted for the 2025 Mercury Prize too.
Commenting on the BRIT accolade, she said: “As the first woman to win this award, I’m grateful to be recognised. My music production is the thing I’m proudest of, and I’ve worked really hard at it, so I hope this inspires others to pursue their passion.”
Inga Teder | VFX and Animation
SAE London alumni Inga Teder has built a successful career within the film and VFX industries, contributing to major productions from Guardians of the Galaxy to Disney’s Maleficent.
Beginning her career in layout before specialising in environm
ent art and digital matte painting, Inga has worked across more than 17 feature films. Her practice is grounded in strong visual storytelling, cinematography and an ability to build detailed, immersive worlds for screen
Alongside her VFX work, Inga is the author of Cotswold Mist, a cinematic fantasy novel inspired by real locations across the Cotswolds and illustrated by artists from the film and games industries.
Jo Charrington | Music Business
Jo Charrington is a prominent music industry executive, widely recognised as one of the most influential and successful female A&R executives in British music history.
As Capitol UK’s President, she has presided over myriad music industry success stories including the career of recent BRIT Award winner, Olivia Dean.
The artist, who released her chart-topping album The Art of Loving in 2025, won Artist Of The Year, Album Of The Year for The Art Of Loving, Pop Act and Song Of The Year with label mate Sam Fender for their collaboration, Rein Me In.
MusicWeek reported on the accolades, describing the BRITs as a historic demonstration of the strength of British music.
Jo said: “Breaking acts is a mindset, and if you’ve got the mindset, the support and investment and the artists, then really anything is possible.”
Greta Gerwig | Film Production
Greta Gerwig is a renowned actor, director and screenwriter behind some of the most singular films of recent times.
She made her feature solo debut with the coming-of-age tale Lady Bird, which won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in 2018.
Two years later, she followed up with her screen adaptation of Little Women, then Greta’s most recent blockbuster, Barbie, was the highest grossing film of 2023 (attracting £277m during the opening weekend).
Not only did it make history as the highest grossing woman-directed film in US box office history but it also achieved this by subverting gender stereotypes.
Roberta Williams | Gaming
The gaming industry was revolutionised by Roberta Williams who, along with her husband Ken, launched Sierra On-Line, a game development business, at the end of the seventies.
Roberta has subsequently been dubbed as “Queen of adventure games” for co-founding the company, pioneering the graphic adventure game genre, and creating the King’s Quest series. It was Roberta’s love of Agatha Christie and her fascination with the board game Clue that led to the design of Mystery House, widely credited as the first graphic adventure game.
As such, she has received the Industry Icon Award from The Game Awards, and the Pioneer Award at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
Commenting on her contribution to gaming in an interview, Roberta said: “I appreciate the sentiment that I am a popular woman in computer gaming circles. In response to that: I prefer being thought of as a computer game designer rather than a woman computer game designer; I don’t put myself into gender mode when designing a game.”
Penny Opiah | Music Business
Music Business alumna Penny Opiah has built a multifaceted career spanning artist management, marketing and culture-building within R&B.
As the founder of Neo Music, she has developed the platform into a respected space championing R&B across the UK and internationally: curating live experiences, conversations and community-driven moments that centre the genre.
Alongside leading Neo Music, Penny works as a freelance marketing manager for both major and independent labels, shaping campaigns and digital strategy for emerging and established artists.
Kanya King | Music Business
Launched in 1996, the MOBO Awards has been a vital platform for Black British music and spearheaded by founder, Kanya King.
Ever since the nineties, the industry has radically changed and the MOBOs has evolved with it under Kanya’s leadership.
With the event celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2026, it will be taking place at Manchester’s Co-op Live venue while also being live-streamed on the Amazon Music UK channel on Twitch.
As recognition of her pioneering work in music and entertainment, Kanya was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the British Diversity Awards.
Commenting on her prize, she said: “It’s an incredible honour to receive this award. When I started MOBO, I never imagined the journey it would take or the conversations it would spark. This award is not just for me – it’s for every person who’s dared to challenge the status quo and carve out space where there was none before.”
Find out more | Photo credit | Country and Townhouse
Marta Salogni | Audio Production
Italian-born but London-based, Marta is one of recorded music’s most in-demand talents with an enviable CV of studio collaborations and connections as an engineer and producer.
Marta has received several awards for her work, including Producer of The Year at the Italian edition of Billboard Women in Music 2024. Additionally, she has been honoured at the MPG Awards (Music Producer’s Guild) for Breakthrough Engineer of the Year 2018, Breakthrough Producer of the Year 2020 and UK Music Producer of the Year 2022.
Her clients include Björk, Gorillaz Depeche Mode, Sampha, Sharon Van Etten, Kim Deal, M.I.A, Bon Iver, Black Midi, English Teacher, Romy, Bar Italia, Philip Selway and many more. Marta’s most recent release is with Gorillaz on their new album, The Mountain.
Chloé Zhao | Film Production
One of the most exciting and trailblazing talents in current cinema is director, screenwriter and producer, Chloé Zhao.
Her film, Hamnet, is a powerful biographical period film depicting William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes (played by Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley respectively) as they cope with the passing of their 11-year old son. It’s been showered in awards glory so far with nominations at the BAFTA Awards and upcoming Oscars.
She is perhaos best known for her 2021 film Nomadland, which is about a woman played by Frances McDormand, who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a nomadic journey through the American West.
It won the 2021 BAFTA for Best Film as well as the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Directing in 2021 – making her the first ever woman of colour to win the prize.
Rheanne Myrie-Formstone | Audio Production
SAE Liverpool alumna Rheanne Myrie-Formstone has developed a multifaceted career as what she describes as an “AudioVisionary” – seamlessly blending sound, music, and visuals across live events, recording, and experimental media.
Since graduating in 2022, Rheanne has established herself as a vibrant creative force within Liverpool’s arts and music scene. Working as a sound technician across leading venues including M&S Bank Arena, Unity Theatre, Hope Street Theatre, 24 Kitchen Street, Fortis Studios, and The Tung Auditorium, she has gained a reputation for her technical expertsie and artistic versatility.
Her credits span a wide range of high-profile productions, from helping to build Eurovision and providing technical support for the Labour Conference, to setting up stages for Liverpool Sound City and serving as musical director for an original pantomime at Hope Street Theatre.
Jane Jensen | Gaming
Jane Jensen is a gaming pioneer who worked with Roberta Williams during the early nineties.
She started in Creative Services at Sierra and eventually wrote and designed hits such as Kings Quest VI, the Gabriel Knight series, and many others alongside co-founding Oberon Media and Pinkerton Road video game development companies.
Her contribution to gaming has played a pivotal role in shaping how narratives and game design combine in today’s puzzle-heavy adventure games.
Drawing on the likes of Stephen King and Anne Rice for inspiration, Jane also released Gray Matter in 2010 and has since gone on to write a series of novels.
Photo credit | Adventure Game Hotspot
Brenda Laurel | Creative Computing and AI
Brenda Laurel’s extensive career in tech launched during the seventies and positioned her as a trailblazer in the integration of narrative and interactivity.
She worked in several tech firms but came up against obstacles and tired stereotypes around how video games are only played by males.
Instead of retreating, she undertook research into this area, and used the findings to launch her own Purple Moon company in the mid-nineties.
This software company focused on developing video games tailored for girls aged 8 to 14, emphasising storytelling, exploration, and problem-solving to engage a demographic traditionally neglected by this sector.
In a TED interview, Brenda said: “Interventions like Purple Moon enhanced girls’ comfort with computers, which we set out to do, and brought girls roaring into the online game space – eventually becoming major players in game worlds like World of Warcraft and, of course, the Sims.
Photo credit | National Endowment for the Arts
STUDY AT SAE
Whether you want to work in Film Production, Audio Production or more, there are many different opportunities to elevate your career in the creative industries with us.
Our degrees will provide you with the skills, experience and knowledge to succeed at the highest level.
