Best Field Trip Ever to Hollywood

New short doc presents the Field Trip of a Lifetime follows students’ dream trip to L.A. studio

CREATE has been working closely with Nickelodeon since 2018. Artists from the studio meet monthly with CREATE students to offer feedback on the creation of short animated films and series. In 2022, Nickelodeon invited students to visit their studios in Los Angeles to pitch the projects they were working on. After securing funding from The Schroeder Foundation, WestJet and Toon Boom Animation, we took 12 CREATE students to Los Angeles from May 25-28. While in LA, the students visited Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures and Nickelodeon Animation. The students pitched their animation short film and series to Nickelodeon representatives and networked with their mentors and other artists. The plan is to make this a yearly experience.

When the people behind Rugrats and Spongebob SquarePants ask for a meeting, you take it. 

That’s exactly what 12 animation students from Winnipeg did when Nickelodeon asked them to pitch their own cartoon series, in person, in Los Angeles. 

“This is like a lifetime opportunity for me, going to Nickelodeon. This is life changing for me,” said Errol Abejero.

Abejero was one of the 12 post-high school animation students from Sisler High School’s Create program who flew to L.A. in May to pitch three animation series to Nickelodeon. 

Abejero and his team pitched Heave-Ho Coco, a pirate-themed series set on a deserted island.

The three-day visit was the culmination of months of work collaborating with professional mentors at the animation studio in California. While no deals were signed, the students hope the experience may open doors.

All the anticipation, pitch preparation, journey, and visit to Nickeolodeon was captured in a new short film called Field Trip of a Lifetime.