International Women's Day Spotlight: President Heather Puttock

About Heather Puttock -

Heather is a taurus twin with her womb-mate Robby. 👯‍♀️ She has an Irish mom and and English dad and is first generation Canadian. She grew up in Ontario, watching Sesame Street, The Polka Dot Door and Today’s Special. When her family moved to B.C. she graduated to Dark Wing Duck and Gummy Bears. 

”When I grew up I wanted to be a vet (in grade one) and a spy (in grade seven). Then in highschool I took a business course where we opened a real business within the school (“Galactica” a cafe concept). Our teacher/CEO, Ms Peterson was so inspirational, and I knew that I wanted to run my own business one day. My entrepreneurial heart was hooked.”

“I’d seen my mother (a fearless and independent woman) run a successful daycare with a reputation for compassion and care. She also decided one day that she and my dad were going to build houses on the side. They also ran a fine art business for a few years as well. And in their early days they ran a pub together in England. How badass. After my father passed away her home daycare evolved into a group home for young men with disabilities. My mom is by far my greatest hero. She has a really big heart and has shown me that you can do anything you decide to go for.”

MY TWIN ROBBY. OLDER BY ONE MIN, BUT WHO'S COUNTING.

What was your first job?

My first job ever was babysitting. I remember taking the babysitter training course as soon as I was legally allowed to. When I made my first $1000 (which was a big deal when the hourly rate was $3) I remember a feeling of security. Like I knew I could always count on myself to provide for myself.

How many years have you been working in this industry?

20 years 😱

How did you get started with Kickstart Entertainment?

Back in 2004, Kickstart was a client of the voiceover company I was working at. It was my first job in the industry that I fell into accidentally. ( A three month temp job turned full time employment revealed an industry that I didn’t even know existed for people that weren’t actual artists. What does a producer do? I had to find out. )

As I got to know Jason and hear about how he started his company I was intrigued. It sounded fun. He offered me a job in L.A. and I moved down for 2 years. Returning in 2007 to co-found Kickstart Canada. I had no idea what I was getting into. Ha ha.

THE LAST BIG KIDSCREEN SNOWSTORM IN NY WE FROLICKED IN THE SNOW FOR HOURS.

What piece of advice do you wish you had been given when you first started working in this industry?

Just because things have been done a certain way for a long time doesn’t mean that’s the way they should be done. Blaze your own trail.

SHOOTING IN PARRY SOUND, ONTARIO. APPARENTLY WE LOVE SNOW!

If you could give one piece of advice on how to get through a hard day, what would that be?

Be tender to yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat a very dear friend that needed your kindness. Also Earnest Ice Cream Serious Chocolate. Some days you also need a manual override with ice cream.

THINKING THAT I SPOTTED RYAN GOSTLING AT COMIC CON AND ASKED FOR A PHOTO BEFORE DAVID TURNED AROUND. ROOKIE MISTAKE.

What is the highlight of your career so far?

There are so many! All the travels and yummy food. So many amazing partners we’ve collaborated with!

Taking the moms to Thailand and Hong Kong for a film shoot. They even got to be in the opening scene of the movie!

Producing on StarBeam. That was the hardest thing ever. The biggest order we’ve ever produced I feel like I made so many mistakes that were painful but I learned from them. I am so proud of the entire crew. It was a really special time.

But seeing the whole Kickstart global team really support each other through this last year of the pandemic has been incredibly touching. I feel blessed to work for such an amazing group of people.

JUNE PUTTOCK AND ANN NETTER (A.K.A “THE MOMS”)

Do you have any advice for women out there who are wanting to start their own business?

Make sure you are ready to have your own back. Not everyone will be able to understand your POV, except for you. So make sure you and your inner authentic self are synced. Have a real talk about boundaries to avoid resentment with how much you are putting into your business emotionally. You do not have to be superwoman. Saying ‘No’ is not admitting defeat, or failure, it’s doing what is best for you. Don’t waste time on anything that is not essential.

’TEST DRIVING’ THE MOTORCYCLE CHASE SCENE IN CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

What qualities do you look for in a mentor?

Somebody that expands my perception of what is possible. Oh and somebody that will share the horror stories. I don’t want to know about the awards, I want to know about the catastrophes. When people ask me, I usually tell the story of producing my second film solo while Jason was on another film set. We crashed a picture vehicle on day one; the craft truck caught on fire week two; and the hazmat team was called out on week three after we ruptured an old pipe filming at Riverview. That’s probably when my anxiety started getting bad, lol!

COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE. WE WERE SHOOTING ON A CLIFF SIDE AND THIS TREE ‘SAVED’ OUR CHASE CAR. GOOD THING THE BOND REP DIDN’T ARRIVE UNTIL THE NEXT DAY SO WE HAD TIME TO HIDE THIS LITTLE OOPSIE UNDER A TARP, HA HA.

Who are the fellow leaders you look to for inspiration and guidance?

There are some really incredible and inspiring absolutely badass women in the Vancouver animation scene. I’m always humbled by their success stories. I would need pages to name them all, however, I’d be remiss to not highlight Rose-Ann Tisserand (Flying Kraken) for her ongoing community-building work here in BC. I have so much respect and admiration for her contributions.

What continues to motivate your work, or has that changed over the years?

I think initially I was trying to prove myself. I didn’t finish post secondary and fell into the business, so felt I had to show that I was capable.

After hitting a personal low at the end of 2018, where a lot of the teams contracts were ending and it felt like the magic that we built was fading right before my eyes. LIke a slow car crash, my worst fears were coming true and I felt like an absolute failure. But I found clarity in that rock bottom. That if I focused on the success of the team instead of my own success that I couldn’t fail.

These days, especially after such an emotional year, I am 100% clear and dedicated to creating a workspace that values compassion and kindness; that recognizes the contributions of every single Teamie; and operates from a place of honesty and integrity. I feel it’s my responsibility as a global citizen to do my part to make this world a better place to be with the little patch that is under my care.

ME TRYING TO ACT COOL WHEN I GOT TO MEET MY POLKA DOT DOOR HEROES AT THE TVO OFFICES. 

What’s your idea of a perfect sunday?

A sunny afternoon nap after a nature walk with my husband and pooch.

What is your superpower?

I’d say my empathetic nature.