Jacinta Horin and Rubeena King are the inaugural recipients of the Animal Logic Scholarship, each receiving $18,000 to support them through their Masters of Animation and Visualisation at the UTS Animal Logic Academy.
Established in 2017, the academy is a custom built digital production studio and teaching facility at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).
Mentored by industry experts, students work within a full time studio environment on professional level projects, using a combination of 3D animation and visual effects processes as well asemerging visualisation technologies such as realtime animation.
The scholarship is designed to offer support to talented individuals from under-represented groups or those experiencing financial hardship.
“Now more than ever, we need to provide opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds to build successful careers and share their stories,” said Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian.
“This scholarship aims to increase the prevalence of skilled crew from under-represented groups or those experiencing financial hardship, and we are so excited to see what Jacinta and Rubeena create this year.”
Horin holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts (3D Animation) from JMC Academy and has worked as a technical specialist at Apple and as a digital artist for Neopets.
“I have such a big love for each area of the animation pipeline and this year I’ll be focusing on my skills as production coordinator, so I’ll get to interact with all of them,” she said.
“It’s the perfect fit for my love of animation and the management behind it and I’m really looking forward to working with and learning from such a spectacular group of creatives.”
King is a UTS alumna and compositor committed to working in film and immersive media and was previously the philanthropy and partnerships coordinator at Sydney Film Festival.
“I am honoured and elated to be a recipient of the Animal Logic Scholarship. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity to expand my knowledge of visual storytelling and focus on honing my creative and technical skills in compositing,” said King.
“It is a humbling experience to be supported in the pursuit of a creative passion and I am grateful to Animal Logic for their incredible benevolence, and for continuing to highlight the importance of inclusivity in this industry.”
Head of the UTS Animal Logic Academy Ian Thomson said the entire cohort of students would benefit from Horin and King’s life experience and passion.
“This year will be an exciting journey as the students develop new story ideas from unexpected perspectives and a diverse range of voices, and continue to refine their skills in specialised roles to launch their careers into the industry.”