Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively Team Up With U.K. Studio to Fund Training Program (Exclusive)
Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively Team Up With U.K. Studio to Fund Training Program (Exclusive)
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds‘ Group Effort Initiative (GEI) has partnered with a visual production studio to offer U.K. talent from underrepresented backgrounds the chance to train in its new London complex.
Dimension, a studio for real-time and virtual production, and DNEG 360, the recent expansion of Dimension's partnership with visual entertainment services company DNEG, have launched the Rise Up program with GEI, an initiative founded and financed by the A-list couple.
The program, which opens on Aug. 1, will give U.K. residents from diverse backgrounds in-depth and hands-on professional experience working on-set at Dimension's multipurpose virtual production complex in collaboration with DNEG 360 and Sunbelt Rentals.
The trainees will be provided accommodation, transportation, and a stipend.
Lively and Reynolds said in a joint statement: "We are genuinely inspired by the U.K.'s creative community and proud to partner with Dimension and DNEG 360 on the Rise Up Initiative. Teaming up with best-in-class partners, we're able to help trainees master cutting-edge virtual production technology and showcase the future of storytelling."
During their time on the program, trainees will be offered the opportunity to meet with prominent production executives, including those working on the upcoming Animal Friends (2025), a feature combining live-action and animated characters, currently in production at DNEG and co-produced by Legendary Entertainment, Prime Focus Studios, and Maximum Effort, Reynolds' production company.
The Deadpool and Gossip Girl stars launched the GEI program in August 2020 to create a pathway for members of underrepresented communities in entertainment to gain real-life work experience. It has secured over 1,000 total placements for its participants so far.
Nana Duncan, a Rise Up Program participant, said: "I am super excited to be accepted into the GEI, Dimension Studio, and DNEG 360 Rise Up Initiative internship program. I can't wait to begin my journey in the world of virtual production, where I hope to learn everything I can from industry professionals and witness the use of advanced technology to make films."
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