Animation Mentor
Encyclopedia
Animation Mentor is a for-profit university
online animation school that teaches students character animation
skills. Headquartered in Emeryville, California
, the school offers an 18-month program in which students are taught by “mentors,” experienced animators who are professionals working in the animation industry.
Animation Mentor is a distance learning school at which animation professionals teach character animation to students in over 50 countries.
, who is the CEO and president
of the school, Shawn Kelly
, who is a working animator
at Industrial Light & Magic, and Carlos Baena
, who is a working animator at Pixar Animation Studios. The school opened on March 27, 2005, with 350 students and 5 employees.
The school is certified by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education
.
The program includes live Q&A sessions with mentors from the animation industry, and mentors provide audio-visual critiques of weekly assignments.
The school hosts student events, including BBQ's, open houses and a graduation twice a year where students attend from multiple countries.
Graduates of the program receive a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Character Animation and create a demo reel. The school is also part of Sony Pictures Imageworks
Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program.
The school’s program includes career placement support to graduates and works with recruiters at major studios. Animation Mentor also has an alumni website that hosts career services, events and specially tailored learning experiences while allowing graduates to continue their participation in the Animation Mentor community. The school also features a “student showcase” twice a year, a web reel that includes creative work animated by students representing all levels of training.
.
The school won the 2008 PRSA
Bronze Anvil Award for its white paper "Behind the Characters: Job Satisfaction, Career Outlook, and Salary Survey Report" and was again named an official honoree at the 13th Annual Webby Awards
. In 2008, Sony Picture Imageworks awarded its top scholarship to Luis Rodrigo Huerta to earn a Master’s Degree at Texas A&M
and participate in online animation courses at Animation Mentor.
, Pirates of the Caribbean
, Bee Movie
, Monsters vs. Aliens
, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
, Kung Fu Panda
, Bolt, Garfield: The Movie, Transformers, and others.
For-Profit School
For-profit education refers to educational institutions operated by private, profit-seeking businesses....
online animation school that teaches students character animation
Character animation
Character animation is a specialized area of the animation process concerning the animation of one or more characters featured in an animated work. It is usually as one aspect of a larger production and often made to enhance voice acting. The primary role of a Character Animator is to be the...
skills. Headquartered in Emeryville, California
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a small city located in Alameda County, California, in the United States. It is located in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, extending to the shore of San Francisco Bay. Its proximity to San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, the University of California, Berkeley, and...
, the school offers an 18-month program in which students are taught by “mentors,” experienced animators who are professionals working in the animation industry.
Animation Mentor is a distance learning school at which animation professionals teach character animation to students in over 50 countries.
History
The school was founded in 2005 by three working animators: Bobby BeckBobby Beck
Bobby Beck is the CEO and cofounder of the online animation school, Animation Mentor, which was started in March, 2005. It was the first post-secondary school that helped students to pursue a career in animation...
, who is the CEO and president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the school, Shawn Kelly
Shawn Kelly
Shawn Kelly is an animator of movies and was a co-founder of the company Animation Mentor, an online animation school with student/mentor relationships at its core.-Life and career:...
, who is a working animator
Animator
An animator is an artist who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence; the images are called frames and key frames. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, video games, and the internet. Usually, an...
at Industrial Light & Magic, and Carlos Baena
Carlos Baena
Carlos Baena is a professional animator and now a cofounder of the online school Animation Mentor, which was started in March, 2005. It was the first post-secondary school that helped students to pursue a career in animation...
, who is a working animator at Pixar Animation Studios. The school opened on March 27, 2005, with 350 students and 5 employees.
Academics
Animation Mentor is an online learning institution and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The tuition for the 18-month program is $18,928.00* if paid in full.The school is certified by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education
California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education
The California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education was a unit of the California Department of Consumer Affairs whose purpose was to protect students by establishing academic standards for of private institutions of higher education in California...
.
The program includes live Q&A sessions with mentors from the animation industry, and mentors provide audio-visual critiques of weekly assignments.
The school hosts student events, including BBQ's, open houses and a graduation twice a year where students attend from multiple countries.
Graduates of the program receive a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Character Animation and create a demo reel. The school is also part of Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sony Pictures Imageworks
Sony Pictures Imageworks, Inc. is a visual effects and character animation company headquartered in Culver City, California, USA. SPI is a division of Sony Pictures Digital Productions, which oversees the digital production and online entertainment assets of Sony Pictures Entertainment.The company...
Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program.
The school’s program includes career placement support to graduates and works with recruiters at major studios. Animation Mentor also has an alumni website that hosts career services, events and specially tailored learning experiences while allowing graduates to continue their participation in the Animation Mentor community. The school also features a “student showcase” twice a year, a web reel that includes creative work animated by students representing all levels of training.
Awards
The school has won several awards, including the 2006 Best Practices in Programming Award Gold Level, 21st Century Distance Learning Award from the U.S. Distance Learning Association, and was an honoree at the 10th Annual Webby AwardsWebby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
.
The school won the 2008 PRSA
Prša
Prša is a village and municipality in the Lučenec District in the Banská Bystrica Region of Slovakia.-External links:*http://www.statistics.sk/mosmis/eng/run.html...
Bronze Anvil Award for its white paper "Behind the Characters: Job Satisfaction, Career Outlook, and Salary Survey Report" and was again named an official honoree at the 13th Annual Webby Awards
Webby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
. In 2008, Sony Picture Imageworks awarded its top scholarship to Luis Rodrigo Huerta to earn a Master’s Degree at Texas A&M
Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas . It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school...
and participate in online animation courses at Animation Mentor.
Notable Animation Mentor Alumni and Productions
Students who have graduated from Animation Mentor have worked on box office features, including Horton Hears a Who!Horton Hears a Who!
Horton Hears a Who! is a 1954 book by Theodor Seuss Geisel, under the name Dr. Seuss. It is the second Seuss book to feature Horton the Elephant, the first being Horton Hatches the Egg...
, Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean
Pirates of the Caribbean is a multi-billion dollar Walt Disney franchise encompassing a series of films, a theme park ride, and spinoff novels as well as numerous video games and other publications. The franchise originates with the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, which opened at Disneyland in...
, Bee Movie
Bee Movie
Bee Movie is a 2007 computer animated family comedy film starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, and Patrick Warburton. Produced by DreamWorks Animation, it is directed by Simon J...
, Monsters vs. Aliens
Monsters vs. Aliens
Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American computer-animated 3-D science fiction film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, also known as Ice Age 3, is a 2009 3-D computer animated film. It is the third installment of the Ice Age series, produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
, Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda is a 2008 American computer-animated action comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
, Bolt, Garfield: The Movie, Transformers, and others.