Students in Sisler High School’s CREATE program will have an opportunity to elevate their creativity this year thanks to a partnership with Nickelodeon Animation.
During the year-long Orange Tree Project, students in CREATE — an entertainment arts training program — will work under the mentorship of Nickelodeon artists, learning about directing, producing, storyboarding, character design, and animation. The culmination of the project will be three animated short stories.
“This project is really about providing opportunities for our students to learn more about the animation and art careers in today’s world. Streaming content right now — there’s a lot of demand for it.
“And a lot of companies, a lot of studios are trying to engage more artists, more young people to actually look at going into the arts as a way of actually sustaining themselves and giving them a career path,” Jamie Leduc, a CREATE instructor, said.
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The project will also enable students to build connections in the industry, which are crucial to success. Leduc explained that this may help students advance their careers while remaining in Winnipeg, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has normalized working from home.
“One thing that’s really interesting when you look at the economy right now is that the animation industry is thriving in the new world.
“Animation studios can survive because they can basically assign people wherever they’re working on their scenes. So it’s an amazing time to be an artist and to be going into the (industry), because I think a lot of students in Winnipeg could probably start working for studios remotely, once they have the training.”
Grade 11 student Kimberly Chau, who said she wants to pursue a career in animation, said she is excited about this opportunity because it’s not something that is often accessible to immigrants.
“Immigrants usually don’t have these opportunities,” Chau said. “I think it’s really nice because a lot of us are, or at least our parents were, immigrants … My parents don’t really see this industry as something you can do as a career. So having this opportunity is a really nice way to kind of show them this is possible for me.”
Nickelodeon Animation is a California-based studio, best known for television shows such as Spongebob Squarepants, Hey Arnold!, and Dora the Explorer — to name a few.
Sydney Hildebrandt
Community Journalist – The Times
Sydney Hildebrandt is the community journalist for The Times. Email her at sydney.hildebrandt@canstarnews.com