CalArts launches location-based entertainment initiative 

News release 

California Institute of the Arts has announced the establishment of the Digital Research Entertainment Arts Media Storytelling Initiative supported by the Dolan Family Foundation.  

The initiative is intended to prepare students for careers in the rapidly growing industry of location-based entertainment — the creation of unique immersive experiences designed to entertain and educate visitors, according to a news release from Valencia-based CalArts.  

“The Dolan Foundation was drawn to CalArts in part because the institute was founded on the principles of disrupting rigid academic traditions while also embracing innovation, creative risk-taking and experimentation,” the release said.  

“Initiatives like D.R.E.A.M.S. are critical to positioning our students for the careers of tomorrow,” CalArts President Ravi Rajan said in the release.   

According to the release, key components of the D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative include: 

Paid student internships where students can gain practical experience with leading companies in immersive technologies and entertainment. 
A student venture fund that will allow students to pitch their ideas, develop business plans, and secure start-up capital to bring their visions to the creative industries. 
New micro-credential programs to equip students with targeted, industry-relevant skills by broadening access to CalArts’ educational programs. 

“With visionary support from Tom Dolan and industry leaders, the program fosters real-time collaboration between artists and professionals, as well as education and enterprise,” Rajan added. “It will allow the next generation of students to think differently, push boundaries, and explore new mediums.” 

Housed in the Patty Disney Center for Life and Work at CalArts, the D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative will serve as an industry-partnership hub, connecting CalArts students and faculty with real-world, commercial projects involving immersive technologies.  

“We believe in the power of creativity to shape the future,” said Tom Dolan, director of the Dolan Family Foundation. “This initiative embodies our commitment to supporting the next generation of storytellers, artists, and innovators who will have unprecedented access to new and evolving immersive LBE techniques and technologies.” 

The D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative will officially launch this spring.