The largest educational institution of its kind in Canada, Vancouver Animation School (VANAS), has just opened its first office in the U.S. To celebrate the new branch, VANAS will promote a free animation workshop aimed at the American audience.
The online event will take place on Saturday, April 2 at 10:30 a.m.Pacific Time, live on the Zoom platform. The event’s content will present the VANAS methodology and courses for professionals and interested parties to understand the Animation, Visual Effects, and Video Games industries. Sign up here.
“This is a proud moment for us at VANAS to offer fellow Americans an option in post-secondary education. We are now bringing all of the expertise of our amazing team of professional artists to the U.S.A.,” said former Disney animator Calvin Leduc, head of the faculty. “The VANAS main goal is to inspire and serve as an essential tool to enter the world of digital arts.”
The webinar will introduce the Vancouver Animation School and its educational system. Leduc, who has worked on animated features such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Mulan (1998), will present animation concepts. Another prominent lecturer is illustrator Todd Marshall (Jurassic Park), who will teach conceptual art. VANAS founder & CEO Mario Pochat, who worked as an animator on Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006) and in the game Dead Rising 3 (2013), will also participate in the session.
Founded in 2010, the Vancouver Animation School is a fully accredited online school that offers advanced programs for the animation, visual effects, and video game industries. In addition, the school provides full accredited certificates, diplomas, and university pathways in a variety of art and technology, media and design fields.
In 2013, VANAS became the first 100% online institution to be fully accredited by the Private Training Institutions Branch (PTIB), a regulatory body in British Columbia, Canada. The British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (BCEQA) and EduCanada.
In 2021, VANAS received state licensure from the Workforce Training Board (WTB) in Washington state.
Additionally, VANAS produces Vantastic Views, a weekly YouTube show with the latest news, trends, and advancements in animation, VFX and videogames.
