The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) has launched the D.R.E.A.M.S. (Digital Research Entertainment Arts Media Storytelling) Initiative supported by a gift from Tom Dolan and the Dolan Family Foundation.
The initiative is intended to prepare students for dynamic careers in the rapidly growing industry of location-based entertainment (LBE)—the creation of unique immersive experiences designed to entertain and educate visitors.
The Dolan Foundation was drawn to CalArts in part because the Institute was founded on the principles of disrupting rigid academic traditions while also embracing innovation, creative risk-taking, and experimentation. This program is one of the few of its kind in higher education, offering students unparalleled access to industry partnerships and hands-on learning experiences.
“Initiatives like D.R.E.A.M.S. are critical to positioning our students for the careers of tomorrow,” said Ravi Rajan, president of CalArts, in a statement. “This is just the latest example of how CalArts continues to lead the way in defining the future of the arts, entertainment, and immersive media industries.”
Key components of the D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative include:
- Paid student internships where students can gain practical experience with leading companies in immersive technologies and entertainment.
- A student venture fund that will allow students to pitch their ideas, develop business plans, and secure start-up capital to bring their visions to the creative industries.
- New micro-credential programs to equip students with targeted, industry-relevant skills by broadening access to CalArts’ educational programs.
“With visionary support from Tom Dolan and industry leaders, the program fosters real-time collaboration between artists and professionals, as well as education and enterprise,” said Rajan. “It will allow the next generation of students to think differently, push boundaries, and explore new mediums.”
Housed in the Patty Disney Center for Life and Work at CalArts, the D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative will serve as an industry-partnership hub, connecting CalArts students and faculty with real-world, commercial projects involving immersive technologies.
“Experiential learning will shape the future of immersive engagement, which is crucial as the market for location-based entertainment is projected to more than quadruple in the next five years. There’s no better home for D.R.E.A.M.S. than the place Walt Disney built,” said Travis Cloyd, a futurist, in a statement.
Cloyd’s vision was instrumental to the development of the initiative. The program, which will be bolstered by visiting speakers and lecturers including Cloyd and LBE executive Vincent Butta, will enable students to better explore, develop, and evolve alongside real-time emerging trends in the entertainment space.
“We believe in the power of creativity to shape the future,” said Tom Dolan, director of the Dolan Family Foundation, in a statement. “This initiative embodies our commitment to supporting the next generation of storytellers, artists, and innovators who will have unprecedented access to new and evolving immersive LBE techniques and technologies.”
The launch of this initiative aligns with CalArts’ longstanding commitment to innovation and experimentation in art and technology, music technology, experience design and production, and interactive media and continues the legacy, present since its inception, of creative industry partnerships. The D.R.E.A.M.S. Initiative will officially launch in spring 2025.
California Institute of the Arts has set the pace for educating professional artists since 1970. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions.
As successive generations of faculty and alumni have helped shape the landscape of contemporary arts, the institute first envisioned and founded by Walt Disney encompasses a vibrant, eclectic community with global reach, inviting experimentation, independent inquiry, and active collaboration and exchange among artists, artistic disciplines, and cultural traditions. Charles F. Dolan was the founder of HBO.
