The Higher Education Review

Two years back, in 2017, FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, an association of business organization) and KPMG (Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler, a multinational professional services network) reported that the Indian animation industry grew to 15 billion in 2016 and said that the industry will reach 23 billion mark in 2020 and this growth will not come easily as the Indian animation industry needed to cross hurdles like fabricating indigenous professionals and skilled labors. Even before the release of this report, Mahesh Sriram, CEO and Founder of Pixels Academy was able to foresee this condition of the Indian animation industry and aimed to bridge the gap between international and Indian animation industry through innovative and collaborative animation education. He opened the doors of Pixels Academy in Hyderabad in 2015 with the objective to create a benchmark in the curriculum that enhances creativity and hidden skills of every student.

Becoming The First In Many Segments
Pixels Academy is the First Authorized Testing Center for Certiport in India and this certification exam is a global certification program for animation professionals working with Toon Boom and other products worldwide. "We are the first authorized animation training center for Toon Boom courses in India where teachers and industry experts empower pupils with job-ready and lifelong learning skills to become effective innovators, communicators and leaders within the creative economy. I have over 18 years of global experience in strategic development programs which I created in association with reputed international organizations to provide the best

educational experience that conduces to the holistic development of students, both artistically and professionally," says Mahesh Sriram, CEO and Founder, Pixels Academy.

Pixels Academy differentiates itself by focusing on small student-to-teacher ratios, with only 10 pupils per class to ensure each pupil gets the deserved attention. The academy is known to be the destination and hub of great animation as it offers the possibility of learning directly from the finest professionals in Hollywood, who have worked on diverse animation blockbusters like Rango, Transformers, Rise of the Guardians, Madagascar 3, and The Legend of Secret Pass. "Every faculty has its own style of teaching and they are dedicated to producing the best animators of the future. Our teaching methodologies are based-on hybrid or blended style that follows an integrated approach to teaching and aligns a teacher's personality and interests with students' needs and curriculum in an appropriate way," elucidates Mahesh. At Pixels Academy, the students also learn the invaluable fundamental techniques needed to succeed as professionals like teamwork and leadership.

"Pixels Academy differentiates itself by focusing on small student-to-teacher ratios, with only 10 pupils per class to ensure each pupil gets the deserved attention"

Creating a Pool of Resources
Located in Hyderabad, the booming technological and political capital of India's Telangana state, Pixels Academy is a world-class digital media institution, with state-of-the-art training and facilities to equip students for careers in animation, visual effects and gaming. The academy constantly brings renowned Indian and international industry professionals and has established partnerships with homegrown industry heavyweights including M9FX, Firefly, Green Gold, DQ and Prime Focus plus. "We have created a work culture that has guided us to achieve great feats in the animation industry. We identified the areas to shape our overall corporate social responsibility to foster and enhance sustainable

business practices throughout the organization. We are working towards continually evaluating opportunities to reduce the environmental footprint of the physical operations, expanding educational opportunities for low-income students and creating educational equality by opening doors to differently-abled students. We support personal growth and believe employees drive the overall success of the company," elucidates Mahesh.

Following a Great Man's Words for Future Expansion
The success of the students at Pixels Academy has been possible due to the eternal vision of its founder Mahesh, who believes in what Walt Disney has said once "If you can dream it, you can do it" and the essence of that statement became the basis for Pixels Academy's slogan "Explore your Imagination." True to its vision, the academy in a very short time has provided 100 percent placement to the students and in the next few years, the academy poised to travel an even more exciting path. The academy management is striving to build a strong curriculum and introduce animation as a structured course. "We would like to work with all peers and government agencies in a collaborative manner to make sure animation as an industry become strong and India emerges as a leader on the global platform. We are focusing on quality and not the quantity of students graduating from the academy to become the best animator provider in the country," concludes Mahesh.

Mahesh Sriram, CEO and Founder
Mahesh Sriram is a popular international actor, model and an entrepreneur. He earned his MBA and became a professional animator/multimedia specialist and has worked with Hollywood and Bollywood projects and used his experience to start his own animation company in the U.S., Pixels Multimedia LLC. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Mahesh works as a professional model and actor for some biggest global brands. Presently, he heads Pixels Academy, India and Pixels Multimedia, LLC, USA and spearheads international projects in both the countries.