“To have the opportunity to talk to Nickelodeon artist and staff was amazing,” said junior Mary Vardanyan about her recent visit to Glendale Community College where she heard a panel of speakers from Nickelodeon. “I really learned more about show production through them.”

Animation teacher John Over was able to take 12 students, including Vardanyan, to a Nickelodeon panel at Glendale Community College Dec. 7. As a part of a collaboration between GCC and Nickelodeon to promote their animation and mentorship program respectively, students got advice from professionals about entering the animation industry while in college.

The panel hosted three staff members from the Nickelodeon show, The Loud House. They provided information about Nickelodeon’s internship program, advertising both their company as well as GCC’s animation department. One guest speaker shared her experience of working up the pipeline from an intern, to a storyboard artist, and finally to a color background artist. “Hearing how she she turned from an intern to a full-time employee of the studio was inspiring,” said senior Jonna Price.

Along with the Nickelodeon panel, students watched a GCC staff member from the animation department sculpt a fantasy creature in ZBrush, a 3D modeling software. ZBrush is a new software program growing more prominent in the animation industry. It’s predicted to be a vital tool in the future of animation, a tool accessible to only Clark Magnet within the Glendale Unified School District. “Watching a professional work on ZBrush was interesting,” said junior Jarred Lima. “They used techniques I never would have thought about. There’s still a lot I’ve got to learn, but the demonstration definitely helped.