Kicking off next month, the program will broaden opportunities for underrepresented talent and bring new voices and stories to the animation space; creatives in both the Latinx and neurodiverse communities have been selected by program partners to participate in the inaugural Fall 2021 group.
Netflix is launching the Netflix Animation Foundations Program, a four-month mentorship program for early creatives looking to break into the animation industry. The streamer’s impact on storytelling and commitment to using the art of animation to broaden empathy and understanding can be seen in recent releases including Maya and the Three, Ridley Jones and Over the Moon. Determined to continue producing these types of stories, the streamer has developed this new mentorship program; their goal is to build equity and access to underrepresented early creatives, giving them an opportunity to bring their unique and varied stories to the animation space.
According to the streamer, the Netflix Animation Foundations Program levels the playing field in a highly competitive industry by broadening opportunities and reach by preparing underrepresented talent to compete in the early creative talent pools.
Program participants will be matched to a mentor from Netflix Animation Studio. Mentees will receive mentorship on the industry, career advice, and guidance with editing and curating professionally styled portfolios, writing samples, or resumes, so they are prepared to apply for internships, training programs, and entry level positions within animation.
To kick off the Fall 2021 program launch, Netflix has teamed up with LatinX in Animation and Exceptional Minds. Candidates have been selected via the partner organizations in both the Latinx and neurodiverse communities for participation in the inaugural program that starts in September.
- LatinX in Animation (LXiA) represents a diverse group within the Animation, VFX, and Gaming industries dedicated to uniting a talented pool of innovators with a heart to create exceptional stories across multiple platforms. They do so by organizing activities and events focused on networking, camaraderie, community service, education, communication, and professional development. The organization provides the resources necessary to promote and further develop Latinx creatives and decision-makers in the Animation, VFX, and Gaming industries.
- Exceptional Minds (EM) is the only autism education organization that provides technical instruction in the digital arts while fully integrating behavioral training into the curriculum. EM has a three-year, full-time Professional Training Academy that is unique in that it combines the skills of artists, instructors, technicians, and behaviorists into a completely articulated curriculum based on idiographic, empirically validated principles of instructional design.
Source: Netflix
