At a time when many media companies are ditching their DEI initiatives and not focusing as much on culture as a mechanism for attracting and retaining staff, London’s Blue Zoo Animation Studio is doubling down on both.

Blue Zoo has hired marketing veteran and business consultant Claire Horseman (pictured) as its new head of people and talent to replace Paulene Hamilton, who is retiring after seven years in the role. Thanks to Hamilton, the studio made it into Broadcast‘s “Best Place to Work in TV” list for five years in a row. 

As a B Corp company—meaning it meets certain measurable standards around sustainability and transparency—this position is very important to Blue Zoo, even though most small- to mid-sized animation studios typically don’t have one in place. Part of the company’s ethos is “to continue nurturing a studio with a positive impact at its heart,” says co-founder Tom Box, who will oversee Horseman in her new role. 

“We’re built on a people-first culture, so the head of people is one of the most important roles in the studio to fill,” Box says. “We wanted to ensure we were bringing someone in who had an empathetic and caring approach to run our HR department, which can often be perceived to only exist to protect the company’s interests. We take the opposite approach. Our culture is award-winning and a huge priority for us, to ensure our studio is filled with happy artists creating joyful work.” 

Horseman’s duties include overseeing compensation, benefits and diversity & inclusion initiatives. While bigger media companies including PBS and Disney have pared back their DEI initiatives this year, Blue Zoo is staying committed to them. 

“Culture can’t be created; it has to be authentically nurtured and guided in hundreds of different ways,” Box says. “The biggest impact B Corp has had in this way is baking in a culture of transparency and trust, which is absolutely critical for any positive working environment.” 

Horseman is based in London and started this month handling recruiting, talent development, policy and training at the studio behind Mojo Swoptops (BBC) and The Adventures of Paddington (StudioCanal). 

She has a media marketing background that goes back more than 20 years, including roles such as head of marketing for Columbia Records UK (2008-2009). But for the last seven years, Horseman has been consulting with entertainment companies to implement wellbeing-focused benefits and compensation strategies, improve culture and coach executives. Her most recent client was London-based music company Involved Group.

At the core of Horseman’s responsibilities is making sure culture remains a top studio priority, Box says. The goal with all of these programs is to ensure staff have the framework and guidance “to be the best version of themselves in a fast-moving industry,” he says.