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Lord, Miller, and Ramsey to Mentor The Sony Talent League by THU Challenge Winners

Oscar-winning filmmakers Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Peter Ramsey have joined the panel of mentors for THU’s new challenge to discover the next generation of creative minds in digital entertainment; submission deadline is October 19.

The Sony Talent League by THU has announced that Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the duo behind some of today’s most successful films and television series, just joined the panel of mentors for the Talent League, a challenge that aims to empower the new generation of creativity from all areas: film, animation, games, music, VR, and more.

Lord and Miller have recently produced Sony Animation’s latest feature film, the Academy Award-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which Lord also wrote. Peter Ramsey, who made history as the first black Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature for the movie, is also part of the panel of mentors.

Founded in 2013, THU is on a mission to empower creators through access to opportunities and inspiration, opening the door to a creative world. More than a global brand that focuses on technology, art, and creativity, it is a networking ecosystem that brings together all areas of the digital entertainment & interactive industry.

The challenge, aimed at creators between 18 and 30 years old, is to find the best cross-border ideas on a worldwide scale, and to discover the next generation of creative minds in the digital entertainment industry. Participants can submit alone or in a group up to three members, and applications are open until October 19.

Three finalists will get ten weeks of mentorships and funding of up to 12,500€. The public will vote on the best idea in order determining the finalists. In addition to the finalist’s prize, the winner will receive tickets for THU Japan 2021 and an additional prize of 10,000€.

The lineup of jury and mentors also includes:

  • Kim Jung Gi: Korean artist who holds a Guinness World Record in the illustration category.
  • David O'Reilly: Multidisciplinary artist; writer for Adventure Time, South Park, and fictional video games creator in the award-winning film, Her.
  • Shuzo John Shiota: President & CEO of Polygon Pictures.
  • Alistair Thompson: Head of Innovation Lab - London at Epic Games.
  • Tyree Dillihay: Director at Sony Pictures Animation. Previously a director on Fox’s animated hit sitcom, Bob’s Burgers.
  • Scot Stafford: Composer and sound supervisor at Pollen Music Group.
  • Maggie Malone: Executive producer at Illumination Entertainment.
  • Sally Slade: Lead AR/ VR developer at Magnopus.
  • Kris Pearn: Director at Sony Pictures Animation; his credits include: Surf’s Up, Arthur Christmas, and Shaun the Sheep.
  • Sharon Bridgeman: Joined Sony Pictures Animation as a story artist for Smurfs: The Lost Village; most recently served as a story artist on the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
  • Justin K. Thompson: Director at Sony Pictures.
  • Tetsuya Mizuguchi: Video games designer & CEO of EDGEof.
  • Craig Berry: Prior to joining Sony Pictures Animation, he worked at Warner Animation Group as head of story on features The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Storks, and Space Jam 2.
  • Saraswathi Balgam: Executive director of Rhythm & Hues India, animation and VFX studio; she has served as the president of ASIFA India and Women In Animation India for 10 years.

Visit the Sony Talent League website for additional information.

Source: Sony Talent League