FUNPLUS AND CREATIVE ART WORKS WRAP UP THEIR FOURTH CHARACTER DESIGN PROGRAM

Empowering Creativity: the Impactful Collaboration of FunPlus and Creative Art Works

As announced in this blog entry [FunPlus and Creative Art Works 4th year partnership] FunPlus proudly entered its fourth year of partnership with Creative Art Works (CAW), a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering the city’s youth through art programs since 1986. We are incredibly proud to support their initiatives throughout our partnership.

June 2024 marked a special milestone as we celebrated the Grand Culminating Event of the ‘Creative Art Works & FunPlus Character Design Program. This incredible journey empowered and inspired young adults through the transformative power of art and creativity right in the heart of the Big Apple.

Let’s celebrate the incredible results achieved during the Character Design Apprenticeship.

2024 Program – Key Stats:

• 15-week-long Character Design Apprenticeship, the Program Participants created characters with a myriad of backstories, personalities, traits, strengths, and more.
• 4 high schools.
• 153 Program participants attended, 56 hours of lectures and teaching time.
• 50 fully-realized characters. 
• 16 complete storylines with conflicts, stakes, themes, and resolutions.
• 216 drawings on the website, including sketches, drawings, character spec sheets, expression sheets, and storyboards.
• 6 social justice themes were addressed, including technology & AI, environmental protection, mental illness, crime, prejudice, and hunger.  

Characters Design Program 2024 – Key Stats

Read more about the Character Design Program 2024 and all the participants here. 

Furthermore, a total of seven FunPlus Gaming industry Leaders provided critiques of the participants’ work, career advice, and also some masterclasses on different design topics. For instance: 

• Eleanor Twilton (VP Global PR and Comms) – Becoming a feedback Pro
• Guillaume Colomb (Narrative Director of Cross Media) – Theme, Tone & Fantasy. The foundational blocks of narrative.
• Mustapha Mahrach (Game Creative Director) – Pipeline of Making an open World Game
• Matt Fox – Simplifying Story: Cutting Through the Clutter.
• Frauke Grabow (VP HR Europe)- Unlocking your Fun-tastic future: my tips for Top-Notch applications and interviews

2024 Character Design Program Winners 

And now a drumroll, please!

The Grand winner of this year’s 2024 Character Design Program is…BOBO! By a team of students from the Manhattan Early College School for Advertising.

The Runner-Up went to Up Together Remix! By a team of students also from the Manhattan Early College for Advertising. 

WINNER: BOBO
Betty L.
Catherine C.
Lonii D.
Verna C.

Runner Up: Up Together Remix!
Jayden C
James-Tyler F.
Miranda G.
Ava T.

The Artwork from all the different teams can be found in this page of the Creative Art Works Website.

And last but definitely not least, get ready to be inspired by the voices that matter most. We’ve had the privilege of capturing the firsthand experiences and insights of the program interns and the esteemed Executive Director of Creative Art Works. 

Their words provide a glimpse into the profound impact of the Character Design Program and the remarkable journey of empowerment, creativity, and growth. Let’s hear directly from those who have been at the heart of this transformative partnership.

KAREN JOLICOEUR, CREATIVE ART WORKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Karen expresses the importance of the character design program in imparting art, design, and job skills to benefit young people in their future careers, with a special emphasis on group work and peer interaction, while expressing deep gratitude to FunPlus for their support.

“Our character design program imparts art and design skills as well as job skills that will benefit young people in any future career path. This year, we enhanced our curriculum to emphasize group work, providing invaluable peer interaction and emulating the demands of the working world. 

We are profoundly grateful to our sponsor, FunPlus, for the transformative experiences made possible through their support and partnership.”

QUOTES FROM INTERNS:

The different interns highlight the valuable lessons learned in teamwork, the inspiration gained from professional visits, the real-world insights shared by visiting professionals and artists, the enjoyment of working in teams, and the overall positive experience of the program.

“Something I learned was teamwork and cooperation, and that can be taken to a future job, extracurricular, or internship opportunity because it allowed me to learn to work with others even through disagreements.”

“When the professionals visited, I really liked the inspiration they gave me. It really made me think I can achieve what I want in the future. It was valuable because I was able to learn a lot from people with experience and gain confidence in my own skills.”

“I liked having professionals and artists visit our class because they shared real-world insights. It was valuable because it improved my understanding and skills.”

“I really enjoyed working in teams since I was able to make new friends and work on one project together, creating a great story. Though there were some conflicts, most of my experience with my team members was really fun.”

“I want y’all to know that I seriously enjoyed the program!”

And that’s a wrap! With this, we put an end to this fourth-year partnership. We are thrilled to have been a part of this incredible journey and are grateful for the opportunity to support Creative Art Works. 

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Creative Art Works crew, all the program participants, and the dedicated FunPlus volunteers who generously contributed their expertise and time to make this partnership successful.

Stay tuned for more updates on partnerships, insights, and stories from the world of FunPlus.

Follow our Social Media channels and play our games! –  https://linktr.ee/funplus

Would you like to be part of our story? Say yes to a new adventure and join our team! 

At FunPlus, we are passionate about creating entertaining experiences, surrounding ourselves with the best and brightest talent, and providing them with the opportunity to do their best work.  Check out our career opportunities and join us!  – Open positions

Find out more captivating interviews and exciting content in our FunPlus Spotlight section:

FunPlus and Creative Art Works wrap up their third Character Design Apprenticeship

Reasons why being you is Fun

Sea Of Conquest, 2024 NYX Game Awards

Fun+Stories: The Power of Music

FunPlus and Creative Art Works Forge Paths for Aspiring Artists

International Women’s Day at FunPlus

Andy Zhong’s Playbook: Key to Leadership Success

New Game Creative Director, Mustapha Mahrach, welcome on board!

2023 Recap & cheers to an exhilarating 2024! – with Chris Petrovic, CBO

FunPlus welcomes new Narrative Director Cross Media – with Guillaume Colomb

 Breaking Barriers: Tina’s empowering journey! – with Tina Chan

Behind the music! Inside the creative mind of a renowned Game Music Composer – with Zhang Zhiwei