Fer Arrebillaga – Womenize! – Inspiring Stories
Womenize! – Inspiring Stories is our weekly series featuring inspirational individuals from games and tech. For this edition we talked to Fer Arrebillaga, Program Manager at GameBCN. She speaks how her background in game production, entrepreneurship, and teaching fuels her passion for mentorship and leadership in the gaming industry, where she now supports emerging developers through hands-on guidance and community-building at GameBCN. Read more about Fer here:
Hi Fer! Your career has evolved from game production to leading acceleration programs at GameBCN. How have your experiences as a game producer and founder of AR43 shaped your current role, and what drives your passion for fostering growth in the gaming industry? Additionally, what does a typical day as Program Manager at GameBCN look like, and how do you balance the key responsibilities and challenges of overseeing diverse projects?
My background in video game production —both for mobile and PC— gave me a strong foundation in what’s expected from a producer and, more importantly, how to lead creative teams effectively. Those years taught me how to navigate production cycles, manage interdisciplinary teams, and build strong communication bridges between departments.
AR43, on the other hand, gave me a completely different set of tools. Running my own audiovisual studio helped me understand what it means to be an entrepreneur — from dealing with clients and defining budgets to managing timelines and delivering results under pressure. That combination of structured production and entrepreneurial experience really shapes how I approach my current role.
What truly drives me to support growth in the gaming industry is the collective passion behind it. This is a field where people genuinely want to share knowledge and grow together — and that energy is contagious. My previous teaching experience also plays a big part in how I mentor teams today; I love helping others connect the dots and evolve their projects and their leadership.
A typical day as Program Manager at GameBCN can include checking in with teams, coordinating mentoring sessions or workshops, and organizing events — we usually host one or two per month. I also stay in close contact with our program managers —in Lithuania and Saudi Arabia—, supporting their programs through weekly calls. We share our know-how so they can execute their own programs with ownership. Sometimes that means strategic support, and other times I jump in with hands-on help where needed. It’s a dynamic role, but with good structure and a strong team, things flow smoothly.
You’ve worked with both international clients and indie studios, balancing creativity and project management. What advice would you give to young professionals, especially women, who are navigating the gaming industry and seeking to make their mark in such a dynamic field?
One piece of advice I’d give is to take ownership of the role you’ve been given — even if at times it feels like others are constantly (and often unconsciously) testing whether you’re “actually” capable. It can be tiring when teammates over-explain things to you or seem hesitant to fully trust your expertise, especially when they don’t treat others the same way. But standing your ground, setting boundaries, and showing up with confidence does make a difference over time.
Something else I’ve noticed is that women in leadership roles tend to second-guess themselves far more often than men. Meanwhile, men rarely apologize for being direct or making decisions. I think we can learn from that — we need to stop apologizing so much and start leading with certainty. There’s power in being clear and assertive.
If you’re just starting out, my advice is: be everywhere. At the beginning of my career, I said yes to everything — game jams, casual meetups, super niche talks about pixel art in Godot… I was there. Of course I also went to the big mainstream events, but it was the smaller, more random ones that helped me build early connections. I joined communities, organizations, anything that resonated at the time. I didn’t always know exactly what I wanted to do, but by showing up and participating, I slowly found my way. And eventually, I also learned to let go of the spaces that no longer aligned with who I wanted to be — so I could focus on the path I was choosing for myself.
As an educator and mentor, you’ve had a direct impact on shaping the next generation of game designers and producers. How do you see the role of mentorship in the gaming industry, and what lessons from your own journey do you hope to pass on to aspiring professionals?
Before joining GameBCN, I was a teacher in both animation, game design and production. And honestly, I believe that if you ever get the chance to teach — take it. It’s incredibly valuable. Teaching gives you clarity about what you actually know, because you have to translate your knowledge into something clear and practical for others.
More than the theoretical side of teaching, I always felt most at home in the role of what we’d call an “atelier teacher” — a very hands-on figure that’s part of the identity of my faculty (FADU UBA) back in Argentina, where disciplines like architecture, industrial design, and audiovisual design are deeply rooted in practice. As an “atelier teacher”, you sit with students, look at their sketch, animation, or roadmap, and help them understand how to improve it, why something’s not working, and how to move forward. That kind of learning-through-doing space is something I deeply value.
In many ways, that role is quite close to mentoring — you’re working with a project that’s not yours, but you bring your perspective and experience to help steer it in a good direction.
At GameBCN, mentorship is one of the most valuable aspects of our programs. Not just the training sessions, but the ongoing, personalized feedback that teams receive. Our mentors are passionate professionals who genuinely want the best for the studios they work with. That close, tailored support can truly move a project forward — and I’m really grateful to be part of a program that puts so much heart into it.