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Vancouver Film School and Pixologic Announce Official Partnership
 
January 26, 2010 - Vancouver, BC and Los Angeles, CA - Vancouver Film School (VFS), Canada's premier entertainment arts institution, and Pixologic, maker of the award-winning 2D/3D sculpting, texturing, and painting application ZBrush, today announced an official partnership agreement to provide VFS with full access to educational licenses for Pixologic's cutting-edge software, ZBrush.
 
The partnership is the first of its kind for Pixologic in Canada. The agreement will primarily benefit students of VFS's Animation & Visual Effects programs, respected worldwide for their graduates, including District 9 director Neill Blomkamp among many others. VFS students will have access to the latest innovative tools available in ZBrush, upgrades and technical support.
 
"Pixologic enthusiastically supports education and is committed to providing artists with the most innovative cutting edge tools of their craft," says Pixologic Chief Operating Officer Jaime Labelle. "From illustration to animation and visual effects to game design, we at Pixologic recognize the standard of excellence that comes from the entire VFS community and are thrilled to partner and support them in their creative process."
 
ZBrush's place within the Animation & Visual Effects curriculum means that students are provided with skills and experience in a tool that is widely used on top films like Avatar, Watchmen, and District 9, and games like Gears of War 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, all properties on which VFS Animation & Visual Effects graduates have worked. The partnership gives students at VFS a crucial advantage as they begin their careers.
 
"This partnership really allows us to take advantage of what Pixologic brings to the table with their products," says VFS's Managing Director Marty Hasselbach. "It also allows Pixologic to benefit from what VFS does, and that is create fantastic work using their cutting-edge software, ZBrush."
 
To learn more about the partnership and to view examples of student work using ZBrush, visit vfs.com/pixologic
 
 
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About Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School is Canada's premier post-secondary entertainment arts institution and one of the most distinguished in the world. Its 13 production-oriented programs encompass all aspects of visual media, from Animation & Visual Effects to Acting to Film Production to Game Design to Sound Design. In one year or less, students at VFS work with industry leaders in a studio environment while creating professional-quality reels and films that get them noticed on the global stage. VFS graduates have a profound effect on the entertainment industry, playing key roles behind the scenes in 9 of the 10 highest grossing films of 2009.
 
About Pixologic Incorporated
Pixologic Incorporated was founded in 1997, and develops and markets innovative software tools for the film and video, games, graphic design and illustration markets. Pixologic is privately owned and is located in California with offices in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Bordeaux, France.
 
About ZBrush
ZBrush is an integrated modeling, texturing, and illustration environment. ZBrush's innovative set of real-time sculpting, texturing, and deformation tools is used in major film studios and game companies worldwide. Its instant feedback and real-time response makes it the most natural feeling digital sculpting tool available today. As a stand-alone application, ZBrush offers tremendous flexibility and appeals to a wide audience.
 
 

Program Awards Up To $10,000 Toward Tuition and Other Educational Expenses

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - January 19, 2010 - Applications are now being accepted for the 2010 G.I.R.L. Scholarship to help educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in online gaming, and administered by Scholarship America®, a leading non-profit educational support program, applications are available at https://www.scholarshipamerica.org/gamersinreallife and more details, including official rules for entry are also available online at http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.
 
"The past two G.I.R.L. Scholarship recipients were such a valued addition to our team that we are thrilled to offer this program for the third consecutive year," said Laura Naviaux, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment.  "Our goal is to continue to encourage and reward women who share our commitment and passion for developing cutting edge online games for all demographic groups."
 
One skilled student will win up to $10,000 to be applied toward tuition and other educational expenses at the school at which the student is currently enrolled, and an optional internship of up to 10 weeks at one of Sony Online Entertainment's studios (room, board, transportation and living expenses not included).
 
To be eligible to participate, entrants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program related to video games, including video game art, design, animation, production, programming or visual effects, must not graduate before the end of the 2011 spring term and must comply with the program's official rules. Entrants are required to complete an online application along with an existing piece of art, and if chosen as semifinalists, submit two pieces of concept art and one essay that will be reviewed by a panel of SOE judges. Online applications must be completed and submitted on or before February 15, 2010. SOE will announce the winner on or about May 20, 2010.
 
For more information about the G.I.R.L. Scholarship program, please visit http://www.station.sony.com/girl/.
 
About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games which have entertained millions of players around the globe. SOE creates and delivers compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchise EverQuest®, its successful online trading card game Legends of Norrath®, as well as the recent kids' phenomenon Free Realms™, SOE continues to raise the bar for online gaming and players worldwide. Headquartered in San Diego, with additional studios in Austin, Seattle, Denver, Tucson, and Taiwan, SOE has a slate of engaging, high-quality games currently in development across new genres for all platforms and audiences.

SOE, the SOE logo, EverQuest and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. Free Realms and Legends of Norrath are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC.

All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.

About Scholarship America®
Scholarship America is one of the nation's largest nonprofit, private-sector scholarship and educational support organizations. Its three primary programs -- Dollars for Scholars®, Scholarship Management Services® and ScholarShop® -- are united in the mission to expand access to education. Scholarship America (www.scholarshipamerica.org) has awarded more than $2 billion to nearly 2 million students since its founding in 1958, and is rated a 4-star charity by Charity Navigator.
 

WINTER PARK, FL, September 18, 2009 - Full Sail University (www.fullsail.edu) is proud to announce that Web Design & Development Bachelor of Science Degree student, Bryan Berger, was recently selected as a finalist in the Application Development Category of the 2009 Adobe Design Achievement Awards for developing the application, zFlick (www.zflick.net), a desktop Flickr application. Berger will be attending the awards ceremony held in Beijing, China at the end of October.
 
Having a passion for design and code, the 22 year-old Berger decided to attend Full Sail University and enrolled in the Web Design & Development Degree Program. This 21-month Bachelor of Science Degree educates students in the areas of industry-standard disciplines including: interface design and usability, web standards, Flash/ActionScript 3.0, client side scripting, server side scripting and mobile device deployment.
 
Created by Berger during the Deployment of Flash Projects course, the cross-platform application zFlick, enables users to bring Flickr to their desktops and works on the principle of providing users with the most unique and interesting images. Because the application was designed with an easy-to-use interface that contains numerous tools including: auto-updating, drag-n-drop saving, and direct access to the Flickr pages of each image, zFlick was selected by Adobe to appear on the Adobe AIR Marketplace website.
 
 "The implementation of a real-world education is a key asset to the foundation that Full Sail University has built our curriculum upon," said Bill Bain, Program Director of Web Design and Development at Full Sail University. "We take pride in the ability to provide our students with the tools necessary to enhance their talents. Watching Bryan excel in the area of study that he loves is both an honor and a testament to the motivation and drive our students possess."

About Full Sail University:

Since 1979, Full Sail University, located outside of Orlando, FL, has been an innovative educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. With over 32,000 alumni, graduate credits include work on OSCAR®, Emmy® and GRAMMY®-winning projects, best-selling video games, and the #1 grossing U.S. concert tours. Full Sail's 190-acre campus and online education platform proudly welcomes over 7,000 students from 50 states and 65 countries.
 
Full Sail currently offers a total of 25 degree programs including: Associate of Science Degrees in Graphic Design; Bachelor of Science Degrees offered in Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Entertainment Business, Film, Game Art, Game Design, Game Development, Graphic Design, Internet Marketing, Music Business, Recording Arts, Show Production, and Web Design & Development; and Master of Science Degrees in Education Media Design & Technology, Game Design, Entertainment Business, and Internet Marketing; and a Master of Fine Art in Media Design.

Full Sail was most recently named the 2008 "School/College of the Year" by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges. The university has also been previously named: The Harvard of Game Schools by Tips & Tricks Magazine; one of the top three New Media Schools by Shift Magazine (alongside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University); one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs in the world by Electronic Gaming Monthly; one of the Best Music Programs in the country by Rolling Stone Magazine; one of the Best Music Business Departments in the Schools That Rock: The Rolling Stone College Guide; and one of the Best Film Programs in the country by UNleashed Magazine.

For more information about Full Sail, please visit www.fullsail.edu.
 

When visitors walk into the brand new Wacom® Cintiq® lab at the Los Angeles Film School, they might think they have stumbled onto H.G. Wells' time machine. In the middle of the room is a stairway to an elevated platform that is illuminated by spotlights. Twenty-six desks surround the platform, with futuristic-looking Wacom Cintiq 21UX interactive pen displays atop each one and large flat-panel monitors are mounted on the walls.

The lab is home to the Los Angeles Film School's new Computer Animation program, which enrolled its first class this year. Appropriately, it was designed on a Cintiq in Autodesk Maya by the program's dean, Bobby Milly. Formerly a senior character modeler at Electronic Arts, Milly wanted to create a classroom where students could learn animation techniques on Cintiqs from the start. He included the raised platform for models in drawing classes and the wall-mounted monitors to display an instructor's animation techniques for the whole class.

"The Cintiq was a core element of the lab from the beginning," Milly says. He regards it as the future of animation production, both because of its artist-friendly digital workflow and the green solution it represents.

WINTER PARK, FL, June 12, 2009 - Full Sail University (www.fullsail.edu), an award-winning entertainment media institution located near Orlando, FL, is proud to recognize graduate, Bobby Jones, founder of the Orlando based digital agency, Purple, Rock, Scissors (www.purplerockscissors.com), which specializes in the areas of visual design, web development, and marketing strategy.

In 2002, Jones founded the agency Hydra Studio. The business began growing rapidly, not only in client base, but also in number of employees. Currently, the staff doubles in size each year and is primarily comprised of programmers and designers, with nearly half the staff made up of Full Sail graduates. This growth, along with the expansion of their services and current evolution of the industry, led to the rebranding of the company as Purple, Rock, Scissors.

As a local leader of web based solutions including: social media, visual design, interaction design, web development, search engine marketing (SEM), and motion graphics, Purple, Rock, Scissors strives to facilitate the growth of their clients online brand by infusing creativity with consumer compatibility. With this approach, they have built a clientele comprised of both local and national companies including: Coca Cola, Home Depot, EMI, Sony BMG, Orlando Museum of Art, and the award-winning Asbury Park, which received a national Gold Addy.

"During my time at Full Sail, I gained the education needed to build a successful business based on imaginative creativity and applied technical knowledge, which are fundamentals being taught in each of Full Sail's degree programs," said Bobby Jones, Founder and CEO of Purple, Rock, Scissors.  "Looking forward, I'm excited for the future of the agency, and as an employer, I'm eager to work with graduates of Full Sail's Web Design and Development program to further our success in the Central Florida area and around the globe."

The agencies most recent local project is for the Downtown Development Board, which includes the creation of a community based social networking site that will help attract businesses, visitors, and locals to check out all that the downtown Orlando area has to offer. After submitting their proposal for the project, Purple, Rock, Scissors was selected from over twenty five other applicants to begin this endeavor in May 2009.

WINTER PARK, FL, May 6, 2009 - Full Sail University (www.fullsail.edu), an award-winning entertainment media institution near Orlando, FL, is proud to announce the new online Graphic Design Bachelor of Science Online Degree Program, launching in June, 2009.

The new online degree program incorporates courses that teach students industry-standard disciplines including Digital Art & Theory, Color Theory, and Digital Storytelling. Students will use these disciplines along with industry-standard concepts such as corporate branding, typography, and page layout to produce their own high-end design projects.

In addition to design, students learn complimentary skills including customer relations, copyright law, and intellectual property to prepares student to enter the industry with the ability to meet client demands, produce creative results, and work with the demanding deadlines of the design industry.

The new online Bachelor's degree will offer students the real world education that has defined Full Sail for the past 30 years as an educational leader in the entertainment industry. The Full Sail Online platform offers students an innovative way to interact with instructors and fellow students over the Internet and gain access to course information 24 hours a day. To stay connected, Full Sail offers each student an Apple MacBook Pro through Project LaunchBox, which serves as their personal workstation throughout their education and into their careers.

"Full Sail's online platform, with current technology, provides students with an immersive and innovative educational system," said Luis Garcia, Vice President of Full Sail Online. "It is remarkable that students can obtain the Full Sail experience from all over the world."