CHANTE EDWARDS
Los Angeles,CA
Summary
I am a Talent and production leader with 15+ years in animation, VFX, and creative production.
At my core, I’m a people person who loves turning impossible ideas into real magic! Known for building trust, driving operational excellence and a bit of hustle to keep teams inspired, engaged, and producing their best work.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Global Head of Talent
BUCK DESIGN
07.2021 - 01.2025
- Led global Resource Management teams, executing talent strategies aligned with studio goals to drive creative excellence.
- Hired and managed 400+ staff and freelance artists across studios, optimizing workforce planning & resource allocation.
- Owned Global Resource Management strategy, including staffing, internal transfers, career progression, and leadership pipeline development.
- Partnered with Executive, Creative, Production, and HR leadership to align talent strategy with business priorities and artist growth.
- Oversaw artist lifecycle programs: onboarding, offboarding and performance management.
- Designed Training & Development programs, fostering mentorship, and future leadership pipeline development.
- Designed programs that championed inclusion and studio culture through DEI initiatives, ERGs, and engagement programming.
- Leveraged workforce analytics and hiring metrics for data-driven decision making, improving utilization and staffing efficiency.
- Directed external initiatives including talent branding, school outreach, and recruitment events to strengthen creative talent pipelines.
- Mentored global managers, fostering high-performing, inclusive leadership and implementing change management strategies to meet evolving production needs.
Director of Talent & Recruitment
BUCK DESIGN
12.2019 - 07.2021
- Built and scaled global talent acquisition and artist management functions across animation, VFX, and production environments
- Led recruitment strategies for junior through senior-level creative, production, and leadership roles
- Partnered with Production, Heads of Department, and Studio Leadership to crew projects, manage recasting, and optimize artist deployment
- Oversaw large-scale scheduling and resource planning for staff and freelance artists across bi-coastal studios
- Directed internal mobility and redeployment strategies to maximize utilization and minimize downtime
- Implemented and optimized workforce planning, scheduling, and HR systems to support scalable reporting and forecasting
- Collaborated with Finance on headcount planning, freelance forecasting, and resource-related financial strategy
- Represented the studio externally through talent branding, school outreach, recruitment events, and hosted studio tours
- Served as culture steward, supporting artist experience, mentorship, and cross-department collaboration
Senior Production Manager
PSYOP
02.2014 - 12.2019
- Led bi-coastal production resource management for 120+ employees across LA and NYC
- Partnered with Head of Production, Producers, Supervisors, and Heads of Department to staff all pitches, incoming, and awarded projects
- Provided leadership and mentorship to schedulers and coordinators, fostering growth-focused and positive team culture
- Oversaw resource allocation, forecasting, and scheduling accuracy across multiple concurrent productions
- Led weekly production meetings to assess staffing needs, priorities, and risk mitigation
- Collaborated with Finance on overhead, freelance spend, reporting, and strategic planning
- Worked closely with HR to support hiring, onboarding, performance, and artist well-being
- Led staffing for numerous high-profile campaigns with top-tier creative talent
- Served as point person for cross-department workflows including commercial, live action, and real-time/VR projects
- Played a core role in shaping and sustaining company culture over 9+ years
- Led talent acquisition initiatives including art school recruitment (USC, Ringling, SCAD, RISD, SVA) and curated studio tours
- Integrated and managed CETA ICFM as the scheduling platform across studios
Lead Scheduler
PSYOP
04.2012 - 02.2014
- Managed multi-office scheduling software covering artists, producers, machine rooms, and freelance resources
- Maintained freelancer relationships and availability tracking
- Coordinated closely with HR on new hires and onboarding
- Oversaw seating plans, equipment allocation, software licenses, and ticketing systems
- Partnered with Accounting and Production to ensure accurate freelance invoicing and payments
Studio Manager / Production Coordinator
04.2010 - 04.2012
Production Assistant
02.2010 - 04.2010
Education
Bachelor of Science - Communications/ Film Media
Temple University
Philadelphia, PASkills
- Talent acquisition and Artist Management
- Resource allocation strategy
- Strategic resource planning
- Creative production management
- C-Suite collaboration
- Performance management cycles
- Employee training and development
- DEI strategy development
- Utilization efficiency
- Change implementation strategies
Timeline
Global Head of Talent
BUCK DESIGN
07.2021 - 01.2025
Director of Talent & Recruitment
BUCK DESIGN
12.2019 - 07.2021
Senior Production Manager
PSYOP
02.2014 - 12.2019
Lead Scheduler
PSYOP
04.2012 - 02.2014
Studio Manager / Production Coordinator
04.2010 - 04.2012
Production Assistant
02.2010 - 04.2010
Bachelor of Science - Communications/ Film Media
Temple University