Netflix partners with Black N 'Animated for the 3rd Foundation program

3 September 2022

Aspiring animators have new opportunities, as Netflix announces the third iteration of the Netflix Animation Foundations program. Launched last year, as a four-month collaborative program in partnership with Latinx in Animation and Exceptional Minds, this successful first program was followed earlier this year by a second round, this time in partnership with Veterans in Media and Entertainment (VME) and IllumiNative to identify candidates from veteran and Native American / Native Alaska communities.

“This program was so useful as an aspiring storyboard artist trying to get in,” says Enacio Diaz, a student of Session 1. “My mentor showed us his creative process and was open to any of our questions. Just having first-hand experience of someone making a storyboard from a script was great to watch. All my niche questions have been answered. I learned so much ”.

For this session, Netflix is partnering with Black N 'Animated: a community-oriented organization based in Los Angeles committed to the growth and empowerment of black students and animation industry professionals. They are the home of the animated Black N 'podcast, hosted by Bre Williams and Waymond Singleton. They also work with local studios and organizations to provide networking and professional development opportunities. Their goal is a healthy, diverse and inclusive industry and community.

The program offers mentoring focused on art and visual development, storyboarding, CG / VFX, writing and production management. Its goal is to create equity and increase access for underrepresented early creatives. The third session will select about 50 students.

Selected Black N 'Animated members will be invited to apply directly. Interested parties can contact and get involved directly with Black 'N Animated for consideration. Visit the Black N Animated website for more information.

Netflix Animation Foundation Program: Positive Results!

The first session with Latinx in Animation and Exceptional Minds had 74 students and 19 mentors from Netflix Animation. The second session of the program was held with 22 NAS mentors and 52 students from Illuminative and VME.

“I had a great relationship with my mentor and I feel that the Netflix staff were really working to guide me to the next step in my career. I have challenged myself to develop an animated pilot during the program and feel more confident in my writing! Session 2 student Michale Johnson shares.

Participants in the program were paired with a mentor from Netflix Animation Studio. Trainees have received industry mentoring, career advice and guidance with editing and curating professional-style portfolios, writing samples or resumes, so they are ready to apply for internships, training / apprenticeship programs or entry-level positions in the 'animation.

“I loved the encounters with both my mentor and my students. I really appreciated how small the group was, so we took the time to examine each other. Our mentor was great with critics and offered a lot of incredible knowledge, ”says Lauren Gregorio, a trainee in Session 1.“ While I would have liked to do more portfolio work, I understand that this program is meant to cover the basics. . Overall, I think it was a great experience and I would be thrilled if this program continues! "

Adds Session 2 trainee Emily Stewart: “I really enjoyed hearing the pros side of how the industry works and their upcoming stories. She really opened my eyes and on top of that, learning the animation pipeline was also extremely helpful. "

Netflix also updated the industry with specific success stories, noting that emerging animation professionals from both sessions found placements in a number of high-profile studios and media companies, including (in alphabetical order by company):

CBS Sports: Adam Schuering (Media Services Coordinator), Michael Cicerelli (Media Coordinator)
Diamond Games: Veronica Dolcich (Character Animator)
Disney TV animation: Saige Guevara (freelance character designer)
DreamWorks animation: Eli Gross (internship)
Fuse FX: Gabriella DeJesus (CG generalist)
Marvel Studios: Shutianyi Li (character designer)
Mattel: Doron Tuvia (design trainee)
NBCUniversal: David Miles (VFX Production Assistant)
Nickelodeon : Gabriel Vergara (development trainee), Lauren Gregorio (trainee), Becca David (production trainee)
pixelological: Mina McCauley (Motion Graphics and VFX Artist)
PPP: Sarah Barnes (Motion Graphics Junior Artist)
Titmouse: Jessica Calabro (Production Assistant)
Warner Bros .: Clarissa Corral (Art Intern)