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LEDA and LDGI Lands Academy of Interactive Entertainment in Lafayette

9/28/2011

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Landing a 'big egg'
Digital media school to open in January
by Richard Burgess - Advocate Acadiana bureau


LAFAYETTE - A school for video game design, 3-D animation and visual effects is scheduled to open in January, offering training that officials say could help spur the local digital media industry.  The Academy of Interactive Entertainment, a technical college of sorts for the digital workforce, will set up shop at the LITE Center in the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Research Park, officials with ULL and AIE announced Thursday.  The school will offer "top-tier" training and represents a big win for the state's emerging digital media industry, said Jeff Pellegrin, director of the Louisiana Digital Gaming Initiative.  Pellegrin said the difficulty for the growing industry is often a chicken-or-egg problem - jobs are needed to spur demand for the training, but a trained workforce is needed to attract the jobs.  "Lafayette just landed its biggest egg, and I can't wait to see the chickens come behind," he said.  AIE was founded in 1996 in Australia and has three campuses in that country and one other U.S. campus, in Seattle, Wash., said Christopher Erhardt, head of AIE's U.S. campuses.  He said Lafayette was chosen as a base for the school's Southern U.S. operations in part because of the strong local interest in digital media and in part because of the potential job opportunities for graduates.  Louisiana is attracting a growing number of film productions, he said, but much of the supporting production work has gone back out of state because of the lack of a trained workforce.  "We are here to develop the talent that can support it," Erhardt said.  Pellegrin said he expects the school to serve as an incubator for new companies when students move out into the job market, and it could help attract the attention of major digital media developers and publishers because of AIE's strong relationships in the industry.  The only admission requirement for the school is a high school diploma or a GED, but acceptance will be determined through interviews, Erhardt said.  Tuition will be $7,500 per semester, or $30,000 for a two-year program, he said.  Erhardt said the training is not limited to recent high-school graduates and that the average age of students at AIE's Seattle campus is 25.  "We can show people that there are opportunities to learn a new skill, to learn a new occupation," he said.  Lafayette City-Parish President Joey Durel said he hopes the new school could help capture some of the jobs that have been pulling the younger generation out of Louisiana.  "I want our kids and our young people to have the opportunity to stay home," he said.  AIE's planned move to Lafayette will bring a second digital media operation to the LITE Center, a high-tech facility that was built to nurture high-tech initiatives.  California-based digital effects company Pixel Magic opened an office at LITE in 2009 after traveling to the area for the Walt Disney Pictures production "Secretariat."

For more information on AIE program, visit http://www.theaie.us/

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LEDA joins LDGI with Platinum Member Status

4/14/2011

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LDGI is proud to announce Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA) has joined on a platinum member level.


About LEDA
Created by the state legislature, LEDA exists to facilitate economic growth in Lafayette Parish. We have a board of 12 commissioners, appointed by various governmental and educational entities that work together with the full-time staff to provide answers, information, and assistance to businesses. For a presentation outlining all of LEDA's services, check out the presentations section on LEDA's website.

LEDA's Mission
LEDA's mission is to provide assistance to local companies in their growth, market development and workforce development efforts; to recruit additional companies considering locating in this area; and to assist in the development of new companies in order to diversify the economy within Lafayette Parish.

Location
The LEDA Resource Center, conveniently located in the Research Park of UL Lafayette’s University Common, offers 
numerous amenities to your business. It is the perfect location to hold company trainings and seminars or to make a presentation to a special client.State-of-the-art equipment and a professional setting provide an excellent 
environment to conduct business. For more information on using the LEDA Resource Center for your next company event, contact Lena Styles at (337) 593-1400

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Opportunity Machine Joins LDGI as a Platinum Member

4/14/2011

8 Comments

 
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LDGI is proud to announce Opportunity Machine has joined with a platinum member status.


About the Opportunity Machine
The opportunity machine (OM) is a single vehicle that brings together the individual elements and strengths of the community to accelerate the growth of technology start-ups. We create ecosystems that unite entrepreneurs with vital corporate resources within a culture of fun and success. It is the mission of the OM to accelerate wealth creation by immersing technology wildcatters into a fiber-powered community of innovators. 
About Opportunity Staff
Born in Plaquemines Parish, Bob has led five technology start-ups through both the crucial early phases of development and their expansion as successful enterprises in both Louisiana and Silicon Valley. From software engineering with Orpheus, to managing the development of a nationally awarded consumer electronic product as senior vice president of engineering and ground operations at Globalstar, his level of experience and dedication to getting things done, and done right, speaks for itself.  As the OM's Head Machinist, Bob applies that same skill and dedication towards making Lafayette the heart of a thriving technology ecosystem.  
James Luke Ashworth-Sides, Machinist at the opportunity machine, is a Louisiana native just returning after 5 years at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, PA, where he created and obtained CMU's first undergraduate degree in rhetoric. Luke's business experience ranges from handling all aspects of a successful tax promotion for the Bayou Vermillion District  to design direction and copy writing on a variety of projects including the Plaquemines Parish Hurricane Handbook. Luke remains involved with the community through his work at the OM, a technology business development program.  His training in computer science and rhetoric help him to address the perspectives of groups ranging from technology wildcatters to Certified Public Accountants.

Reach Bob Miller and Luke Sides at:
bob@opportunitymachine.org
luke@opportunitymachine.org

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