Foundry has announced its collaboration with ACCESS:VFX.
ACCESS:VFX founder and chair Simon Devereux said: “The UK’s VFX industry is estimated to be worth more than £1 billion a year to the UK economy1, yet is currently 85% white and only 27% female.2 We need and want more diverse talent to join our sector.”
He added: “Our practical e-mentoring program is at the heart of our mission. We connect aspiring creative and VFX talent to leaders at VFX, animation and games studios – including Framestore, Union, Outpost and Fix FX, amongst others – through a private Slack channel. With so many exciting events planned for 2019, having a world-leading VFX brand like Foundry add its weight and support to our diversity campaign to mentor the next generation of talent is a win-win for our industry.”
The e-mentoring program will be managed by third-party provider, Prospela, providing on-demand access to mentors for career discovery, inspiration and planning.
Jody Madden, CEO at Foundry, said: “We are huge believers in making the visual effects industry as accessible as possible. The next generation of creative talent is our industry’s lifeblood. We are delighted to support this cross-company initiative to provide diversity and inclusivity. It complements our Education Collective initiative, a programme we created to give students free and discounted access to Foundry’s suite of professional software.”