Actor Ed Asner Will Present Award Friday, June 22, at Exceptional Minds, a Vocational School and Working Animation Studio for Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum

Los Angeles, CA, June 16, 2012 --(PR.com)-- Actor Ed Asner will present an award to Adobe Systems at 2:30 p.m. on Friday to mark Exceptional Minds’ first successful year as a non-profit vocational school and working animation studio for young adults on the autism spectrum.

Press and media are invited to attend the open house event.

When: Friday, June 22
2:30 p.m. local time

Location: Exceptional Minds studio
13400 Riverside Drive, Ste. 211
Sherman Oaks, California 91423

For press pass, contact: Dee McVicker
602-319-6912
deemcv@grassrootsco.com

Exceptional Minds is the first studio of its kind to address the high unemployment rate among Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) individuals, offering instructional training in computer animation and special effects as a bridge between high school and the working world for these individuals. According to a recent study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, one in three young adults with autism have no job experience or college or technical training after high school graduation.

Roughly a half-million autistic kids will reach adulthood in the next decade.

Ed Asner, who is an advocate for autism research and funding as the parent of an autistic son, is on the advisory board of Exceptional Minds, which opened its doors in September 2011 with 11 students.

As a working studio preparing autistic individuals for employment, Exceptional Minds took in three film projects in the past year, including closing credits for The Weinstein Co. movie Lawless, which made the selection list at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Friends and supporters will gather Friday at the school to celebrate a long list of accomplishments, including three film projects, Adobe testing accreditation and an accomplished student body preparing for careers in post production and graphics media. At that time, Asner will present Mike Kanfer of Adobe Systems with an award for the software company’s early involvement and generous donation of software.