Resources

Classroom in a Box

  • Virtual Training

    The Gnomon Workshop was established to share professional techniques with those unable to attend the award-winning Gnomon School in Hollywood, California. We understand that it’s not always possible to study on campus or take online classes in a different timezone. That’s why our library of over 300 video workshops is available 24/7 from anywhere in the world.

  • Curriculum in a Box

    This series of lesson plans and resources allows secondary school or early-year university teachers to be able to more easily and effectively introduce students to Houdini. We want you to feel confident in teaching Houdini to your students, and these recorded videos teach you how to approach these introductory techniques with your students.

  • Harmony & Storyboard Pro Kick-Start Courses

    If you want to improve your skills on Toon Boom software, you can take courses on Harmony and Storyboard Pro for free. Learn at your own pace, test your skills, and earn badges!

  • Student & School Resources

    Learning is one thing. Implementing is another. Here are some resources that will make integrating Unreal Engine into your program as painless as possible. No matter what you’re studying or teaching, if you’re a student or school interested in using Unreal Engine for education, it’s free for you to download and use.

  • Gameplan

    Built for middle and high school programs, Gameplan provides CTE pathways that lead to tech careers in game design, cybersecurity, media production and more. With ready-to-teach curriculum, industry certifications, professional development, LMS integration, and funding alignment, Gameplan supports stronger engagement, attendance, and career outcomes.

Community

  • Women in Games

    We are activists. We believe that getting more women into games and esports should be framed as a national, international and strategic priority, a business case for stronger teams, better insights, innovative new products. We believe in more people, more diversity and more perspectives.

  • POC in Play

    POC in Play is an independent organisation creating a range of initiatives and programme of events designed to increase the visibility and representation of People of Colour in the video games industry. We aim to work with industry, educators and other diversity organisations to create more opportunities for all.

  • LatinX in Animation

    LatinX in Animation (LXiA) unearths the exceptional, diverse talent that exists within the animation, VFX, and gaming industries. They wield the power of artmaking to champion the growth of LatinX diversity in all facets of the animation industry by organizing activities and events focused on networking, camaraderie, community service, education, communication, and professional development.

  • Grads in Grades

    Grads In Games is a Community Interest Company originally founded by leading games industry recruiters Aardvark Swift in 2014, and becoming independent in 2021. Grads in Games has one simple aim – to help more graduates make the leap from student to professional developer. We do this through a comprehensive program of events, activities and resources – all designed to equip students and graduates with the skills employers need.

  • COUSIN

    COUSIN is a collective supporting Indigenous artists expanding the form of film. We create and support work that is personal, proudly provocative and driven by strong, artistic voices. We celebrate this work and get it made, seen and shared.

  • Black N Animated

    Black N’ Animated is a community-oriented organization based in Los Angeles committed to the growth and empowerment of Black students and professionals in the animation industry. We are the home of the Black N’ Animated Podcast, hosted by Bre Williams and Waymond Singleton. We also work with local studios and organizations to provide networking opportunities and career development. Our goal is a healthy, diverse, and inclusive industry and community.

  • Asians in Animation

    Asians in Animation, also fondly known as AnimAsians, are primarily an online community dedicated to creating a safe space for all, no matter your level or location.

  • Animation Diversity Foundation

    We provide continued educational and professional support, via scholarships and mentorships, to under-represented groups in the game development animation community, including LGBTQIA+, women, minorities, disabled persons, the financially disadvantaged and new parents.

  • Women of Color Unite

    Women of Color Unite (WOCU) is a social action organization focusing on fair access, fair treatment and fair pay for women of color in all aspects of the entertainment and media industries.

  • Easterseals

    As America’s largest nonprofit health care organization, Easterseals is committed to the comprehensive health and wellness of the more than 1.5 million people it serves each year and is prepared to respond to the needs of the one in four Americans living with disability today with outcomes-based services for all disabilities throughout the lifespan.

  • Array Alliance

    ARRAY Alliance, a woman-led nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, works to advance social justice through art. Through myriad programs ranging from grantmaking, mentorship, education, and more, ARRAY removes the roadblocks that prevent people of color and women of all kinds from leveraging the medium of film as an instrument of social justice; revolutionizes the way homogenous industries attract, hire and retain talent from marginalized, diverse communities; and transforms audiences around the country into educated change agents by providing learners of all ages with the tools and support needed to inspire change in their lives, families, and communities.

  • 9B Collective

    9B Collective is the first Black-Owned Concept Art Studio made up primarily of BIPOC artists and founded by Phillip Boutté Jr., Mike Uwandi, and Aldis Hodge. Our goal is to provide a shift in the Entertainment landscape by working towards true inclusivity both in front of, and behind the camera.

Consulting

  • MPAC® Hollywood Bureau

  • Respect Ability’s Entertainment Media Consulting Team

  • Disability Training and Speakers Bureau

  • Color of Change

  • Storyline Partners

Education

  • The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit

  • Full Story Initiative

  • CSS | Center for Scholars & Storytellers

  • Race Forward

    Impact report and step-by-step toolkit for narrative change, messaging and strategic comms for social justice movements. Includes worksheets and learnings from the immigrant movement.

  • Pathos Labs

  • Culture Surge

  • GLAAD

  • Non-violent Communication from UCLA with its own resources section!

  • Action Alliance

  • Define American

  • Frameworks Institute

  • Nuke for After Effects Users Tutorial

  • AccessVFX Mentor/Mentee signup page

  • Human Library

  • Shows from PBS Digital Studios

  • Artstation Learning

    ArtStation provides you with a simple, yet powerful way to show your portfolio and be seen by the right people in the industry. It's super fast and sleek. Showcase high resolution images, videos, short clips, Marmoset and Sketchfab 3D scenes, 360 panos and more. Add your work and production experience.

  • VES Education Initiative Resources

    The VES Education Initiative is a long-term project committed to finding and creating avenues to expand the visual effects global talent pool, with a focus on attracting and investing in the untapped potential of diverse and often underrepresented communities. This includes finding raw talent and creating new opportunities for those currently employed in visual effects.

  • Virtual Production Glossary

    The Virtual Production Glossary intends to document terminology, definitions, and describe roles actively used in virtual production.

  • Unreal Online Learning

    Unreal Engine is the fastest-growing skill requirement in real-time and 3D graphics. Learn the skills you need to succeed in game development, architecture, film and TV, automotive, and more.

  • Learn Nuke

    Our products help tackle complex visualization challenges to meet the demands of your customers and projects. With over 20 years of industry know-how and a focus on speed, quality and user-experience, we save you time so you can spend it bringing incredible ideas to life.

  • Justice for My Sister

    JFMS uses the arts as an educational tool to train audiences in violence prevention using theater, storytelling, and art therapy. Since launching our first program, Nuevas Novelas in 2015, JFMS has expanded its curriculum to include media literacy training, economic sustainability for artists, and job training. We were founded on the belief that it is vital to advance diversity, push for inclusion, accessibility & equity in the TV & Film industry and we keep working every day to achieve this goal.

  • What I Hear When You Say

  • Pop Culture Collab

  • Get in the Door

    Get in the Door​ is a documentary series created by Lucasfilm, Industrial Light ​& Magic, and​ ​ILMxLAB featuring the stories of employees across a myriad of disciplines. Learn how they got started, achieved their goals, and most importantly, how you can turn your creativity into a career too.

  • This is Animation

    “This is Animation” is a free-to-access online course from Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and Yellowbrick, that provides unprecedented access to the animation production process and demystifies one of the most creative and collaborative forms of storytelling in entertainment today.

Funding

  • Motion Picture Television Fund

    UCLA Health operates six MPTF health care centers in Los Angeles, which are exclusive to entertainment industry members and conveniently located near studios and other industry locations. Patients also have the UCLA Health Network as a robust health care resource and care provider. No matter which health center you visit, you will receive top quality care from a dedicated team of highly skilled physicians, nurses, and other health care practitioners.

  • IATSE Benefit Funds

    The IATSE National Benefit Funds are trust funds established by the IATSE through collective bargaining with various entertainment industry employers. Generally, funding comes from contributing employers that are engaged in industries such as live theatre, motion picture, television, commercials, music videos, and trade shows and that have Collective Bargaining Agreements with IATSE or an affiliated local union.

  • American Documentary Funds & Residencies

    Through our broadcast, interactive and engagement programs, we've has nurtured generations of independent mediamakers with direct funding, mentorship, editorial support and national distribution and engagement strategies. In addition, we provide year-round support for the field through artist-centered programs that include filmmaker funds and talent incubation initiatives.

  • Visiting Artists Grant:

    The Academy Member Engagement program facilitates practical educational opportunities for learning institutions, festivals, conferences, and other film-related events. Students and faculty are provided direct contact with the Academy’s working filmmakers, creating a meaningful connection between the worlds of academia and practice at the industry’s highest levels.

Mentorship

  • WIA Mentorship Program

    We bring together the global animation community to empower and advocate for people of underrepresented gender identities in the art, technology, production, and business of animation, inspiring excellence and justice in all facets of the industry.

  • Queer Art

    QUEER|ART is a non-profit arts organization serving a diverse and vibrant community of LGBTQ+ artists across generations and disciplines. Queer Art provides mentorship and grants to filmmakers amongst there many programs.

  • Concept Art Association Mentorship Program

    Concept Art Association is an organization committed to elevating and raising the profile of concept artists, their art and their involvement in the entertainment industries. Artists and students can get involved and support the cause by joining Concept Art Association through our membership program. This will provide them access to networking events, job postings, an online directory of our members.

  • Academy Gold

    Academy GOLD is a global talent development and inclusion initiative that provides creative individuals of diverse backgrounds access and resources to achieving their career pathways in filmmaking.

Programs

  • Respect Ability Entertainment Labs

  • Disability Film Challenge

    2023 Challenge Dates: March 28 – April 2

  • Handy Foundation

    Connecting below-the-line workers to job opportunities in Hollywood, providing professional development while helping studios and networks meet diversity and inclusion goals.

  • In the Cut

    In the Cut is an education and networking company that prepares Black creatives and other people of color for careers in the entertainment industry.

  • Nickelodeon Animation Writing Program

    Founded in the year 2000, the Nickelodeon Writing Program is a full-time, paid, yearlong development Program for television comedy writers with unique voices and from underrepresented communities.

Research

  • USC Annenberg Inclusion Initative

  • Center for Scholars & Storytellers, UCLA

  • UCLA Hollywood Diversity Reports 2023

  • Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media

  • OTIS College Report on the Creative Economy 2023

  • Data Justice

  • See Her

  • Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice

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  • National Domestic Workers Alliance

I Get Paid For This

In this series, entertainment professionals answer informative questions about their job such as: what does a typical day look like? What is your journey to your current position? What do you love about your job? What advice would you give to others interested in pursuing a similar path?

The goal of IGP4T is to bring much needed accessibility and transparency to the creative industry by showcasing short videos of professionals sharing how and why they pursed their career path.

Careers in Animation:

Visual Development Artist

Angela Sung, DreamWorks

Storyboard Artist

Ainsley Dye, DreamWorks

Animation Director

Elaine Bogan, DreamWorks

Recruiting Coordinator

Christian Lopez, DreamWorks

Executive Producer

Dotti Sinnot, Golden Wolf

Background Painter

Devin Elle Kurtz, Netflix

Concept Artist & Illustrator

Andrés Martinez, 9B Collective

Visual Development Artist & Illustrator

Gloria Felix

Children’s Book Illustrator

Hollie Mengert