In 2013, it was proposed by Dublin BIC that a project or initiative could be created that would address or ‘bridge’ the skills gap evident in the games, animation and VFX sectors between what education provides and what the corresponding industry demands. The Bridge initiative creates industry-ready participants who have experience of the culture of business.
These participants fit quicker into a studio environment and begin to produce commercial work faster. The studios involved in the 2013 Bridge programme were Brown Bag Films, Havok, Riot Games and Jam Media.
It is proposed that selected graduates will progress to the Guinness Enterprise Centre (GEC) to participate on The Bridge 2014. Graduates from all Animation, Games and VFX courses at Colleges in Ireland are welcome to apply.
The programme is planned to take place in the GEC over a four month period (June to October) and is to be supervised by Richard Glynn, CEO and Producer at Studio POWWOW in conjunction with Animation Skillnet, Screen Training Ireland, the GEC & Dublin BIC.
Key Benefits of The Bridge are:
- Participants are provided with studio space in a professional environment in the GEC for 3 to 4 months
- Participants get to work on live projects supervised and mentored by studio professionals (for example, Brown Bags’ short film ‘Anya’ for the 2013 programme)
- Participants receive a weekly/monthly bursary amount to cover travel expenses, lunch etc.
- Participants get to work on a wide range of collaborative projects across animation, games and VFX
- Participants will have the opportunity to participate in specialised training sessions with industry professionals through Animation Skillnet and Screen Training Ireland for free
Expressions of interest from recent graduates or unemployed graduates from animation, games and VFX related courses who wish to participate in The Bridge 2014 should be sent to richardglynn@studiopowwow.com and animationskillnet@dublinbic.ie before the 9th May.
A video on the 2013 Bridge pilot can be viewed here: