"Mom, Dad, I want to make movies.  I want to be the next Tyler Perry and create a media empire!"

Insert the dramatic and comical sound effect of a gulp. 

Twenty years ago, it was considered good parenting to steer a young person away from the pitfalls associated with a career in showbiz.  The cards were economically stacked against success but today, not so much, and the money picture looks bright!

The city keeps nurturing the best young filmmakers which is encouraging since the distribution platforms are expanding and therefore opportunities are growing aplenty. 

The 41st Annual Student Academy Awards has chosen several from our city for the distinguished honor including 

SVA alumnus Daniel Sierra (MFA 2013 Computer Art). 

The inherent perks don't need much elaboration but getting to travel to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony (June 7th) is the start, theoretically, to a career that had tremendous financial benefits.

The medal placements—gold, silver and bronze—in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony. 

His film, which took the gold for digital animation at the Taiwan International Student Design Competition in January, was selected as a winner in the Alternative category for the Student Academy Awards.

SVA (school of visual arts) had five other alumni semi-finalists, announced: Eric Cunha and Seung Sung’s (both BFA 2013 Computer Art, Computer Animation and Visual Effects) Marcel was selected as a semifinalist in the Animation category; Steinar Bergoy Nedrebo’s (MFA 2013 Computer Art) "Staircases" was chosen in the Alternative category; and the documentary category saw Jie Yi’s (MFA 2013 Computer Art) "Light Mind" and Lindsay Lindenbaum’s (MFA 2012 Social Documentary) "Scattered."

“I’m quite amazed with the diverse kinds of responses I have received because of Oscillate,” says Sierra. “It has been a very unique experience for me to see something I made evoke such reactions.”

Reflecting on how SVA prepared him for this success, Sierra notes, “My time in MFA Computer Art was time well spent because I was surrounded by a good mix of 3D artists, installation artists, game designers, filmmakers, motion designers, musicians, creative coders and more. I tried to absorb as much as possible, and it really helped give me more insight into digital art from many different perspectives, which I value greatly.”