NYFA Alumni & Students Volunteer at the AfroAnimation Summit for a Second Year in a Row

NYFA (New York Film Academy) alumni & students volunteered and attended the AfroAnimation Summit (4.0) for the second year in a row. The summit took place in Burbank, CA from April 10th to April 12th, 2024. 

The invitation for this volunteering opportunity first came from another NYFA alum, Rosa Falu, who serves as Head of Awards for the summit’s Award Ceremony of Animated Short Films. 

Rosa also coordinated all the volunteers at last year’s summit, and being satisfied with their work she reached out to us with this opportunity once again. 

At last year's summit, NYFA was also represented by the Chair of the VFX & 3D Animation Department, Craig Caton-Largent, who was one of the judges for the award ceremony. 

This is just one of the many examples of the unity and spirit of our wonderful NYFA community.

NYFA Volunteers with Instructor Craig Caton-Largent at the AfroAnimation Summit 3.0 (2023)

The summit held a 3-day in-person and virtual series of speaker panels, workshops, film screenings, awards, and networking opportunities dedicated to empowering creatives and increasing diverse and female representation in the animation industry. 

Some of the animation studios included: DreamWorks, Sony Animation, Wildbrain, Titmouse,  and Disney, along with notable speakers such as Kem Powers, Director of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Camille Eden, Vice President, Nickelodeon Recruiting & Talent Development, Shawn Martinbrough, Writer/Artist, DC Comics, Marvel and many more.

Besides volunteering, NYFA alumni had the opportunity to partially attend some of the summit days, be a part of the live in-person panels and workshops, and gain valuable insight into the animation industry and its players.