Dancing Babies and Talking Bugs: Looking for Creators of the Next Animation, Digital Effects or Interactive Media Fad.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 1999--

Dynamic Career Field has Shortage of Qualified Employees.

Public-private Collaboration Creates Website (www.skillsnet.net)

That Shows How to Get Into This Exciting Career.

It's hard to believe that a field which has produced dancing babies, talking bugs and sexy tomb raiders can't find enough qualified people to fill the available jobs. But that's the case. If the trend continues, there soon could be a critical shortage of employees that will affect what we see on movie, television and computer screens.

To ensure that California remains viable in the entertainment and multimedia job market, an innovative website was created to provide detailed information on how to break into the industry. The site can be found at www.skillsnet.net.

The site, which is already being used as a valuable resource throughout the U.S. and by more than 35 countries, has just launched SkillsNet Phase II. This section adds many new features to link job seekers, educators and employers in the entertainment and new media industry. By sharing resources and information through the SkillsNet connection, the industry will have a better qualified, available workforce and California will have better company retention and growth rates.

The new additions to www.skillsnet.net include such exciting features as the "Day in the Life of a Producer" and the "Day In The Life of a Graphic Artist." This valuable tool will show potential job seekers what they can really expect when they enter the workforce.

SkillsNet Phase II will also include an Internship Clearinghouse, providing much needed internship information for job seekers and students. The Internship Clearinghouse will also provide companies with an "Industry Toolkit" to assist in setting up internship programs, providing peer support and connecting employers to prospective interns. Other new features of SkillsNet include Career Pathways and an added emphasis on entry level positions.

SkillsNet is a historic, nonprofit collaboration focused on securing California's role as the leader in the digital and interactive media industry. Heading up SkillsNet are two key industry groups, the Bay Area Multimedia Partnership (BAMP) in San Francisco, and the Entertainment Industry Development Corporation (EIDC) in Hollywood, along with the State of California Employment Training Panel (ETP). SkillsNet's newest partner is the San Diego Workforce Partnership, investigating digital jobs within traditional businesses and the public sector.

SkillsNet is responsible for providing key information to people who are interested in a career in animation, digital effects and interactive digital media (a.k.a. multimedia). These new high-skilled, high-wage jobs are crucial to California's continued economic recovery and they also provide interesting, high growing careers.

"Right now, our talent pool doesn't adequately meet our needs. We've been going overseas to look for qualified workers or establishing production facilities where the talent is," explains Kathleen Milnes, senior vice president of public affairs for EIDC. "We are absolutely committed to ensuring that California, and Californians, not only remain competitive, but continue to lead the way in these exciting fields."

SkillsNet provides a lot of valuable information and interesting data for the job seeker. The site is geared to anyone who wants to enter this field - from an aspiring artist to an engineer, from the recent college graduate to the 20-year working veteran with the need for retraining. In order to reflect this rapidly changing industry the website will continue to grow and change as the industry evolves.

"This website is a must for anyone who is interested in a job in animation, digital effects and interactive media," explains Brady Bevis, program director of BAMP.

Another new addition to the site is a password protected section called SkillsNet Central, where educators and industry experts will be able to meet online to discuss the latest skills needed in the industry, and answer other questions. Educators will also be able to post their classroom curriculum for review by true experts in the field.

"The website was created to be both easy to use and provide detailed information," said Michael Talman, president of Talman Associates, the SkillsNet website designer. "We had to make a site where people would want to keep coming back. And from the feedback we've received, the people who have hit our site really enjoy it and find it useful. We are continually updating the site so that it remains a great resource."

For more information, please visit the site at www.skillsnet.net.

The Dancing Baby is a registered trademark of Kinetix (R), a division of Autodesk, Inc.

Editors please note: When using the name "SkillsNet" by itself, the "N" is capitalized.