Bento Box, a California-based animation company, is opening a studio in Atlanta and planning to employ 200 people within three years. Like a growing number of media arts, gaming and film companies, Bento Box was attracted to Atlanta’s vibrant creative industry economy.
“Bento could have gone anywhere in the world, but Atlanta is becoming a hub for the media arts,” said Rob Albertson, academic department director for media arts at the Art Institute of Atlanta. “We used to be a stepping stone to jobs in New York or Los Angeles, but we’re seeing a lot of companies and jobs move here now. For our industry, this is an exciting time to be in Atlanta.”
Bento Box was attracted by the state’s 30 percent tax break for film and TV companies that spend more than $500,000 on a project, as well as by the talent pool in Georgia.
“This industry is always attracted to talent and they’ll find trained people here,” Albertson said.
The Art Institute of Atlanta offers many Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree programs in the field, including media arts and animation, game art and design, and graphic and web design.
Media arts graduates work in the world of music, movies, video games, websites, mobile applications, simulation and more.
“Many of these industries need similar skill sets like programming, coding, designing or lighting, so someone who learns these skills is highly marketable,” Albertson said.
Graduates of the media arts and animation program find jobs working in television, film, gaming, advertising, architecture, forensics and education. The median salary for multimedia artists and animators is $60,830, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It’s $44,600 for graphic designers and $77,990 for Web designers.
“The advantage of earning a bachelor’s degree [compared to a diploma or associate degree] in the media arts is that you gain the lifelong skills of a liberal arts education, in addition to the technical and artistic training for your career,” Albertson said. “You can take your degree anywhere, even law school if you decide you’d like to go into entertainment law and represent animation companies.”
Informed by an advisory committee of industry leaders, Art Institute of Atlanta media programs teach the latest software and hardware skills demanded by the market. The school also emphasizes the soft skills necessary to get and keep a job, such as teamwork, dependability and communication.
“Additionally, we teach the concepts and arts foundation needed for our students to become lifelong learners, because none of us know where these industries will be heading in five years,” Albertson said.
The fundamentals of drawing, coloration, design and art history are part of the curriculum. So are mandatory internships, which help students hone their skills in the real world.
Tuition for a BFA degree is $87,480. Students can apply for the HOPE scholarship and federal financial aid.
For information, go to www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta or call 877-871-1957 or 770-394-8300.
About the Author
