For the 9th annual CATO Vancouver Studios Tour August 12-14, our graduating Animation students from Kelowna visited Nerdcorps Entertainment, Bardel Entertainment, Atomic Cartoons, Electronic Arts and attended the Siggraph Job Fair.
In addition, Sean Ridgway and, lead instructor, Roland Baron were personally invited to an ‘Educator’s Evening’ at Sony Pictures Imageworks studio in Vancouver to network and get informed about the latest exciting developments with Sony’s Animation and VFX recruitment efforts.
Sean Ridgway, Animation Department Head in Kelowna commented,“Visiting the studios in Vancouver presents an opportunity for studios to echo the tools and methods we train our students in throughout their program at the Centre for Arts & Technology. It is inspiring and insightful for students to understand how a studio functions and what it takes to succeed in the industry from the firsthand experience of those working there and the recruiters hiring. Vancouver itself is screaming for talent and all studios said there is no better time than now for new grads to be seeking opportunities in the field of 2D and 3D animation.”
Some quotes from our students:
Hannah Jenkins: “The studio tours were a blast! It really helped me picture myself in the industry, and gave me some great connections.”
Chris Butikofer: “Getting to talk to members of the industry, and, better yet, get their feedback on my demo reel and see the inside of their studios was very helpful and inspiring.”
Harrison Garvin: “Being an artist is all about passion, and something that really fuels my passion is the inspiration that I find in other artists. Actually getting to meet with these artists and getting to hear their stories has got to be one of the most inspirational moments that I have ever been involved in. I really can not wait till I am in their shoes chasing those dreams we work hard for.”