TORONTO — Talent development organization WarnerMedia Access Canada announced today several new partnerships and training programs in creative entertainment technology fields, including animation, virtual production, VFX and gaming.
“Partnering with key educational and vocational training centres Think Tank Training Centre and Sheridan College, and industry leaders and changemakers imagineNATIVE, IM4 Media Lab, and Pixelles, these programs will provide opportunities for creatives from historically underrepresented communities and groups to further their education and build career readiness for skilled roles that are in high demand across the industry,” reads a press release.
Vancouver animation school Think Tank Training Centre announced earlier this fall a collaboration with WarnerMedia Access Canada, the Doers and Dreamers Digital Arts Scholarship, which allows five applicants to attend an online 16-month Digital Asset Creation program.
This program is designed to advance participants’ careers in television, feature film, visual effects or video games by developing their digital art skills, the release says. Selected applicants will be announced at a later date.
WarnerMedia Access Canada is partnering with Sheridan College to develop an industry-leading certification program in virtual production, which “will focus on three specialized job tracks that aim to build technical training for highly in-demand roles,” the release says.
Sheridan College’s Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) has a “production-ready facility and reputation as an innovator in virtual production” providing “external partners with the expertise to be ground-breaking and competitive in an evolving industry,” the release says. The program will be delivered through Sheridan’s Continuing and Professional Studies, and application information will be announced in early 2022.
The HBO Max X WarnerMedia Access Animated Shorts Program, a new mentorship and training program announced earlier this fall by WarnerMedia, is geared toward developing underrepresented talent in primetime animation “and will provide selected creators with the tools, instruction, and resources to create original animated short films for adult audiences,” the release says. Completed projects will have the opportunity to stream exclusively on HBO Max.
The Canadian component of the program is seeking out Indigenous artists through a collaboration between imagineNATIVE and WarnerMedia Access Canada. Details about the program are available here. Selected applicants will be announced at a later date.
WarnerMedia Access Canada will provide further support in the field of virtual production and immersive technology through its sponsorship of the IM4 Media Lab Project, in partnership with Emily Carr University. The program “aims to build and strengthen immersive media skills for Indigenous media producers and artists,” the release says.
IM4 “nurtures an ecosystem of developers, storytellers, media professionals and artists who apply Indigenous aesthetics and storytelling methodology to participate in the rapidly growing industry of Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR),” the release explains.
With support from WarnerMedia Access Canada, “IM4 will provide a 2-3 month cohort for Indigenous students to gain knowledge and skills in virtual production and experience working on a capstone project,” the release says.
Pixelles is a Montreal-based non-profit that runs programming to support women and other underrepresented talent in game development, including its most recent initiative, the BIPOC Creator Program.
“With WarnerMedia’s support, Pixelles will launch the Fini Fund, which aims to help underrepresented game developers in Canada finalize their projects and bring them to market, lifting their careers to the next level,” the release says. Full details and application information for the program will be announced in early 2022, according to the press release.
“There are so many brilliant Canadians from underserved communities who are pushing the boundaries between creativity and technology but may not be aware of the steps to build their dream careers,” said Deanna Cadette, executive director of WarnerMedia Access Canada, in the press release.
“We are thrilled to partner with other forward-thinking organizations to widen those tough-to-find pathways so that the jobs of the future are open and welcoming to all.”
