Doers and Dreamers '23 finalists announced

Your Doers and Dreamers ‘23 finalists

The moment is finally here. In partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada, we’re excited to announce the finalists for this year’s Doers and Dreamers Digital Arts Scholarship. Without further ado, here are your finalists for 2023:
D&d Blog Post Finalists Names.01 Congratulations to the top five, and a special thanks to all who applied. Overall, we received over 120 entries from across Canada. To shine a light on how strong and deserving this pool of applicants was: it took about two months of deliberation to narrow down the finalists. It was hard work selecting just five from so many competitive candidates, but in the end we got there. Now, as we look ahead to future partnerships, and opportunities for prospective students, we can’t help but get excited by all the amazing artists who applied for the 2023 edition of this scholarship.

With roots from all over the world– from Benin City, Nigeria; Tehran, Iran; Treaty 4 First Nation; Vancouver and Toronto– the 2023 Doers and Dreamers finalists represent an incredibly talented group. Rich in both community and perspective, we look forward to watching them grow as CG artists over the next year, and seeing how their individual goals and aspirations shape their work.

What is Doers and Dreamers ‘23?

Now in its second year, Doers and Dreamers is an inclusion and access-driven digital arts scholarship presented by Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada and Think Tank Training Centre. It offers five selected artists from underrepresented communities in Canada full-time tuition to Think Tank Online’s full-time 64-week program. Recognizing a need to foster more diversity, inclusion, and equity within the entertainment industry, Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada teamed up with the Think Tank to create a talent development initiative open to people of all genders, abilities, and identities from underrepresented communities in Canada, including members of Indigenous, Black and racialized groups, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ2+ communities.

The 2023 finalists

Raquel Keshane-Watetch
Raquel’s fascination with art began in middle school, where she first discovered manga, comic books and videogames. This evolved into a love of the cyberpunk genre and eventually, into an interest in 3D art. Raquel’s goal is to one day develop her own title. Rooted in indigenous mythology and storytelling, but set in modern day, it would follow an original character who’s relatable to other indigenous youth. Anyone else as excited to play this game as we are? Until she gets there, Raquel is looking forward to learning everything she can about CG art and 3D modeling before starting her own creative career.

Richard Brown
For Richard, having the opportunity to showcase his culture in inventive and creative ways is what matters most. Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, he is no stranger to the creative expression that encapsulates Canada’s largest city. And this shows in the variety of Richard’s artistic outlets. From acting to graphic design, stand-up comedy to designing CG characters…Richard seems to have his sights set on anything and everything. The most important thing for his art to accomplish? That would have to be showcasing the diverse heritage of Caribbean culture along with his unique lived experience.

Simin (Simba) F. Ahmadi
Originally from Tehran, Iran, Simba has long incorporated elements of Persian culture and architecture into her art. Now based in Montréal, there isn’t a day that goes by without Simba exploring a game environment to inspect all its props and intricate details. It probably doesn’t surprise you, then, to learn that her career goal is to work on Environments and Props for Games. For Simba, entering a professional setting where she can practically adapt her artistic skills, receive expert feedback, and develop high-quality pieces is her “lifelong passion and dream”.

Sydney Chin-Shue
Building off a childhood interest with the world of Tolkien and Lord of the Rings, Sydney now finds herself turning to digital media as a way to tell stories of escapism and wonder. Born and raised within a short drive of the Think Tank Campus in Langley, BC, studying CG has long been on her radar. In particular, Sydney hopes to specialize in the development of Characters and Creatures during her program. Having helped shape her as both an artist and person, Sydney is keen to infuse those same elements of fantasy and “un-reality” into her CG art.

Thelma Ehigiamusoe
Like many of us, Thelma’s artistic drive was inspired by a sibling, and eventually Harry Potter. After watching one of her brothers draw a tiger, and recognizing the passion that it excited in him, Thelma knew she was destined to do art herself. Falling in love with the Harry Potter films pushed her to want to explore VFX and Animation as a way to tell stories of magic and wonder. She hopes to one day work in the CG industry, develop projects that resonate with people, and be in a position to give other aspiring artists an opportunity to live out their dreams too.

Think Tank's signature online program

Finalists for Doers and Dreamers are automatically enrolled in our signature online program, CG Asset Creation for Film or Games. Starting February 6, 2023, this 64-week program is designed to teach students how to layer essential technical skills with original artistic ideas, master real-world software, and develop an industry-ready portfolio. Highly personalized, hands-on, and entirely online, it helps young artists gain the crucial skills and connections needed to launch a rewarding career in the entertainment industry.

About Warner Discovery Access Canada

Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada elevates, activates, and connects Canadian talent from communities that have been historically marginalized with global opportunities and global audiences. This suite of above- and below-the-line initiatives builds on Warner Bros. Discovery’s relationships with creators, craftspeople and technicians of all genders and abilities from communities including Indigenous, Black, and racialized groups, people with disabilities, and members of LGBTQ2+ and Francophone minority communities. WBD Access Canada values the undervalued and celebrates the underrepresented -- all to bring the best and most promising talent in Canada to the world.

About Warner Bros. Discovery

Warner Bros. Discovery (Nasdaq: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world’s most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HBO Max, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Español, Hogar de HGTV and others.

Last year's finalists: where are they now?

The finalists from the scholarship’s first year, Doers and Dreamers 2022, have already begun pre-production on their final CG portfolio. To date, their work has been incredible, and we cannot wait for them to take their first steps into the exciting world of Film, TV, and Games. Above are examples of the work they completed in just the first 16 weeks of their program! Amazing stuff.

Are you dreaming of a career in CG, VFX, and Animation? Be sure to follow Think Tank and Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada on social media, so you can be the first to learn about the next exciting opportunity. Stay tuned!

Follow Think Tank Training Centre:
Instagram / Linkedin / Facebook / The Rookies

Follow Warner Bros. Discovery Access Canada:
Instagram / Linkedin / Twitter / Facebook

Follow Raquel Keshane-Watetch:
Artstation / Instagram / Linkedin