Jamy Zink is the Vice President and Head of People & Culture at Luma Pictures, where she oversees the growth and development of all staff across Luma’s three locations in Melbourne, Los Angeles, and Vancouver. Jamy joined Luma in 2012 to spearhead the creation of the culture department, and since then, she has been an integral part of Luma’s success, with a focus on leadership, talent management, and initiatives that support a culture of people first.

In this interview, Jamy shares her journey to the world of visual effects, from her extensive background in operations and marketing management within the film industry in Australia to her current role at Luma. She also provides valuable advice for those interested in pursuing a similar career path, and the mentors that helped her along the way. 

What inspired you to pursue a career in HR, and how did you end up in the VFX industry?

I stumbled into the industry and the role by accident! It was meant to be a short-term gig while I saved up money to backpack around Europe in my 20’s. I took a contract position at Film Victoria (now VicScreen) back in 2006 as an Executive Assistant and was met with the best mentor anyone could ask for — Caroline Pitcher (now CEO of VicScreen). She took me under her wing and introduced me to the world of film and television. I couldn’t believe jobs like these existed, and I eventually followed her to a visual effects studio called Iloura (now Framestore Melbourne). During my time there, I was trained in HR, contracts (which allowed me to put my law degree to good use) and marketing. 

In 2012, I was hired by founder Payam Shohadai to help set up Luma’s Melbourne studio. I think deep down, I’ve always loved to connect with people, find out their life stories and figure out what makes them who they are. Payam was another great mentor, and he picked up on this, encouraged me to think of this as a super-skill, and helped me build a role around this. 

I stayed because I couldn’t think of a better group of people to work with. It’s inspiring working alongside immensely talented yet humble and wonderful people. I feel lucky that I have built some of the most meaningful relationships I have in my life, which would never have been possible had I not taken that chance at applying for the job in 2006 and staying ambitious. 

Read the full original interview on Ausfilm.