DreamWorks Recruiters Get Eyeful at Exceptional Minds Studio Presenting Young Talent on the Autism Spectrum

Los Angeles, CA, May 25, 2012 --(PR.com)-- DreamWorks recruiters got an eyeful last week at the Exceptional Minds studio, a vocational school and working production studio for young adults on the autism spectrum located in Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I was incredibly impressed with the passion and work of all of the students at Exceptional Minds and am inspired by the work they are doing. The animation that they are producing with the training and commitment of the instructors is amazing," commented Dina Strada, DreamWorks Manager of Employee Events and Communications, who visited the school along with DreamWorks Recruiter Tim Norman and Head of Recruitment Kim MacKey. Eleven Exceptional Minds students are currently working on Adobe certification for employment in the fields of studio animation, computer graphics and/or visual effects. In a recent report prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, one in 3 young adults with autism lack the experience or education to get a job, surpassing other disability groups in unemployment. Exceptional Minds was started in 2011 as the first studio of its kind to offer these individuals certified instruction and working experience as a “crucial bridge between high school and the working world,” states Exceptional Minds Program Director Ernie Merlan.

Photo: Dina Strada, DreamWorks Manager of Employee Events and Communications, shown here, second to the left, talking with Exceptional Minds Program Director Ernie Merlan. To her left are DreamWorks Recruiter Tim Norman and Head of Recruitment Kim MacKey, with students Lloyd Hackl, left, and Patrick Brady, right, at their workstations.