Digital Media Institute at InterTech now nationally accredited and participating in federal student aid programs

The Digital Media Institute at InterTech (DMII), a one-year, accelerated digital media education program located in Shreveport, has been accredited by the Commission of the Council on Occupational Education(COE).* This accreditation puts DMII on the national stage as a high-quality school that exceeds quality standards and has accountability for operations and student outcomes.

DMII has been further authorized by the U.S. Department of Education to participate in federal financial aid programs such as the Pell grant program and federally backed student loans.

DMII Executive Director John Miralles said the school, which has been open three and a half years, expects to see growth of the programs following accreditation.

DMII offers two intensive model certificate programs, Interactive Software Development, and the other, Animation, Visual Effects, and Interactive Content, that are open to students who wish to pursue education and employment in the digital media sector.

“DMII is the only North Louisiana institute of its kind or digital media education program, including local two- and four-year universities, that is nationally accredited specifically to deliver training that can lead to employment in these exponentially growing technology driven industries. Accreditation by the COE means DMII exceeds tracked program completion and student placement requirements,” Miralles said.

DMII’s overall completion rate is 75 percent, and its placement rate is 80 percent. Miralles said this means DMII students are more likely to complete their programs and find placement in their desired occupational fields.

“Most people are surprised to learn that digital media has such broad applications, from entertainment to architecture to cyber security and advertising/marketing. DMII graduates are taking advantage of diverse project hire, and paid internship opportunities at companies across the Ark-La-Tex and beyond,” Miralles said.

DMII graduates have found internships and job placement in a variety of industry sectors locally, including Moonbot Studios, Swaybox Studios, Somdal Associates, Shreveport Aquarium and Ingels Info Security.

“To become accredited is momentous step and a great milestone for the Digital Media Institute at InterTech. A fully accredited institution, DMII is offering the best in digital media education, and they’re offering it here in Shreveport and Caddo Parish. This initiative is an important piece in the puzzle for building our region’s future. We must have a knowledgeable regional workforce to move forward and diversify our economy,” said John F. George Jr., M.D., CEO and President of BRF.

DMII announced in late 2016 that it is accepting the GI Bill, which is extended to veterans and eligible family members. The GI Bill can cover a portion or in some cases, the majority, of tuition to the school.

DMII also will be eligible as an accredited institution to accept the TOPS Tech award for qualified students.

The institute’s Animation, Visual Effects and Interactive Content program begins Aug. 28, and the Interactive Software Development program begins Jan. 22.

To learn more about DMII and applying for its programs, dmi.edu, or call 318.213.0788.

* Council on Occupational Education, 7840 Roswell Road, Building 300, Suite 325, Atlanta, GA 30350, Telephone: 770-396-3898 / FAX: 770-396-3790, council.org.

Max Honig, a DMII graduate, is making waves using the skills he learned in the Animation, Visual Effects, and Interactive Content Program.  Shortly after he graduated in 2015, KTBS 3 News hired Max as an Animation and Graphic Design Specialist to work on motion graphics.
Max says that his education at DMII opened the door to a professional career and prepared him for the challenges ahead.
“It broke the barrier between me (someone who doubts their abilities constantly) and the hugely scary world of design and animation,” says Max. “It made that world accessible to me.”
Max, who develops the graphics and animations for newscasts, community projects, yearly events, and web, says that his work on a commercial for a Natchitoches based Pharmaceutical company was daunting at first, but the experience was invaluable.
“The freedom I was given to design and animate the script was scary. I was responsible for bringing someone’s idea to life… oi! It all worked out though, everybody thought it was great and I learned a ton,” says Max.
He went on to say that every project he’s worked on has taught him something that has ultimately made him a better artist and that he would recommend DMII to others.
“It’s a great way to get an enormous amount of information and skill into your brain and hands in a short amount of time.”

Digital Media Institute at InterTech alumni complete internships at Emmy Award winning Moonbot Studios

Two Digital Media Institute at InterTech (DMII) graduates recently completed internships at Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, and more are planned between the institute and the animation, gaming and storytelling studio for the future.
Anna Buller and Aaron Culpepper both graduated from DMII’s one-year, accelerated Animation, Visual Effects and Interactive Content program, in which they learned to create advanced digital media content, earning skills such as 3D modeling, texturing, animation, motion capture, film technology, digital compositing and editing.
Buller’s time with Moonbot was spent applying her certification in a real-world setting, receiving mentorship in the areas of 3D modeling and lighting from the studio’s technical directors while creating a new project for her portfolio.  “For my project, my goal was to create a scene reminiscent of the work produced at Moonbot: something that would recall childhood elation,” Buller said. “My inspiration came from a photograph of my father, when he was two, sitting on an antique rocking horse, wearing only a cowboy hat and diaper.”  Buller plans to continue freelancing and growing her skills. She hopes to ultimately find full-time employment in the industry.
 
Culpepper’s area of passion and expertise is in rigging, the process of adding a skeletal-like structure to characters, a map that allows animators to make the characters’ movements and actions truer to life.
During Culpepper’s internship at Moonbot he was assigned a character to be rigged, a feature that would be built into his own portfolio.  “The people at Moonbot showed me some tricks along the way. There are a million different ways to achieve the right result. It’s highly technical and it was great to have them there to answer my questions,” Culpepper said.  Once Culpepper completes his portfolio work, he’ll begin to apply in the local job market.  “I was able to learn a lot about this industry at DMII, giving me perspective in different areas. Even if you go into a niche like rigging, you know a little bit about what other people in the industry do. My interest in animation brought me to DMII,” Culpepper said. “I’ve never been a fan of the traditional liberal arts school system. This approach was more focused.”
 
 
Digital Media Institute at InterTech launched two years ago as a self-contained program licensed by the Louisiana Board of Regents offering a highly specialized, accelerated course in digital media such as animation, motion capture and film technology. This year DMII started the game development program, offering cutting edge training and development experience.
DMII graduates could go on to work for AAA game studios, regionally or independent game developers and interactive studios.
“We expect to see great things out of Anna and Aaron, and their time at Moonbot Studios will be invaluable in their future careers. Equipping students like them to be able to excel and innovate in creative, collaborative environments is what we do at DMII,” said John Miralles, DMII Executive Director. “We’re also equipping the next generation of entrepreneurs in this industry.”

DMII recently partnered with the team at SkyRunner to create a unique virtual reality experience-one that puts you in the drivers seat of the flying car! Check out the video below for more details!