Foundry (https://www.foundry.com/, the leading developer of creative software for the media and entertainment and digital design industries announced its collaboration with ACCESS:VFX - (https://www.accessvfx.org/)
ACCESS:VFX is a global non-profit organisation focused on driving inclusion and diversity in the visual effects, animation and games industries. Their e-mentoring programme recently celebrated connecting over 100 young people aged 13 to 41 to supportive VFX industry members. 70% of mentees are BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic People) and/or female - with ambitions to grow the programme to 350 by the end of 2019 and expand across the Atlantic to its regional hubs in New York, Chicago and Montreal.
ACCESS:VFX founder and chair Simon Devereux said: “The UK’s VFX industry is estimated to be worth more than £1 billion a year to the UK economy, yet is currently 85% white and only 27% female.2 We need and want more diverse talent to join our sector.”
He continued: “Our practical e-mentoring program is at the heart of our mission. We connect aspiring creative and VFX talent to leaders at VFX, animation and games studios – including Framestore, Union, Outpost and Fix FX, amongst others - through a private Slack channel. With so many exciting events planned for 2019, having a world-leading VFX brand like Foundry add its weight and support to our diversity campaign to mentor the next generation of talent is a win-win for our industry.”
The e-mentoring programme is managed by third-party provider, Prospela, a professional network for students, giving on-demand access to mentors for career discovery, inspiration and planning.
Jody Madden, CEO at Foundry, commented: “We are huge believers in making the visual effects industry as accessible as possible. The next generation of creative talent is our industry’s lifeblood. We are delighted to support this cross-company initiative to provide diversity and inclusivity. It complements our Education Collective initiative, a programme we created to give students free and discounted access to Foundry’s suite of professional software.”
