Meet the women shaping Chicago’s post-production scene. Victoria Salazar is a sound designer and mixer at Noisefloor LTD, working across films, commercials, and video games. Anna Christian, editor and post-producer, co-founded Journeywork Entertainment and Anacrony Post at Quicksilver Color, bringing her expertise to indie films, commercials, and corporate content. Ashton Johnson (Noisefloor LTD) blends marketing strategy with hands-on video and sound editorial work, building her post-sound career alongside a range of projects. Foley artist and editor Katie Waters (Noisefloor LTD) lends her sonic creativity to films, podcasts, and video games, while occasionally stepping into supervising roles. Rounding out the team, Sophia Fishkin manages Mix Kitchen Studio, ensuring every project—from films to ads to podcasts—sounds its best.
The group started simply: a few women in Chicago’s post-production world wanting a space to connect, learn, and celebrate each other’s work. From casual hangouts with games and bracelet-making to professional mentorship and reel critiques, their mission has grown into a vibrant community that spans generations and disciplines. Their first event drew a diverse crowd—from students to seasoned professionals—all united by the shared experience of being underestimated in a male-dominated industry. The response was electric: people returned eager for more connection, more learning, and more celebration of Chicago’s creative talent.
Together, they’re building opportunities, breaking barriers, and mentoring the next wave of post-production talent—one sound, one edit, and one reel at a time.
Can you talk about how this group started, and what impact you hope to make?
Sophia Fishkin (SF): Sure. I found Katie through my dad, who’s my boss, and I remember asking him if he knew other women in our field. I loved what I was learning from him, but I felt like I missed working with other women. I specifically was looking to learn more about Foley and that’s how Katie and I first connected. I can’t take credit for how far we’ve come, though—that’s thanks to working with Katie, Noisefloor, and everyone here.
The initial idea was simple: we’re all working in Chicago post-production roles, but we’re scattered—different studios, different projects—and there wasn’t really a community that brought us together. So we thought: we have a space, we can buy some sodas, why not get everyone in a room and see what happens?
At first, it was just about putting people in the same room, not necessarily to find more work, but just to know each other. And from there, it’s grown into something bigger, with lots of ideas about where it could go.
That’s great. I know you had an event I sadly missed—what kind of feedback did you get, and why was it special?
Ashton Johnson (AJ): The response was amazing. People kept coming up to us saying how cool it was, and how surprised they were that they haven’t heard of something like this before. For me, being fresh out of college, community was so important during school, and I didn’t want to lose that once I entered the industry.
We had everyone—from current students to senior industry members—all in one space, and it was so refreshing to be in a room full of people who have the shared experience of being underestimated in this industry. A lot of people said how nice it was to be in a room where instead of the gender spread being 92% men to 8% women and non-binary people, it was 100% people who weren’t men; I think everyone could feel the way we all saw and celebrated each other. The openness, the support, the kindness—it was such great energy. People immediately asked when the next one would be, which was exciting.
Katie Waters (KW): Yeah, and we also had people fill out a survey so we could get feedback. While we had our own goals—mainly just bringing people together—we wanted to know what the community wanted, too. Most people said they were simply looking for connection. Happy hours came up a lot, as well as interest in panels with industry speakers. But overwhelmingly, it was just: “We want to hang out with other post-production people.”
And it was also a chance for folks to reconnect with old coworkers, or meet people they’d admired but never worked with. It was a mix of all walks of life under one roof, which was really special.
Why do you think this group is important for the Chicago film community?
Victoria Salazar (VS): I think one big thing is that ad work and film work rarely overlap, even though a lot of us do both. Having a space where we can learn from each other across those worlds is huge. I’ve been in this industry for about eight years, and I’ve only been to one women-focused networking event—that’s wild to me. So just creating these opportunities feels really important.
Ana Christian (AC): And Chicago itself is unique. What I love is how much people here support each other. In places like LA or New York, there’s often more competition and gatekeeping, but in Chicago, folks share knowledge and lift each other up. There’s this belief that rising tides lift all boats. That spirit of collaboration and generosity is what makes our film community so strong, and why this group feels so needed.
Mentorship seems like a key part of building community. Have mentors shaped your careers?
AC: Definitely. Ryan and I both had mentors who helped us early on. For me, people like Manuela Hung, the general manager at Periscope, and Bettina Treviranus, a union editor, really showed me the ropes.
That said, even with mentors, there were still a lot of challenges we had to navigate on our own. Now, I feel like it’s our responsibility to take what we learned—especially the hard parts—and make the path easier for the next generation. We want to be the mentors that we had, but also go further in helping others break into the industry.
AJ: I think mentors and connections were vital in building a support system as a first-generation in the film industry. I never would’ve believed in myself if they hadn’t first. My peers and professors—Bonnie Winer, Matt Sauro, Cory Coken, Wil Cox, Sharon Zurek, Emma Hoffman, Loren Fay, Riley Hulligan— to name a few, all built me up to trust in the mind I brought to post-production, and to always keep up the pursuit of learning. I especially love seeing how my peers and I are all growing wings wherever we wind up post-grad!
Looking ahead—what’s next for the group? Any upcoming events?
SF: After the first event, we realized how much energy it took, but also how much potential there is. We don’t have anything officially on the books yet, but we’re hoping to do one more event this year. The goal is about four events a year, with a mix of casual hangouts and more career-focused opportunities.
Some ideas include reel critiques, headshot sessions, and other resources that can help people professionally. But honestly, what people loved most at our first event were the casual activities—like bracelet-making and games—that helped everyone connect in a fun, low-pressure way. So we want to balance both: practical resources and community-building fun.
Are you also thinking about reaching out to schools like DePaul and Columbia?
SF: Definitely. For our first event, it was almost all word of mouth—Katie really pulled a lot of people together. Moving forward, we want to keep building from that base, make sure people come back, and eventually bring in students so it becomes a true intergenerational community.
What projects are you all working on right now that you’re excited about?
VS: I’m working on a sci-fi video game, which is always fun to sound design. I also mixed a film called “Kombucha,” which is screening at festivals now. I got to fly to LA for its premiere, which was an amazing experience.
AC: Tomorrow a comedy special we worked on for Lil Rel Howery drops on Tubi—we did the edit and color, and Noisefloor handled post audio. Journeywork also just wrapped production on our first feature as producers, “Line Cooks”, and we’ve started editing. I’m so excited to see it come together.
AJ: I also worked on “Kombucha,” which was my first industry credit. Plus, Victoria, Katie, and I were the post-sound department as part of an all-women crew on a short film called “The Test,” which is coming soon! Every head of department was a woman, which is so cool and inspiring. It makes me excited to keep working on projects like that.
KW: Lately, I’ve been doing some video game work, but also stepping into more public-facing projects. I did a Foley interview with WGN and another video with YouTuber Rob Scallon where we had fun experimenting with Foley. I’m also heading to the University of Central Arkansas to do a live Foley demo for their film department—exciting, but nerve-wracking!
SF: I feel lucky to be surrounded by these four because they always have the coolest projects. I’m still pretty green, but at Mix Kitchen we’re working on Chicago Stories for WTTW, along with some charity videos and marketing content. I’ve also been working on initiatives to connect more dots across Chicago’s creative community, because the talent here is incredible, and we want to keep putting Chicago on the map.
Follow this amazing organization on Instagram at @chipostqueens
