The Bass School will present From Pitch to Panda with Pixar director & screenwriter, Domee Shi, an Oscar-winning, animator, director, writer, Pixar-VP of Creative, and the 2023 Brettell Award in the Arts recipient.

Shi started like many students do, with an internship. Shi started her journey at Pixar in 2011 interning as a storyboard artist moving up the ranks from entry level to vice president of creative. Along the way, she was a story artist on feature films The Good Dinosaur, Toy Story 4, and Incredibles 2. She scored the 2019 Oscar for Bao, and this year’s Academy Award nomination for Disney and Pixar’s Turning Red, which she co-wrote and directed.

Shi is a trailblazer opening doors for animators following in her footsteps. She is the first woman to direct an animated short for Pixar. She is the first woman of color to win an Academy Award for best animated short. She is the first woman to direct a Pixar feature film. And in April 2023, Shi earned the title of vice president of creative joining Pixar’s BrainTrust, an elite circle of artists known for their feature films.