London, 7 August 2019: Foundry, the leading developer of creative software for the media and entertainment and digital design industries today announces its collaboration with ACCESS:VFX.
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 economy1, 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.”
About ACCESS:VFX
ACCESS:VFX is a global, industry-led and non-profit coalition comprised of 40 leading companies, industry bodies and educational establishments in the VFX, animation and games industries. It focuses on actively pursuing and encouraging inclusion, diversity, awareness and opportunity under its four pillars of Inspiration, Education, Mentoring and Recruitment.
ACCESS:VFX has united over 100 passionate people (many from competing companies) around the common goal of addressing the lack of diversity in the vfx industry. Together they have run more than 50 events and reached 3500 potential future employees of primary school age and above in more than 19 UK cities - working with organisations including We Are Stripes, Into Film and This Ability.
ACCESS:VFX’s innovative Slack mentoring programme is the glue that establishes meaningful, ongoing connections between interested young people and supportive industry mentors. Over 100 young people, 70% of whom are BAME and/or female, are being mentored - with ambitions to grow this programme to 350 by the end of 2019 and expand across the Atlantic to its regional hubs in New York, Chicago and Montreal.
To find out more about ACCESS:VFX please visit www.accessvfx.org.
About Foundry
Foundry develops creative software for the Digital Design, Media and Entertainment industries. With a 20-year heritage and a portfolio of award-winning products, Foundry advances the art and technology of visual experience in partnership with creative leaders around the globe.
Clients and partners include major feature film studios and post-production houses such as Pixar, ILM, MPC, Walt Disney Animation, Weta Digital, DNEG, and Framestore as well as automotive, footwear, apparel and technology companies such as Mercedes, New Balance, Adidas and Google. Foundry partners with these companies to solve complex visualization challenges to turn incredible ideas into reality.
The company’s products are used to create breathtaking visual effects sequences on a wide range of feature films, video-on-demand, television and commercials. Foundry software was integral in the making of every VFX Oscar-winning film, award-winning TV shows and commercials for more than a decade.
Founded in 1996, Foundry is headquartered in London, with over 300 employees and a presence in the US, China, Japan, Australia and Europe. In 2019, the London Stock Exchange named Foundry one of the “1000 Companies to Inspire Britain.” It regularly features in The Sunday Times’ Tech Track as one of Britain’s fastest-growing private technology companies.
For more information visit www.foundry.com
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