'It's a snowball effect': How Winnipeg animation students could make the city an animation hub

Getting paid to create artwork – or working in the arts at all – seemed pretty far-fetched to Kimberley Chau when she first started at Sisler High school.

Like many parents do, Chau`s pushed for her to focus on science and math, subjects known to provide employment opportunity. Chau was on that path until she started taking classes as part of the Sisler CREATE program and quickly discovered her love for animation.

An added bonus: Chau learned the animation industry has plenty of employment opportunities, too.

“I didn't know anything about it but I knew that there were jobs and there was an option for me to do art and also make money from it,” said Chau, who is currently a student in Sisler CREATE`s post-high program for young adults interested in entering creative industries like animation.

Chau, along with several other post-high classmates, is now working as an intern at Nelvana, a major Canadian animation company. It's an opportunity Chau credits to the CREATE programs focus on collaborating with industry partners.

“We… had a bunch of these opportunities and mentorships and I saw the light to entering the industry,” said Chau.

Sisler CREATE post-high student Kimberly Chau is already working on projects for major animation studios.

Xierra Cansino, another post-high program student interning at Nelvana, also had misconceptions about finding steady work in the animation industry.

That was before meeting industry professionals who told Cansino about the array of opportunities awaiting animators in Canada and abroad.

“I knew animation could be a job,” said Cansino, “But I didn't think I could actually do it through school.”

Sisler CREATE students have had the chance to be mentored by professional animators at Nickelodeon, Toon Boom Animation, Nelvana and more.

Getting to meet and connect with folks directly involved in the animation industry is a major boon to current Sisler CREATE students, says Kara Vallega, who graduated from the program in 2017 and is now working as an animation compositor in Vancouver.

“Sisler is so much more different now compared to when I was there before,” Vallega said, “They have tons of partnerships and they talk to studios all the time.”

“What they're doing is so insane and crazy.”

“Vallega, who has worked on projects like Detective Pikachu and Maleficent, says networking is an important part of staying employed in the animation industry and credits her teacher at Sisler CREATE, Jamie Leduc, for making that a focus during her time in the program.

“He was really able to help me get into that mindset so I could network with other people in the industry to get those kinds of jobs.”

A new industry collaborator with the Sisler CREATE program is Reel FX, a major animation studio with offices across North America.

When last year's Sisler CREATE students were graduating and showcasing their final projects, a few Reel FX employees were in attendance, planting the seed for a future partnership.

“It was mind blowing,” said Linda Aleksanyan, director of talent development at Reel FX, “For us, it felt like the quality of the work and their passion was comparable to university students.”

3D CGI artists from Reel FX are currently providing master classes in animation to Sisler CREATE students, with a mentorship program slated to start in January. One of the goals of the collaboration is to teach students exactly how the industry pipeline operates.

“So that way they're going to get a real feel for what it's like to receive feedback from the director, or animation supervisor on a project,” said Aleksanyan

Animation is an ever-evolving industry, adds Emmanuel Laurent, vice president at Reel FX, meaning the skill-sets needed to work in the field are always changing, too.

“What we're doing now will be slightly different in six months and vastly different in five years,” Laurent said, “What's important that the people we are teaching and mentoring want to keep learning.”

Passion for animation is something Laurent sees in Winnipeg animation students, both at Sisler CREATE and Red River College's animation programs.

He adds, that, growing a domestic talent pool is the start to a `snowball effect` that could lead to Winnipeg becoming a well-known animation hub.

“As soon as you have this cycle starting – talent training, attracting talent from outside and studios installing themselves in the location in Winnipeg – it's going to grow, that's the only way it can go,” he said.

That's certainly something Chau and Cansino would like to see happen.

Both are heading to the Vancouver Film School – on full scholarship – next year, but would like to be able to come back to their home city, if possible.

“I’m hoping that Winnipeg will pop up with new studios, said Cansino, “So that way we don't have to move, or spend extra money on moving if we don’t have to.”