Nickelodeon Establishes Endowed Scholarship at CalArts School of Film/Video
BURBANK, Calif., April 17 -- Nickelodeon, the number one
producer of television animation in the U.S., announced today that it will
establish The Nickelodeon Endowed Scholarship in Animation in Honor of Jules
Engel at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) School of Film/Video.
The announcement was made by Brown Johnson, President, Animation for
Nickelodeon and MTV Network Kids' & Family Group during the Jules Engel
Centennial Celebration at REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater) in Los
Angeles. The endowment, which will provide support to students in both the
Character and Experimental Animation Programs marks the first endowed
corporate scholarship in Animation for CalArts' prestigious School of
Film/Video.
"This is a very meaningful partnership for us," said Johnson. "CalArts has
helped shape some of the most creative minds in the animation business,
including many of our Nicktoon creators, directors, designers and writers. We
believe that our partnership with this prestigious institution will create a
greater collaboration between our studio and the industry."
"We are thrilled to work with Nickelodeon in establishing an endowed
scholarship at CalArts that supports both the Character and Experimental
Animation programs. Nickelodeon's visionary approach and leadership in
animation and children's entertainment is perfectly aligned with the
Institute's mission and aesthetic," said Steven D. Lavine, president of
CalArts. "We look forward to expanding our partnership in the years to come."
Nickelodeon and CalArts plan to also partner in various ways on learning
and development initiatives, including inviting animators from the Nicktoons
studio to teach and attend classes at CalArts, hiring interns from the CalArts
student pool and creating programs to share experimental animation techniques
and partner on creative problem solving.
CalArts is one of the world's premier colleges for the study and practice
of the art of the moving image and it has graduated some of the entertainment
industry's most notable, innovative talents including Brad Bird (The
Incredibles), Tim Burton (Batman), Stephen Hillenburg (SpongeBob SquarePants),
Paul Tibbitt (SpongeBob SquarePants), John Lasseter (Toy Story), Butch Hartman
(The Fairly OddParents), Erik Wiese (The Mighty B!), Jorge Gutierrez (El
Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera), Brett Haaland (The Penguins of
Madagascar), Jeff DeGrandis (Dora the Explorer), Dan Schier (Go Diego, Go!),
Alan Smart (SpongeBob SquarePants), Craig McCracken (Foster's Home for
Imaginary Friends), Don Cheadle (Crash), Ed Harris (The Truman Show), Paul
Reubens (Pee-wee's Playhouse), and Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation), among
others.
About CalArts School of Film/Video:
The School of Film/Video is unique in that it promotes the production of
all major types of film and video work: dramatic, narrative, documentary,
experimental live-action, character-based animation, experimental animation,
multimedia, live performance and installation.
CalArts is recognized internationally as a leading laboratory for the
visual, performing, media and literary arts. Housing six schools--Art,
Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater--CalArts educates
professional artists in an intensive learning environment founded on art
making excellence, creative experimentation, cross-pollination among diverse
artistic disciplines, and a broad context of social and cultural
understanding. CalArts also operates the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater
(REDCAT) in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex in downtown Los Angeles.
About Nickelodeon Animation Studios:
Nickelodeon Animation Studios opened in March 1998 in Burbank, Calif., and
marked the establishment of Nickelodeon's first production facility on the
West Coast. As the first television animation studio to open in Los Angeles
in 35 years, the studio is a landmark for both Nickelodeon and Hollywood. The
120,000 square foot facility is jam-packed with artists who have at their
fingertips the latest in state-of-the-art equipment and technology. In July
of 2007, the studio added a new CG department which continues to push the
boundaries of television animation with innovative rigging and lighting
techniques that are raising the bar for CG television animation industry-wide.
Currently, there are eleven animated series in production at the Nickelodeon
Animation Studios, including contemporary classics such as SpongeBob
SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents, Back At The Barnyard, The Mighty B!
starring Amy Poehler and Nick's most recent hit The Penguins of Madagascar in
partnership with DreamWorks Animation SKG, as well as upcoming Nicktoon
series, Fanboy and Chum Chum.
Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand
for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and production
in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online,
recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television
network is seen in more than 98 million households and has been the
number-one-rated basic cable network for 14 consecutive years. For more
information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all
related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA,
VIA.B).
SOURCE Nickelodeon
CONTACT:
Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613
nicole.parker@nick.com
or
Maria Poulos, +1-212-846-6283
maria.poulos@mtvnmix.com
/Web Site: http://www.nickpress.com