Animation Mentor

infobox University
name= Animation Mentor
president= Bobby Beck
founders= Bobby Beck, Shawn Kelly, and Carlos Baena
established= 2005
type= Private, for-profit university
students= 800
faculty= 71
city= Emeryville, California
state= California
country= USA
website= [http://www.animationmentor.com www.animationmentor.com]

Animation Mentor is a private, for-profit university online animation school that teaches students character animation skills. Headquartered in Emeryville, California, the school offers an 18-month program in which students are taught by “mentors,” experienced animators who are professionals working in the animation industry. Animation Mentor is a distance learning school at which animation professionals teach character animation to students in over 50 countries.cite news
url= http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/animation_mentor/
publisher=Movie Maker
title=Animation Mentor
date=February 5, 2007]

History

The school was founded in 2005 by three working animators: Bobby Beck, who is the CEO and president of the school, Shawn Kelly, who is a working animator at Industrial Light & Magic, and Carlos Baena, who is a working animator at Pixar Animation Studios. The school opened on March 27, 2005 with 350 students and 5 employees.

Academics

Animation Mentor is an online learning institution and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The tuition for the 18-month program is $16,350. The school is certified by the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education.

The program includes live Q&A sessions with mentors from the animation industry, and mentors provide audio-visual critiques of weekly assignments.The school hosts student events, including BBQ's, open houses and a graduation twice a year where students attend from multiple countries. cite news
url= http://events.awn.com/eventdisplay.php3?event_no=6455
publisher=AWN
title=Animation Mentor Graduation Ceremony] Graduates of the program receive a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Character Animation and create a demo reel. The school is also part of Sony Pictures Imageworks Professional Academic Excellence (IPAX) program. cite news
url= http://www.imageworks.com/ipax/schools.php
publisher=Sony Pictures
title=IPAX Schools] [ [http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/8635] ]

The school’s program also includes career placement support to graduates and works with recruiters at major studios. Animation Mentor also has an alumni website that hosts career services, events and specially tailored learning experiences while allowing graduates to continue their participation in the Animation Mentor community. cite news
url= http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/5925
publisher=Animation Magazine
title=Animation Mentor Opens Alumni Campus] The school also features a “student showcase” twice a year, a web reel that includes creative work animated by students representing all levels of training. cite news
url= http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/6598
publisher=Animation Magazine
title=Animation Mentor Showcases Student Work]

Awards

The school has won several awards, including the 2006 Best Practices in Programming Award Gold Level, 21st Century Distance Learning Award from the U.S. Distance Learning Association, and was an honoree at the 10th Annual Webby Awards. cite news
url= http://news.awn.com/index.php?ltype=top&newsitem_no=18263
publisher=AWN
title=Animation Mentor Garners Leading Distance Learning Awards] In 2008, Sony Picture Imageworks awarded its top scholarship to Luis Rodrigo Huerta to earn a Master’s Degree at Texas A&M and participate in online animation courses at Animation Mentor. cite news
url= http://www.businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=9229
publisher=Business of Cinema
title=Sony Picture Imageworks Awards $50,000 in Scholarships]

Notable Animation Mentor Alumni and Productions

Students who have graduated from Animation Mentor have worked on box office features, including Horton Hears a Who!, Pirates of the Caribbean, Bee Movie, , and Transformers (film).

elected Mentor Credits

Victor Navone – Animator at Pixar Animation Studios
* WALL–E (2008)
* What’s Going up There (2007)
* The Incredibles (2004) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1015333/]

Jason Schleifer –Animator at PDI/Dreamworks
* Shrek the Third (2007)
* Over the Hedge (film) (2006)
* (2003)
* (2002)
* (2001) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0772192/]

Bret Parker – Animator at Pixar Animation Studios
*Ratatouille (2007)
*Finding Nemo (2003)
*Mike's New Car (2002)
*The Incredibles (2004) (voice) .... Kari (Babysitter) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0662088/]

Dave Burgess – Animation supervisor at PDI/Dreamworks
*Bee Movie (2007)
*Over the Hedge (2006) (supervising animator)
*Madagascar (2005) (animator) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0121272/]

Cassidy Curtis – Senior Animator at PDI/Dreamworks
*Shrek the Third (2007)
*Over the Hedge (2006) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0996697/]

Ethan Hurd – Animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios
*Surf's Up (2007) (animator)
*Open Season (2006) (animator)
*Madagascar (2005) (animator) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0403322/]

Founders credits

Bobby Beck
*Cars (2006) (animator)
*The Incredibles (2004) (animator)
*Boundin' (2003) (animator)
*Finding Nemo (2003) (animator)
*Monsters, Inc. (2001)
*Dinosaur (film) (2000)
*Toy Story 2 (1999) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065086/]

Shawn Kelly
*Transformers (2007) (lead animator)
*Eragon (2006) (character animator)
*War of the Worlds (2005) (animator)
* (2005) (animator) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0446870/]

Carlos Baena
*Ratatouille (2007) (animator)
*Boundin' (2003) (animator)
*Finding Nemo (2003) (animator)
*Cars (2006) (animator)
*The Incredibles (2004) (animator)
*Men in Black II (2002) (animator: air chase and post office sequences, ILM)
* (2002) (animator: ILM) [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1162887/]

References

Further reading

* [http://www.blendernation.com/2007/08/24/interview-with-bobby-beck-pixar-finding-nemo-shawn-kelly-ilm-transformers-and-carlos-baena-pixar-ratatoullie/ Interview with Co-founders]
* [http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=2220&page=1 CG Society Interviews Co-founders]
* [http://www.blendernation.com/2008/09/08/interview-shawn-kelly-and-carlos-baena-of-animationmentor/ Interview with Shawn Kelly and Carlos Baena]

External links

* [http://www.animationmentor.com Animation Mentor website]