Open Frame Coaching - Bespoke career coaching for digital media companies and professionals VFX Coach Debra Coleman

Coaching and facilitation for VFX and screen industries.

Introducing Debra Coleman, founder of Open Frame Coaching

Debra is an accredited Business and Personal Coach (PCC, PG-Cert) with a proven background in leadership, & coaching.

Debra has enjoyed over 25 years working in the Visual Effects Industry, progressing from Runner at Cinesite to Global Head of Compositing at DNEG, compositing on 25+ films and closely overseeing delivery of 100+ projects by hundreds of artists. Along the way, she has been involved with winning 3 Oscars and 3 BAFTAs, worked overseas, been a British Arrows judge, is a proud parent and a vocal advocate for women in VFX/tech including being on the Board of Animated Women UK (AWUK).

Debra attributes her success to an innate ability to truly listen to people, fostering a culture of trust and mutual respect with everyone she works with.

With Open Frame Coaching, Debra is delighted to pool her strengths and experience to provide leadership coaching/career coaching for companies and individuals within VFX, Animation, Games and screen industries.

For larger projects, Debra uses an Associate model to work with other professionals and ensure your training needs are met.

The areas we work in

1:1 Coaching

Coaching for VFX/Animation professionals seeking a creative, fulfilling career in balance with their personal life.

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Organisational Coaching

A portfolio of coaching solutions designed to enable optimal performance within VFX/Animation companies.

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Testimonials

"The Coaching sessions with Debra were very helpful. Within a few sessions I gained some insights that would have taken me years to learn on my own. It seems like a shortcut for career progression, we did not only work on my weaknesses but I also got tools and models that will help me manage my team more effectively in the years to come."

“My experience of coaching with Debbi exceeded my expectations. I have left the sessions feeling more confident, grounded and excited about my career, with a toolkit of resources to draw on. Debbi has a wonderful way of putting you at ease and creating a safe space, which allows you to be open and get so much out of the sessions ... I would recommend Debbi to anyone looking to develop themselves, to challenge their perception of themselves and to improve confidence and direction.”

“I had recently accepted a new role and was about to take the next step in my career, and although excited- I was experiencing imposter syndrome... Debra provided me with some wonderful techniques for how to handle these worries, break them down, and come up with meaningful actions that have really improved my sense of self and well being. I have since found myself achieving goals without trying too hard now I’ve established exactly what I'm aiming for. The professionalism, confidentiality and integrity Debra provided has been second to none and I thoroughly recommend her for anyone looking for coaching- particularly those in the VFX and Games industry.”

“Throughout my time as VFX Supervisor/Producer on Project Monsterbox I consulted with Debra as my coach. It has been a key part to the projects success, from initial concept, planning, execution and finally it being delivered. Spending an hour with Debra once a week gave me a safe space to air my thoughts, discuss and talk through ideas, progress, potential challenging areas and plan for next steps. Debra has a unique set of skills based on her many years in the creative industry, which places her in a very rare position, not only to listen, but also to genuinely understand the situation at hand, and through coaching, work to a successful solution. Without this coaching, the project would not be in the place it is today. I certainly will be looking to engage again in the future."

“Within the first couple of sessions, Debra was able to help me identify my goals, my inner saboteurs and what success means to me. She was able to provide a safe space in which I was listened to and coached and her sessions gave me the focus to confidently take on a new role and new challenges. With her background in visual effects and her genuine approach, there really is nobody quite like her. To those who might be wondering if they should take on her sessions, I cannot recommend her enough.”

"For my first coaching experience, Debra has made a great first impression to this process. It was so easy to work with her and before I know it, we were gaining momentum in our process. I wasn’t sure how coaching would impact me at the end but I’m pleased to say I feel the transformation in me and I have Debra to thank. I am recommending coaching with Debra to my team because I know it will be a positive impact."

“Since the sessions I have found a renewed confidence, happiness and comfort in my role. Now I am aware of my strengths and weaknesses, and the importance of bringing them into balance, this has led to a whole new ability to reflect on my work and encounters every day… A session where we revisited and resolved a past negative experience that contributed to impostor syndrome, and general anxiety and lack of confidence, was pretty much life-changing”

“My coaching sessions with Debra were insightful as I gained more awareness of myself and developed strategies to achieve the goals I've set. Her knowledge of vfx made our discussions very easy, as she understands the nuances of the industry and can relate from direct experience. I appreciated the way she carefully guided each session, and was able to pivot on topics that came up in a very organic way. I learned some very valuable lessons with Debra that I will use every day.”

“The excellent exercises and sessions that Debbi prepared helped me to break down and organise a myriad of thoughts. I gained a deeper understanding of my strengths, and Debbi helped me recognise many successes and achievements that I had overlooked due to the day to day distractions and bustle of my busy work life! With Debbi's support and space for reflection came a fresh appraisal and appreciation of skills, all of which has provided a nice confidence boost. I now have a lot more clarity on what motivates me as an individual, and feel I have a clearer direction and ideas for the next stage of my career. Working life in a global technology company is complex, and I would recommend Debbi as a coach to everyone in such a dynamic industry.”

“I'm aware this review may sound too positive but I really would recommend Debbi's coaching to anyone as I think everyone could gain something from it. When starting, I thought I may gain some confidence and work through issues I was worried about but I really didn't expect to grow this much. Debbi has not only worked through the issues with me, but has given me the tools to do so myself in future. I have applied the tools Debbi has given me to great success at work, but I've even extended this to my home life and I really can't thank Debbi enough...I've been told by a few people, including my manager that I'm visibly more confident and I genuinely feel like an upgraded version of myself now.”

“Thank you so much for running this course! I found each session to be engaging, and I came away from each one with at least one new insight or action that I could apply. It's given me a variety of different tools/frameworks to use to reflect on and examine different areas of my life. Despite my initial nervousness, I found that it was fun being in the group environment, and great to have that opportunity to learn from each other. 10/10 would thoroughly recommend!”

“Debra's coaching sessions are a pure "spa day for your brain" in that you quickly can relax and stress fade away suddenly. Debra's professional coaching helps you to clarify previously muddy and confusing ideas and to formulate strategies to help you to achieve your goals. Debra incorporates a one of a kind capacity that … (helps you) recognize which life objectives are truly vital to you and how you might accomplish these objectives ... She does this not by telling you what to do, but by empowering you to create your choices with clarity and confidence. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have received Debra's coaching and intelligence, and I eagerly anticipate our next conversation. Thanks Debra!”

“I love Debra's visual coaching approach - for me it was the best and most helpful coaching program I have attended. ...With her exercises I had something visual I could work with ... that really helped me to understand my current needs and my current position life. A few of these tools made it into my daily routine or I get to come back to them whenever I need a new impulse. Debra's coaching covered a huge pallet of different topics - analysing the status quo, gaining confidence, identifying needs and also finding closure with events in the past - which really helped me to let go and to move on. Debra is not presenting easy fixes - she is offering techniques for long lasting changes.”

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Organisational Coaching

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