diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 828ef238e..1d2b233ef 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ if(WIN32)
     # Windows debug builds for Python require a d in order for the module to
     # load. This also helps ensure that debug builds in general are matched
     # to the Microsoft debug CRT.
-    set(OTIO_DEBUG_POSTFIX "d")
+    set(OTIO_DEBUG_POSTFIX "_d")
 endif()
 
 set_property(GLOBAL PROPERTY USE_FOLDERS ON)
diff --git a/src/py-opentimelineio/opentimelineio-bindings/otio_utils.cpp b/src/py-opentimelineio/opentimelineio-bindings/otio_utils.cpp
index 0403461e1..eaa74fc9f 100644
--- a/src/py-opentimelineio/opentimelineio-bindings/otio_utils.cpp
+++ b/src/py-opentimelineio/opentimelineio-bindings/otio_utils.cpp
@@ -98,10 +98,13 @@ void _build_any_to_py_dispatch_table() {
     }
 }
 
-static py::object _value_to_any = py::none();
+// Initialized lazily after the interpreter is ready.
+// constructing py::none() at static init time triggers 
+// pybind11 GIL assertions in Debug builds.
+static py::object _value_to_any;
 
 static void py_to_any(py::object const& o, std::any* result) {
-    if (_value_to_any.is_none()) {
+    if (!_value_to_any || _value_to_any.is_none()) {
         py::object core = py::module::import("opentimelineio.core");
         _value_to_any = core.attr("_value_to_any");
     }