Sabrina CHABANIER (IIM2017), First Assistant Director at Passion Pictures

Behind every animated series watched by children, there are teams, schedules, and unfailing passion. Sabrina Chabanier, who graduated from IIM in 2017, pulls the strings. 

As an assistant director on projects broadcast around the world, she is returning to campus for the 2025 Alumni Fair to share her experiences, talk about her daily challenges, and highlight the importance of being curious and working together in the animation industry. 

What are the main stages of your career? 

I started out at Xilam: I began with an internship in my third year, followed by a work-study program in my fifth year, and then I did my final internship there. I continued there until 2019 and then joined La Cabane, where I worked on Mush-Mush, season 2. 

Then I joined Passion Pictures, where I worked on season 3 of Lego Friends, then season 4, and now I'm here as an assistant director.

Can you tell us about your job? 

My role consists of organizing and supervising the artistic and technical teams on a daily basis. I draw up and monitor the schedule, and liaise between the production, post-production, and various animation departments. I ensure the artistic consistency of the project, anticipate any problems, and try to find solutions.  

What do you particularly like about this job? 

I like the human dimension, working with passionate artists, the balance between organization and creativity, the stimulating pace—which is a challenge—and the satisfaction of seeing a project come to life and contributing to series watched by lots of children around the world!

What are the challenges in this job?

Optimizing coordination between several teams internationally. Contributing to professional development on more ambitious projects. Finding a good balance between workload, deadlines, and the artistic quality of the project.

What are the key factors for success in this job?  

Benevolent leadership, good communication, and the ability to anticipate. Understanding both the artistic and technical challenges and knowing how to stay calm!

Any advice for someone embarking on a career like yours?  

It's important to always stay curious. You should always be interested in everything, in what people are going through and what they're passionate about. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty in production, even if you don't know how to do it. 

Observe and ask questions so you can learn more easily from your team, develop organizational rigor from the start, and know how to organize yourself. 

And above all, keep your passion intact!

How did your studies contribute to who you are today? 

What IIM Digital School gave me was a solid foundation in 3D and animation, an understanding of the pipeline and teamwork. Technical skills that now allow me to communicate more easily with each department. A structured way of working. The opportunity to become more professional more quickly thanks to projects and internships.  

What does being Alumni mean to you?

It means passing on the knowledge that only experience in the field can provide, building bridges between the school and students, and facilitating encounters that lead to opportunities, such as internships.

It's important for me to meet future students—future recruits, perhaps—and to forge links with them, teaching them a little about the profession. Because there aren't just specialized 3D artists, there are also people who dabble in a little bit of everything. I know that when you're in school, you're trying to find yourself, trying to find your path. That's why I wanted to present my job at the Alumni Fair this year.

 An Alumna to follow!

LinkedIn Sabrina Chabanier