ATLANTA—Georgia State University’s Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence has been awarded an $11,000 grant from Crafty Apes VFX, a California-based visual effects company, to support its Careers In New and Emerging and Media Areas (CINEMA) Project.
The CINEMA Project, a workforce development program the Crim Center designed and began implementing in 2017, prepares 18- to 24-year-olds who are not in school and not employed for careers in the film, media and entertainment industry in Atlanta.
Funding from Crafty Apes VFX will support CINEMA’s 22-week program that offers classes in game design, interactive media, animation, virtual reality, global learning and life skills, intro to film production, a production boot camp and more.
“The CINEMA Project has a profound impact on the lives of young people interested in working in the film and media industry, and it has relied heavily on the contributions of key partners like Crafty Apes,” said Brian Williams, Crim Center director. “We count on them for everything from strategic advising to opportunities for internships to instructional support. CINEMA is successful because of partners like Crafty Apes.”
Crafty Apes VFX was founded by three visual effects veterans with more than 20 years of combined experience and was formed primarily to offer high-end compositing services to feature films and commercial clients. Recent projects include HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” Hulu’s “Palm Springs” and Apple TV+’s “The Banker.”
“We’re working with the CINEMA Project to provide a direct line of training and to give students useful skills if they really want to become visual artists,” said Chris LeDoux, co-founder of Crafty Apes VFX. “People learn by doing, and what’s really meaningful for us is the internships we’re going to provide and the access that we’ll give students to the visual arts.”
Established in 1996 by Dr. Lisa Delpit, the Crim Center provides a city-wide laboratory for the development of excellence in urban education. Since its inception, the center serves the southeastern U.S. as an interdisciplinary outreach, research and educational support and development hub aimed at continuing the legacy of Dr. Alonzo A. Crim. To learn more about the center’s CINEMA Project, initially supported by JPMorgan Chase, visit https://crim.education.gsu.edu.