Thursday, September 20, 2007


SAVANNAH, Ga., Sep. 20, 2007 (PR Newswire delivered by Newstex) -- The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announces the launch of the smART Careers Outlook, a quarterly analysis of industry trends and rapidly growing employment opportunities in art and design. With careers in the arts expected to rise 14 percent per year over the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics, the program underscores the positive impact of the arts on the economy.

SCAD, an academic leader offering a comprehensive curriculum to prepare students for dynamic careers in art, design and related fields, developed the smART Careers Outlook to provide insight into educational programs and opportunities supporting advancement in the fastest growing careers.

'Gaming and interactive design is one of the many art-related fields that will be catalysts in the job market and in the overall economy,' said Peter Weishar, dean of the SCAD School of Film and Digital Media. 'The curriculum offered at SCAD enables our graduates to advance rapidly upon entering the digital media industries. Our professors are industry experts, well-versed in today's vernacular and technology, which translates into prepared students.'

SCAD will host a smART Careers Outlook roundtable covering trends in real- time interactive entertainment as well as the impact to education and employment. The Bureau of Labor predicts that the growth of software publishing, which includes videogames, will expand by 68 percent between 2002 and 2012. Since revenue from computer games now exceeds that of the Hollywood box office, SCAD is hosting academic and industry thought leaders to debate industry trends and the education required to advance in this field. The roundtable is scheduled for 1 p.m. EST, Sept. 20, 2007.

Participants will include: -- Peter Weishar, SCAD's dean of the School of Film and Digital Media With more than 20 years of experience as a professional artist, art director and animator, Weishar instructs students about art and its intersection with new cutting-edge technologies. -- Brenda Brathwaite, game designer and SCAD Interactive Design and Game Development professor Brathwaite is an award-winning game designer with 22 published commercial titles and more than 25 years of experience in the game development industry. She is a recognized expert on adult content in video games and the emerging Web 3.0. -- Bryan Godwin, senior art director, Electronic Arts Godwin, a SCAD graduate, now develops and directs concepts for new Internet Protocol (IP) for a variety of game platforms. -- Scott Howard, network game product manager, Nokia Howard works with game developers from around the globe helping design and shape Nokia N-Gage's connected game experiences and community development.
About SCAD' s School of Film and Digital Media

In March 2007, SCAD's animation program was ranked in the top three in the U.S. and Canada by 3D World magazine, a publication for 3-D and animation artists. SCAD's School of Film and Digital Media is headquartered at SCAD- Savannah with additional disciplines offered at SCAD-Atlanta. SCAD's School of Film and Digital Media also offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs via eLearning.

About SCAD

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs also are offered online through SCAD-eLearning. The college offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts, and Master of Urban Design degrees. SCAD was named one of Kaplan's '25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward the future' in 2008 and 'Hottest for Studying Art' among America's 25 Hottest Colleges by Kaplan/Newsweek in 2006. In addition, SCAD was recognized by Fortune Small Business as one of America's Best Colleges for Entrepreneurs for its Working Class Studio program in September 2007.

For more information, visit www.scad.edu.
For media inquiries, please contact:Meredith Fletcher at 404.879.9249 or  meredith.fletcher@ketchum.com
SOURCE The Savannah College of Art and Design



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