SPI awards $50,000 in scholarships to 4 students

Sony Pictures Imageworks president Tim Sarnoff announced Tuesday the studio's second annual scholarship winners, presented this year to four students currently enrolled at academic institutions affiliated with IPAX, Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation's Professional Academic Excellence program.

The IPAX scholarship top prize winner is Luis Rodrigo Huerta of Texas A&M. Through the IPAX scholarship fund, he will receive tuition money towards his master's degree at Texas A&M in visualization and the online character animation courses he is taking through Animation Mentor.

"This is an exciting and unexpected turn of events for us to see a student's work benefit from attending two IPAX schools concurrently. It is the best of both worlds and a true vision of collaboration in education to produce outstanding talent," said Sande Scoredos, executive director of training and artist development at Imageworks, and the head of the IPAX program at the facility. "Tim McLaughlin, chair of the Texas A&M Visualization Lab, and Bobby Beck, founder of Animation Mentor, are both to be commended for their excellent contribution, and are extremely proud of Luis Rodrigo and this IPAX award."

The other scholarship recipients are Jorge Garcia, a talented character animator from Ringling College of Art and Design; Rogelio Olguin from The School of Visual Arts, who submitted outstanding examples of painting and lighting; and Christian Haniszewski, also from the School of Visual Arts, who demonstrated a keen aptitude for character modeling and rigging.

Each scholarship winner is currently enrolled full-time at their IPAX member school and is pursuing the goal of a professional career in animation, visual effects, or technology. Scholarships are solely merit based. The selection committee, consisting of Imageworks visual effects and animation supervisors, producers, executives and recruiters, carefully reviewed each essay, reel and portfolio, looking for the very best use of digital technology and a passion and understanding of visual effects and animation. A record number of applicants submitted this year, and the four recipients represent exceptional work of the highest standards.

"The competition this year was amazing. The work submitted was truly outstanding, and the winners represent the best of the best -- these are students who we want to track and keep in touch with before, during and after graduation," said Barry Weiss, SPI's senior vice-president for animation production and artist development.

"Our intent is to see these talented students enter the exciting world of animation and visual effects, and we hope these artists will want to work at Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation. We are very excited to see Jim McCampbell at Ringling and Bobby S. Beck at Animation Mentor continue with their great animation programs, and it is especially rewarding to see two of our newest IPAX members receive awards: School of Visual Arts and Texas A & M," Weiss added.

The IPAX program was created in 2005 under the leadership of Scoredos, with the intent to educate faculty and structure curricula at leading academic institutions in an effort to develop future talent who will contribute to the overall growth of the visual effects and animation industry.

IPAX is a professional development program designed to share, extend and expand the Imageworks and Sony Pictures Animation knowledge base. In addition to providing IPAX member schools the opportunity to attend in-house training programs and experience a working production environment, giving instructors valuable knowledge and skills to return to the classroom with, the program also provides a collaborative global knowledge exchange between IPAX member schools and faculty, their students and Imageworks.

The IPAX Scholarship Program encourages the best of each member school to continue his or her pursuit of a quality education and to enter the visual effects and animation industry.

For more information on IPAX and the IPAX Scholarship Program, visit www.imageworks.com.