The new programs will promote literacy and writing skills through creative activity. Starting this summer, Page 15 and CREATE will design and implement new curricula for “Writing + Animation” and “Writing + Podcast.”

About the New Programs

In the animation program, students will use creativity and technology to bring stories to life. In two-week workshops within Page 15’s after-school, in-school and publishing programs, students will begin by editing, revising and completing a short story, poem or piece of nonfiction writing. Working alongside CREATE instructors, students then learn to storyboard, film a stop-motion animation, edit and add background sound/music/narrative to a short stop-motion animated film inspired by their writing.

In the podcast program, students will explore the popular publishing format of podcasting by drafting, writing, and recording a three-part “digital story.” Support for the content will be provided by trained Page 15 staff and local podcasters, and production design, recording and musical compositions will be supported by the CREATE team.

Stella Sung, director of CREATE, says these programs will encourage creativity and wellbeing in children, while also providing an innovative environment for learning outside the classroom.

“One of our primary goals is to ensure that school-aged children become comfortable in a university environment,” she says. “It’s doubly rewarding to see them develop a keenness for UCF and hear them talking about one day becoming a Knight. These students are UCF’s — and Central Florida’s — future.”

About the Grant

The other organizations that were “granted by Disney” this year include Central Florida Commission on Homelessness, Heart of Florida United Way, Zebra Coalition and Homeless Services Network of Central Florida; Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida; Orange County Library System, Hero Spark, Inc. and ArtReach Orlando; and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida. Walt Disney World surprised each of the five grantees with a Toy Story-themed celebration and ceremony.

For decades, Walt Disney World Resort has remained committed to Central Florida, investing in the community in ways that directly improve the lives of children and families. This infuses the same unique magic seen of the Disney theme parks and resorts into the day-to-day lives of Central Floridians who need it the most, helping to strengthen children and families and bring positive, lasting change to the community. In 2018, Disney plans to invest more than $34 million in local organizations, and more than 200,000 volunteer hours through the efforts of Disney VoluntEARS.

About UCF CREATE and Page 15

UCF CREATE is a unique center within the UCF wherein internal and external programs apply interdisciplinary curriculum through S.T.E.A.M., arts integration, technology and entertainment to K-12 learners. Under the direction of Sung and located at the UCF Center for Emerging Media, part of the future UCF Downtown campus, the affiliated faculty and students of CREATE explore a wide range of educational, research and creative topics.

Page 15 is a program of the Urban Think Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to enriching Central Florida’s cultural landscape by developing and growing educational and creative literary arts programs.

To watch a Disney-themed celebration for the grants, click .

UCF’s animation programs were ranked No. 4 among the Top 40 Public Animation Schools and Colleges in the nation by the Animation Career Review.

The films produced by this year’s senior character animation students are more than art for art’s sake. Both “Ukelayla” and “Night Light” are decidedly message-driven. And after two years spent creating the films, students in UCF’s character animation program are working to ensure their films reach new audiences beyond premiere night on Monday, April 23, at the Center for Emerging Media in downtown Orlando. The showings are free and open to the public.

Meet Layla of “Ukelayla”

“Ukelayla” tells the story of Layla, a young girl living with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), a motor speech disorder that makes it difficult for children to send oral messages from their brain to their mouth. Children with CAS will often know what they want to say but are unable to verbally communicate it.

“It was really important that Layla portray herself the way that somebody with [childhood apraxia of speech] would,” Thomas says.

Layla’s frustration with the inability to express herself leaves her isolated, but she eventually learns to express herself through the power of music and friendship. The film’s title is a mash-up of the main character’s name and the ukulele, the instrument Layla uses as a medium to communicate.

“I wanted to bring light to this situation that many kids go through and give them representation in media where there really hasn’t been any,” says senior Character Animation major Haleigh Mooney, who pitched the story for “Ukelayla” and acts as student director on the film.

To make sure they got the details right, the “Ukelayla” team partnered with the nonprofit organization Childhood Apraxia of Speech Association of North America to ensure that CAS was depicted authentically.

For the film’s production manager Tabitha Thomas, “Ukelayla” was especially personal. The senior’s younger brother has CAS, which provided her with insight into the disorder.

“It really spoke to me,” she says. “I would call my mom, and she would tell me stories about my brother when he was younger and how he would act at that age,” Thomas says. “We did a lot of research. It was really important that Layla portray herself the way that somebody with CAS would.”

Meet Fin of “Night Light”

The film “Night Light” follows a baby sea turtle named Fin on his journey from nesting beach to the ocean.

The film touches on the threat of light pollution to hatchlings, who are drawn to the brightest nearby light.

The film touches on the threat of light pollution to hatchlings, who are drawn to the brightest nearby light. Artificial light from sources like street lamps can distract baby sea turtles away from the reflection of natural moonlight off the ocean’s surface, exposing them to moving vehicles and other threats. On his journey, Fin is joined by Abueluna, a maternal spirit, and Lumin, a friendly light bulb. Abueluna supplies wisdom and guidance by following the moon as a natural light source, while Lumin represents humankind’s curiosity and ignorance about nature.

The “Night Light” team consulted with sea turtle expert and UCF associate professor of biology Kate Mansfield, as well as the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group, to ensure accuracy in even the smallest details, such as nailing the texture of Fin’s shell. Students from the program also visited nesting sites in Melbourne Beach with the research group to see the sea mammals up close. The film’s creators were careful not to dissuade people from interacting with nature, but rather inform the audience on how to do so safely.

“We’re saying that there is a correct way to have a relationship with nature. People need to know that because it affects the turtles,” says senior Character Animation major and co-art director Jonathan de la Uz. “It’s better if we can teach people the right way to be with nature instead of separating people from it completely.”

The teams hope the short animated films live on beyond the premiere. The “Ukelayla” team hopes to provide DVDs of the film to speech clinics for children, while the “Night Light” creators are in talks with the Brevard Zoo and the Barrier Island Sanctuary to start educational showings for visitors. And for about a year after the premiere, the films will be submitted to short film festivals. Both teams have opened ongoing fundraising pages to help pay for admission to the festivals.

More About UCF’s Animation Programs

The animation programs at UCF continue to gain national recognition. Along with experimental animation, the character animation program was ranked No. 4 among the Top 40 Public Animation Schools and Colleges in the nation and No. 3 among of Top 10 Animation Schools and Colleges in the South by the Animation Career Review this year.

“You’re not here to suffer consequences for trying something new and not succeeding,” Mooney says.“You’re here to find out what you’re good at.”

The two-year specialization accepts only 30 students each year and prepares and trains them for careers in the animation and visual effects industry as animators, modelers, texture artists, and more. Graduates have gone on to careers with film and visual effects giants like Disney, Universal, Framestore and Blizzard Entertainment.

“We have students at all the major studios, and also working in gaming and special effects,” says Lecturer Jo Anne Adams, who has worked with the character animation program since 2008 and served as the faculty director for this year’s student films. “Because of their success, employers are noticing us and then students are more attracted [to the program].”

As a result of its exclusivity, the program is intensive, with students devoting anywhere from 40 to 80 hours per week on their films.

“It’s like a full-time job. The farther into the semester you get, the more you’ll see people coming in earlier and staying here later and later,” Thomas says.

And even though the hours can seem daunting, faculty members foster an environment that allows room for failure without fear of punishment.

“The faculty here really help you try to learn,” says Mooney. “You’re not here to suffer consequences for trying something new and not succeeding. You’re here to find out what you’re good at.”

Reserve free tickets to the UCF School of Visual Arts & Design’s Character Animation Premiere. 

, an anchor of UCF’s planned downtown campus, has been in the top five schools for each of the nine years the Princeton Review has done the rankings.

“I’m always happy to see the Princeton Review reward our innovation and effort to try and be a leader in interactive entertainment education,” said executive director Ben Noel. “The future success of our program will depend on the continued hard work of our students, faculty and staff.”

Since opening its doors in 2005, FIEA has graduated 606 students. Graduates are working at more than 139 companies around the world, including Apple, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Blizzard, Bungie, Zynga, Ubisoft, Disney, Microsoft and Nintendo.

The average starting salary for recent FIEA graduates is $62,600. Graduates are working on some of today’s most popular franchises. Those include God of War 2018, Fallout 4, Fortnite, Star Wars Battlefront II, Madden NFL 18, NBA 2K18, Call of Duty World War II, Extinction and Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The school is located in UCF’s Center for Emerging Media, across from the site of the former Amway Arena. Plans for UCF Downtown call for a renovated Center for Emerging Media to join a new academic building that UCF and Valencia College will share. FIEA is designed to graduate talented and well-qualified professionals to work in video games, new media, film and simulation industries.

“Orlando is an interactive-entertainment powerhouse with FIEA as a global leader in graduate education,” said Dale Whittaker, provost and executive vice president. “Our faculty and staff anchor an emerging media industry in downtown Orlando, where we’re excited to open a campus next year that will bring more students in related fields to benefit from the foundation FIEA has built.”

The Princeton Review chose the schools based on its 2017 survey of 150 institutions offering game-design degree programs or courses. The 40-question survey gathered data on everything from the schools’ game-design academic offerings and lab facilities to their graduates’ starting salaries and career achievements. More than 40 data points in four areas (academics, faculty, technology, and career) were analyzed to tally the lists.

UCF’s undergraduate game design program was also listed in The Princeton Review rankings for the first time this year. It came in at No. 36.

In addition to being published today on The Princeton Review website, the listing will also be featured in the May issue of PC Gamer magazine, on newsstands March 27.

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Canvs, a downtown-Orlando nonprofit coworking space for startup entrepreneurs, recently celebrated its grand opening for a pilot coworking space and educational programs to support local entrepreneurs in Parramore. The site will be part of the UCF Downtown campus in the heart of Creative Village.

Locating the pilot space at the new UCF Downtown campus in Creative Village “will help accelerate downtown Orlando’s innovation ecosystem,” said Thad Seymour, Jr., vice provost for UCF Downtown and chairman of Canvs’ board of directors. “We are pleased to partner with the City of Orlando to support Parramore entrepreneurs as they build promising businesses that create jobs and opportunities for the community.”

is developing community outreach plans, securing mentors to guide founders and creating educational programs for the startup companies it expects to attract as coworkers. This same model was used successfully in its original 17,000-square-foot facility located in downtown Orlando’s historic Church Street Exchange, as well as a second 8,000 square-foot office in Winter Park.

“As part of the City’s economic development strategy, we are constantly seeking ways to remove barriers for residents who want to pursue their dreams of owning a business,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “We are proud to partner with Canvs on this new location which furthers our efforts to continue revitalizing Parramore and brings affordable, innovative, coworking space for startup entrepreneurs to launch and grow new businesses in the heart of the neighborhood.”

The 900-square-foot coworking space accommodates 15 desks and more than 40 coworkers who may rent desks for occasional or long-term use.

Both non-tech and tech-based startups are expected to take advantage of this new coworking facility. The original Canvs facility in the Church Street Exchange also is home to the Starter Studio tech business accelerator, as well as FireSpring Fund, a nonprofit advanced accelerator and seed-stage investment fund.

Coworkers in the new Parramore facility will also be able to attend the workshops and educational programs that take place in the Canvs Parramore facility as well as the nearby downtown facility.

The games being shown are:

This will be the first time the public will see the completed projects that students have been working on for seven months as their master’s thesis. FIEA offers a 16-month master’s degree in interactive entertainment and was recently named the No. 2 graduate game-development program in the world by the Princeton Review.

The presentation is free and open to the public. Faculty, staff and students will be available to comment on any of the projects. FIEA will be livestreaming daily interviews with the teams July 31-Aug. 3 at 1 p.m. on their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ucffiea. The final presentation will be livestreamed at FIEA’s YouTube channel, .

Because construction for UCF Downtown has started, guests are encouraged to visit FIEA’s directions page for parking instructions at .

Fentress, the principal in charge of design at Fentress Architects based in Denver, will discuss his career at one of the largest construction projects in Central Florida history, surpassing even the I-4 Ultimate rebuild in cost.

A protĂ©gĂ© of architect I.M. Pei, Fentress is the 2010 recipient of the American Institute of Architects’ Thomas Jefferson Award, the highest award for public architecture. Previous projects designed and completed by Fentress Architects include the Denver International Airport, the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea, and the Arraya Tower in Kuwait City, Kuwait, the fourth tallest building in the world. A recognized leader in sustainable design, Fentress strives to expose “the real art of public architecture…getting people to see their own greatness in a building.”

“The Curtis Fentress design for the expansion of Orlando’s International Airport will impact the region and the nation for the next century,” said Allen Watters, director of Design in UCF’s architecture program. “Virtually every citizen of Central Florida will be a participant in the beautiful and functional architecture of the airport.”

Free to the public, this event at 500 W. Livingston St. in downtown Orlando is made possible through a donation by Hunton Brady Architects with HKS Architects. As space is limited, reservations are being accepted via email at architecture@ucf.edu no later than Oct. 29.

The gift will help fund construction of a new academic building that will be the centerpiece of the UCF Downtown campus serving about 7,700 UCF and Valencia College students.

Dr. Phillips’ gift comes just one day before university leaders will present plans for the campus Wednesday at UCF to the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the State şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą System.

Dr. Phillips’ $3 million contribution also brings the total community support for UCF Downtown to $16 million.

“When our Board first heard about UCF Downtown and the compelling vision of President Hitt and his team, we knew we wanted to help make this campus a reality,” said Dr. Phillips’ President and CEO Kenneth D. Robinson. “Our mission as an organization is to help transform lives, and in doing so, lift our entire community. We believe this gift to downtown is an investment in our children’s future.”

Dr. Phillips Charities have a long-standing partnership with UCF, contributing toward the College of Medicine, College of Business Administration and the Dr. P. Phillips School of Real Estate.

“These gifts have produced life-changing opportunities for so many of our students,” said UCF President John C. Hitt. “We are so grateful for Dr. Phillips Charities’ support of the UCF Downtown campus and the lasting impact it will have on our community.”

One-third of the new $60 million downtown academic building will be funded through community support. The university also is contributing $20 million from its resources and asking the state for an additional $20 million.

The Orlando Magic, CFE Federal Credit Union and Florida Hospital each pledged $1.5 million toward the construction of the new academic building that UCF would share with Valencia College. şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą leaders and board members have made personal contributions totaling more than $1 million. Orange County commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $3 million, and Valencia College will contribute $2 million.

Other contributors to the campus include Creative Village Development, Orlando philanthropist Alan Ginsburg, Orlando City Soccer Club, CNL Financial Group, Universal Orlando Foundation and Universal Orlando Resort, Dr. Bruce Douglas of Winter Park, and Coca-Cola.

Additionally, the value of in-kind contributions of land and infrastructure by the City of Orlando and the developers of Creative Village is approximately $75 million.

Pending approvals, the campus will open in fall 2018. UCF Downtown will offer students an innovative learning environment within walking distance of a wide array of internship and job opportunities in fields such as digital media, communication, public service and health-related programs.

UCF will share the campus with Valencia College, which will offer programs in digital media, health information technology and culinary and hospitality, including workforce training and other certificates to increase access to education in the immediate downtown area.

The new academic building at UCF Downtown will complement a renovated Center for Emerging Media building where UCF’s nationally ranked graduate video gaming school, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, is located.

President Hitt and first lady Martha Hitt contributed $100,000, as did trustee Alex Martins, a UCF alumnus and CEO of the Orlando Magic, and UCF Foundation Board of Directors member Dick Nunis. Other leading personal contributors include trustee Robert Garvy and Phyllis Klock, chairwoman of the Foundation Board of Directors.

The commitments from UCF’s leadership include gifts from trustees, deans, vice presidents, and members of the UCF Foundation and Alumni Association boards of directors.

“Our university’s leaders are making generous personal investments in UCF Downtown because they know the campus will greatly expand educational opportunities for students,” said Mike Morsberger, vice president for alumni relations and development. “Their support, along with the commitments from our community partners, is vital to make this innovative campus a reality.”

Earlier in January, the Orlando Magic and CFE Federal Credit Union each pledged $1.5 million toward the construction of the new academic building that UCF would share with Valencia College.

Orange County commissioners voted unanimously to contribute $3 million, and Valencia College will contribute $2 million.

Additionally, the value of in-kind contributions of land and infrastructure by the City of Orlando and the developers of Creative Village is approximately $75 million.

Pending approvals, the campus will open in fall 2018. UCF Downtown will offer students an innovative learning environment within walking distance of a wide array of internship and job opportunities in fields such as digital media, communication, public service and health-related programs. UCF will share the campus with Valencia College, which will offer programs in digital media, health information technology and culinary and hospitality, including workforce training and other certificates to increase access to education in the immediate downtown area.

The new academic building at UCF Downtown will complement a renovated Center for Emerging Media building where UCF’s nationally ranked graduate video gaming school, the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, is located. One-third of the new building will be funded by private donations. The university also is contributing $20 million from its resources and asking the state for an additional $20 million.

The new FIEA Ventures program will initially be available to academy alumni and will be housed at UCF’s Center For Emerging Media in downtown Orlando. It is expected that some of the first clients to come into FIEA Ventures will be working on video games, animated film, simulation and mobile and web products.

Scheduled to open this fall, the 5,000-square-foot space will provide office and meeting space, a 20-seat theater, mentorships, equipment, and access to technology and expertise. Tenants will also have access to the center’s audio, motion capture and film studios, collectively called Studio 500, all at 500 W. Livingston St.

“FIEA’s success in developing graduates for high-wage, local industries has increased entrepreneurship, and this new program will place our recent graduates in a perfect atmosphere to start a successful small business,” said FIEA executive director Ben Noel.

Companies and individuals will be picked using an application process in which clients will be asked to detail their concept, technology needs, potential staffing, market prospects and business plan. If accepted, the applicant can stay in FIEA Ventures for up to one year.

Clients will also have access to the center’s faculty and staff, who will help with development and access to industry partners.

“As the No.2 ranked graduate school for game development, FIEA is an anchor for the Creative Village,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “Now, with the launch of FIEA Ventures, the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą is taking an innovative approach to ensure its talented alumni become Orlando’s next generation of successful tech entrepreneurs.”

FIEA Ventures is a part of UCF’s Office of Research and Commercialization, which supports economic growth by being a liaison between UCF and local and national economic-development partners.

Other partnerships include UCF’s Business Incubation Program, which has grown into one of the biggest and best in the world; the UCF Venture lab, where technology entrepreneurs transform ideas and intellectual property into business plans; The GrowFL program that serves second-stage companies, and the Blackstone LaunchPad, which focuses on student entrepreneurs.

“This innovative facility will boost both UCF’s presence downtown and Orlando’s vision of a Creative Village in the city’s core,” said Tom O’Neal, UCF’s associate vice president for Research and Commercialization and director of the UCF Business Incubation Program. “This partnership will be an incubator of ideas and commerce to benefit both the university and the community.”

Pitches for the games will be made by designers from noon to 5 p.m., and the games chosen to advance will be announced at 6 p.m. The student designers are from the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, UCF’s graduate video game development program.

The pitches will be at the Center for Emerging Media, 500 W. Livingston St., Orlando, and are open to the public. The pitches also will be live streamed at or can be seen at FIEA’s YouTube channel at .

Friday’s judging will determine which game ideas will be “green lit,” or approved, for development into Capstone Games, seven-month video game projects that serve as a master’s thesis. Friday’s winners will have to survive one additional round of cuts in the spring semester, when all the games will showcase their progress to faculty and staff.

Past winning games have won industry awards and have appeared on the game-industry website Gamasutra.com.

Friday’s presentation order is:

12 p.m. – Welcome, by Will Tuegel, a first-person survival game in which players also design nightmares for other players.

12:30 p.m. – Hit, by Tim Vensel, a multiplayer game that is nearly as dangerous to be the assassin as it is to be the target.

1 p.m. – Spectacle Fighter, by Adam Matheny, a 3-D gladiatorial-style fighting game won by players with flashy style.

1:30 p.m. – Far, by Sam Holley, a game in which the players use their mental powers to resolve a catastrophe aboard a space station.

2 p.m. – Focal Length, by Zach Johnson, a game won by taking the best photos of invading aliens, not blasting them.

2:30 p.m. – Enlightened, by Britt Clifford, a stealth combat and exploration game at a Buddhist monastery, pitting spiritualism and technology.

3 p.m. – Neon Night Riders, by Ahmar Rana, a turf battle that is waged by tagging new territory while opposing gang members are out to eliminate you.

3:30 p.m. – Pressure, by Addison DelCampo, an underwater battle miles below the surface in which you try to keep an alien from taking over your facility.

4 p.m. – Heroes, by Karl Abad, a cooperative medieval fantasy in which teamwork is essential to succeed.

4:30 p.m. – Rotting Fruit, by Ricardo Medina, a single-player adventure that includes parasites, deception and other hazards.

5 p.m. – Tethered, by Kim Nguyen, an adventure in space with zero gravity and a headset.