The 2026 DigiBC Gateway Scholarship program, supported by Netflix, provided nine learners with new pathways to upskill and reskill for roles in creative technology. The program provided three full-tuition scholarships to Vancouver Film School, and a further six learners received full tuition to Vancouver Community College’s micro-credential program in Production for Animation & VFX. We recently caught up with one of the recipients, Andrew Dixon.
Andrew Dixon recently completed VCC’s micro-credential in Production for Animation & VFX, supported by the DigiBC Gateway Scholarship program. He recently chatted with DigiBC’s Harsh Patankar to share his experience at VCC and how the scholarship program enabled a career pivot from music to animation — and a new role at one of BC’s premier animation studios.
What are you doing now, and how did the scholarship program lead you there?
“Right now I’m the Facilities PA at WildBrain Studios, a nice entry-level role into this big studio. I’ve been in music for a long time, but I’ve always had a knack for project management and production. That’s when I started researching the animation world, because it seemed like this fun new avenue that brought all these different worlds together. I applied for the DigiBC Netflix Gateway Scholarship and, thankfully, got it. The program taught me everything I needed from a broader scope, so when I did find an opportunity like the one I’m in, I’d have way more context to come in with.”
What specifically drew you to animation?
“I love anything that combines different forms of mixed media, working with different types of people who each bring their own skill sets to create something that didn’t exist before. A huge part of the job in production is supporting artists to do the best work they can, and that’s where my fulfillment lies. You’re really problem-solving and working in teams to help make everyone else’s life easier to create the thing.”
What was it like receiving the DigiBC scholarship?
“Honestly, I think it’ll be the starting point of my story in this industry forever, and I’m so grateful for it. I felt very lost at the beginning. Getting that scholarship was a nice confidence boost, like, we see you, we see you’ve been putting in years of effort, and we want you on this path too. It meant a lot to me.”
What stands out to you from the program?
“We’d meet Tuesday nights, 6 to 9, online, with a cohort of about nine of us. It covered an overview of the animation pipeline, project management tools and methodologies, communication, and workforce integration. My favorite part was that it wasn’t like reading from a textbook. Our instructors were so open to letting the class go wherever it needed to. We also had guest speakers within each course, so it felt like every month we had people we could treat like we were taking them out for coffee, just asking hard questions. It let everybody figure out who they are and how they like to work.”
What skills from the program help you now?
“My recommendation to anybody taking the course is: get your stuff figured out at the beginning, so you can continue to tweak and reapply as you’re learning things. It was like playing the sport while also training for it at the same time. Day-to-day now, it’s nice to have this broader understanding of what production can look like long-term because of the course I was in.”
Where do you see yourself down the road?
“I’d say I’m heading down the producer route. That’s where I want to end up, within a studio like this one, managing projects, offering taste, offering creative opinions. If you’d asked me five years ago that I’d be in this studio right now talking to you about this, I would’ve said ‘what?’ That’s what’s so exciting about life.”
One piece of advice for a student entering the program?
“Don’t wait to get started, and don’t be afraid to feel like you don’t know anything. The first thing I did was reach out to everybody I knew in this industry, just to ask their advice. I literally had about 12 revisions of my resume. Your 12th revision will be way stronger than your 2nd or 3rd. I think everybody in this industry is willing to help you and lift you up, we’re all in this together. It’s okay to fail a little at the beginning.”