The new year has brought new faces to important roles at HPA! After several years of visionary leadership, Kari Grubin and Loren Nielsen have handed the WIP chair batons to Payton List, General Manager of Dailies and Media at Picture Shop Los Angeles, and Belinda Merritt, Director, Media & Entertainment North America, pixitmedia. We asked them a few questions about their history with HPA and their vision for the future of Women in Post.
1. How did you first become involved with HPA and WIP?
Payton: I was encouraged early on in my career by my mentor to attend the WIP events, and participate in the Tech Retreats. While still a shy newbie in the industry, I learned a lot and gained confidence in my networking, organizational, and leadership skills by attending and eventually participating in these events. In 2017, when encouraged again by the same mentor, I decided to give back by joining the Young Entertainment Professionals committee as a Co-Chair. It was then that I grew close to the amazing folks in both the HPA and WIP.
Belinda: I can't ever recall a time when I wasn't involved as an attendee of the many Tech Retreats we've done over the years and before that, the ITS. About 10 years ago, my then-client and always-friend Kari Grubin, myself and another friend went to dinner. Kari said I think I'd like to put together a group that will support the women in post-production. If I do, would you like to be part of it? I said yes and never looked back!
2. What have you gotten out of your time as a WIP member?
Payton: The benefits of participating in WIP have been endless. I've gained amazing and everlasting industry relationships, mentorships, and personal friendships. I've gained confidence in myself as a leader, and have learned a lot about the industry and, beyond that, life itself. Most importantly, I've learned the value of participating and giving back to the community that has given me so much. I hope to give back to the community that continues to inspire. Participating reminds me of why I love filmmaking and technology, and also the people behind the magic.
Belinda: I have met and become friends with so many wonderful women in our industry, and those friendships have lasted through the years. We count on each other for information and support. I've given a lot of time to Women In Post but the return has been unmeasurable. It's an honor to work with an organization that gives back to the community, fosters knowledge and diversity and gives our members the opportunity to learn from each other.
3. What are you looking forward to as you begin as co-chair?
Payton: Learning from and getting to know better all the amazing people that are a part of this organization. Also, hopefully bringing more new faces into the community!
Belinda: I think we reached our goals during the first decade of WiP, post covid. Payton and I are looking to bring some new ideas on how we connect with each other and we are also looking forward to interacting with other women's organizations within the M&E community. As well as our sister (or is it brother?) committee NET - Networking, Education and Technology. We've already been discussing co-producing a summer event with them to bring the two committees together so we can learn even more from each other.
4. Any exciting WIP plans for 2022?
Payton: I hope to continue the trend of creating a more inclusive and equitable environment in the industry through collaboration, and bring new ideas to build upon the already amazing WIP group that Kari and Loren have created.
Belinda: We are very excited to kick off the new year at the HPA Tech Retreat in Palm Springs next month. We've always had an overflow crowd at our WiP lunch at the Tech Retreat and although I can't reveal the speaker just yet, it will be a lunch you won't want to miss!
Join and follow HPA Women in Post on LinkedIn so you can stay up to date on WIP gatherings - and reach out to Payton and Belinda if you'd like to be more involved!
North America Stories
26/03/2026
By Matt Klein
Hello to everyone reading this - whether you're a current YEP, HPA member, or just YEP-curious. I'm Matt Klein, one of the co-chairs of t...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
28 participating companies, from start-ups to blue-chips, lead the UK Group as part of the GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland presence across all the Halls at N...
26/03/2026
Arkona Unveils BLADE//planner and Major Usability Enhancements at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
New graphical configuration tool and...
26/03/2026
Bitfocus showcases complete control at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton March 26, 2026
0 Comments
Continuing development drives advances in security, availa...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/03/2026
Nevion introduces powerful new Panel Builder to enhance VideoIPath broadcast con...
26/03/2026
2026 Oscar Nominated Films Powered by Blackmagic Design
Brie Clayton March 25, 2026
0 Comments
DaVinci Resolve Studio used on 27 of this year's no...
26/03/2026
Leader to present full suite of advanced Test & Measurement solutions at NAB Sho...
26/03/2026
Boston Conservatory to Present New England and Collegiate Premiere of Groundbrea...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
Have a Wish Worth Dying For? Netflix's First Korean YA Hor...
26/03/2026
Back to All News
The Truthers, Starring Jose Coronado and St phanie Magnin, Pre...
26/03/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
26/03/2026
That gaming backlog won't clear itself - GeForce NOW is here to help. Stream the latest titles straight from the cloud across a variety of devices.
This we...
25/03/2026
Live match directors Sarah Cheadle (Sky Sports), Rob Levi (TNT Sports), and Andrew Swift (BBC Sport) sit down with the Premier League's Rachel Nightingale t...
25/03/2026
The senior from Upstate New York is manning the mic while also interning for the athletic department's sports-information team
In the live-sports-video ind...
25/03/2026
Synamedia has announced ContentArmor Edge Watermarking, a server-side solution t...
25/03/2026
SES has announced meoSphere, a medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite network targeted for operation by 2030. The first phase will pair SES-developed software-defin...
25/03/2026
TVU Networks is working with Reuters on a phased migration from satellite to a c...
25/03/2026
Nielsen has announced three senior appointments. Seth Ladetsky has been named Head of Global Sports. Trevor Fellows will lead Nielsen's advertiser and agenc...
25/03/2026
Anoki and Amagi have launched In-Scene Ads powered by Anoki ContextIQ across Amagi's portfolio of in-content ad formats for Free Ad-supported Streaming TV (...
25/03/2026
Arkona Technologies will announce a series of enhancements to its BLADE//runner platform at NAB 2026 (Booth C.1808). The updates focus on usability and workflow...
25/03/2026
Daktronics has installed two tower displays and a video wall in the Lexus Club at Petco Park in San Diego ahead of the 2026 season.
Continuing to improve the ...
25/03/2026
MultiDyne Video & Fiber Optic Systems is celebrating its 50th anniversary as NAB Show 2026 approaches. The company was founded in 1976 by Vincent Jachetta, an N...
25/03/2026
IPC, a provider of integrated communication solutions, will make its NAB 2026 de...
25/03/2026
Live production categories were led by NBC, FOX, and ESPN's NFL coverage...
25/03/2026
The Atlanta Braves and Spectrum have announced a multiyear distribution agreemen...
25/03/2026
(L-R) Charlie Tyrell and Daniel Roher attend The AI Doc: Or How I Became An Apocaloptimist Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris Technologies and RFTEQ Pty Ltd signed a memorandum of understanding to ...
25/03/2026
L3Harris delivers combat-ready Torpedo Tube Launch and Recovery system, which deploys and retrieves Iver4 900 autonomous underwater vehicles through submarine t...
25/03/2026
The company expands leadership team under Chief Revenue Officer Amilcar Perez
S...
25/03/2026
Winter Olympic Games Opening Ceremony features in top 10 programmes of the month...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Providing wide view timing visibility across the entire production chain...
25/03/2026
Continuing development drives advances in security, availability, access and connectivity...
25/03/2026
Caudalie, the renowned French cosmetics brand, has unveiled a state-of-the-art 200-seat auditorium at its new headquarters in the historic Marais district of ce...
25/03/2026
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, today announced expanded integration with Adobe Premiere, Adobe Media Encoder (AME), and Frame.io, d...
25/03/2026
Marshall Electronics is expanding its lineup of high-performance POV cameras designed for broadcast, live production and professional AV applications with the d...
25/03/2026
OOONA, a global provider of professional management and production tools for the media localization industry, announced today that it has been awarded the TPN G...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
25/03/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low-latency media transport, will drive innovation and interoperability still further with the launch of the SipMX Alliance at...
25/03/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote contribution solutions, will showcase its award-winning StudioPro ecosystem at The 2...
The new year has brought new faces to important roles at HPA! After several years of visionary leadership, Kari Grubin and Loren Nielsen have handed the WIP chair batons to Payton List, General Manager of Dailies and Media at Picture Shop Los Angeles, and Belinda Merritt, Director, Media & Entertainment North America, pixitmedia. We asked them a few questions about their history with HPA and their vision for the future of Women in Post.
