Broadcast News

Bookmark and Share
25/08/2021

Foundry Renews Commitment To ACCESS: VFX Mentoring Programme

News Image
Foundry is celebrating supporting over 900 mentees to VFX industry mentors as part of its two-year collaboration with the ACCESS:VFX mentorship programme for young people in the creative industries.

ACCESS:VFX is a global non-profit organisation focused on driving inclusion and diversity in the visual effects, animation and games industries.

Since it was set up in 2019, their e-mentoring programme partnered over 900 new talents in the creative industries aged 13 to 65 with supportive VFX industry mentors. The programme has a global reach matching mentors and mentees in The UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The programme had expanded ninefold from a mere 100 mentees in 2019, has engaged mentees from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, and continues to broaden inclusivity in the industry.

The programme supports getting these mentees in a vast range of roles across VFX, animation and games, with the top desired roles being 3D animator (32% of mentees), 2D animator (19% of mentees), compositor (16% of mentees), VFX artist (15% of mentees) and character animator (14% of mentees).

Louise M Kalyango, a VFX production assistant at One of Us, is one of the mentees who joined the programme under the mentorship of Emma Kolasinka, executive producer at Moonraker VFX. With a background in graphic design at Ealing Green College and a passion for VFX that led her to undertake a course in computer visual effects with Escape Studios, Louise dreamt of working in 3D design. She joined the mentorship programme when working as a student ambassador, and she was impressed with ACCESS:VFX’s sense of community and their work driving diversity and inclusion.

"My main challenges were around developing soft skills to get recruited: learning how to get the correct message across to potential employers through my CV and cover letters and developing the confidence to speak with recruiters. These are all things that my mentor Emma helped me overcome. Since I'm still quite new at my job, it's still taking me a lot of time and focus, especially when learning remotely. I touch base with my mentor a few times a week when she kindly checks up on me to see how I’m coping and how she could help me overcome new challenges," said Louise M Kalyango.

Emma Kolasinska, Executive Producer at Moonraker VFX and ACCESS: VFX mentor, commented: "The biggest challenges my mentees seem to face on leaving education is that they don’t seem to have been taught where to look for work and the skills they need to apply and interview. Now they have the challenge of having most things being remote. It has been challenging for them to learn the ropes of a new role in a hybrid environment. I also believe that education about what jobs are available is hugely important for new joiners and feeling that everyone can be included. I am hugely proud of the mentorship platform in particular. The fact that over 70 VFX companies from all over the world have got behind it for positive change is a credit to the VFX community."

ACCESS: VFX founder and chair Simon Devereux said: "The year-round work our ACCESS: VFX mentors undertake to break down barriers and provide opportunities for new and emerging talent is truly remarkable. Thanks to the Foundry’s continued support for our e-mentoring program, we’ll be able to continue to give the next generation of creatives the tools and skills they need to undertake a career in our industry. The work that we all produce, the value we contribute both financially and culturally, will be far more relevant, impactful and meaningful as a result."

www.foundry.com
Solidmate Ltd Memory Card Hire London

Top Related Stories
Click here for the latest broadcast news stories.

02/03/2023
CineGear Expo Kicks Off At Industry City
CineGear Expo New York is right around the corner and will be held for the first time at historic Industry City, on the Brooklyn waterfront. Visitors
20/03/2024
Limecraft Calls On Industry To Change The Way It Talks About AI
With less than a month to go until NAB Show Las Vegas, mediatech innovator Limecraft is calling on the industry to change the way it talks about Artif
11/12/2023
GALSNGEAR Founder Honoured With IABM M&E Mentoring Award
#GALSNGEAR®, a movement to bring parity to women in technology, media, and entertainment, has announced that founder Amy DeLouise has received the IAB
23/11/2023
Rise Announces Pairings For 6th Annual Mentoring Scheme
Rise has announced the pairings for its sixth annual mentoring scheme in the UK. Due to popular demand and additional sponsorship, Rise has been able
16/03/2023
iSIZE Joins Google Cloud Partner Advantage Programme
iSIZE has joined the Google Cloud Partner Advantage Programme as a Build Partner. Being part of the Build Engagement Model means iSIZE can deliver sol
01/02/2024
Rise Announces 2024 Global Mentoring Programme
Rise has announced its 2024 global mentoring programme. This year's mentoring initiative will span the UK, Europe, ANZ, APAC, India, and North America
08/03/2024
Sky Receives Seven Nominations For 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards
Sky has received seven nominations for the 2024 Royal Television Society Programme Awards across kids, entertainment, factual and sports programming.
23/02/2024
Martin Audio US Announces Two-Day Training Programme
Martin Audio US has set two training days to ensure system users and designers are properly equipped to get the best outcome from their implementation
10/07/2023
Martin Audio's Open Day Programme To Return In September
Martin Audio's popular Open Day programme returns over an extended three-day period (from September 6-8) at their High Wycombe base, following on from
05/07/2023
Rise Shares Pairings For Its 2023 European Programme
Rise, the award-winning advocacy group for gender diversity in the broadcast media technology sector, has shared the pairings for its 2023 European pr
11/05/2023
Channel 4 Launches Post-Production Development Programme
Channel 4 has launched the UK media industry’s first post-production development programme. 4 Post Production (4PP) will offer five mid to senior leve
25/04/2023
PLASA Focus Leeds Announces 2023 Programme
PLASA Focus Leeds returns to the Royal Armouries from 9-10 May, and alongside the show floor, visitors can attend back to back seminars and workshops,
13/03/2024
ThinkAnalytics Appoints SVP Business Development, Strategy, And Partnerships
ThinkAnalytics has announced that following the appointment of Marc Aldrich, Worldwide CEO, Roger Sherwood, SVP Professional Services and Andrew Read,
07/03/2012
Careers In VFX Encouraged
VFX is the fastest growing component of the UK's burgeoning film industry: however the UK is not producing enough VFX talent to fuel this growth. Two
23/07/2021
Rise Launches Second UK Mentoring Programme In 2021
A new mentoring programme has been launched aimed at women in the broadcast media technology sector. Advocacy group for women in the sector, Rise has