I flip through the channels on a wooden box television with an antenna and seven channels. A stereotypical TV lawyer from 1993 appears wearing baggy slacks to accompany a wonderfully greased ponytail:
“Hi! I’m Morgan L. Lundybergenheimerschmidt. Did you know you could be eligible for up to 240 hours of free Blender, Houdini, or Unreal Engine courses through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act–”
I flip the channel. It’s the weatherman.
“We’re gonna see a deep front come in here from the West, and it’s gonna bring some heavy bands of MetaHuman Creator learning and an intermediate Zbrush class…”
I flip. It’s a chef chopping carrots.
“You see, if you’re an out-of-work VFX artist, you wanna chop that grant application up just like this…”
Chop-chop-chop
“…get those free 240 hours and wah-lah, look at that nice free education…”
I shut it off. Okay, I get it. The Studio Arts post-secondary fine arts school in Los Angeles is offering valuable skills – possibly for free – for VFX artists seeking work.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
First off, this is a nationwide piece of legislation that was passed and includes training centers throughout the country. Artists can utilize the WIOA-eligible training center search tool to find which facilities in their home state might offer free VFX education to build and enhance their skillsets for employment.
We’re going to use Studio Arts LA as our case study example. It’s located in a populous location for creators, it’s straightforward in what it offers, and it’s a well-organized and premier example of how you may be able to acquire invaluable knowledge and tactile skills through grant funding.
According to Studio Arts LA, these are the bones of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act:
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) is landmark legislation that is designed to strengthen and improve our nation’s public workforce system and help get Americans, including youth and those with significant barriers to employment, into high-quality jobs and careers and help employers hire and retain skilled workers.
If you are out of work (or soon will be), and you need new skills to re-enter the workforce, but don’t have the money to train to get those skills, then you may qualify for WIOA funding.

Unreal Engine Stage Ops (photo: facebook.com/StudioArtsSchool)
How does the grant funding work?
Studio Arts offers up to 240 hours of funded training for those eligible, and this education comes in the form of 120- and 240-hour intensive learning courses through the Studio Arts Skills Mastery Programs.
What kind of classes do they offer?
The Skills Mastery Program includes a selection of 12 unique courses. These include:
- Virtual Production (Unreal Engine) (120 hours)
- Virtual Production (full program) (240 hours)
- 2D Digital Animation (240 hours)
- CG Modeling (240 hours)
- Compositing and Visual Effects (240 hours)
- Computer Animation (240 hours)
- Computer Illustration (240 hours)
- Digital Illustration (Short-term program – 120 hours)
- Digital Set Design (240 hours)
- Digital Set Design (Short-term program – 120 hours)
- Graphic Design (240 hours)
- Graphic Design (Short-term program – 120 hours)
Deeper descriptions of the techniques and tools you would learn in these courses can be found on the Studio Arts LA Skills Mastery Program page.
In addition to the Skills Mastery Program, Studio Arts LA offers 25 classes – usually online and 30 hours in length – that include topics from Blender 101 to Davinci Resolve 101.

What’s the background of Studio Arts LA?
Studio Arts LA is known as a premier visual effects production and 3D animation post-secondary education training facility with the mantra of “Education for Entertainment Creatives.” Studio Arts is located in the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens, where a training staff of more than 60 experienced industry professionals divulge their secrets through continuing education courses in the latest technologies. The 2,020-square-foot fine art studio is set up with two physical classrooms and a selection of online classes that host a variety of programs. Eric Huelsman, President and CEO of Studio Arts LA, has been instructing at the studio since its founding in 2001.
Finding green growth of opportunity in barren landscape.
As the SAG and WGA strikes carry on, VFX artists face a wide spectrum of challenges from a range of worldviews. Some artists are still working on uncompleted projects, some are at home enjoying the mental restoration, and some feel like they’re in a dust bowl of work.
Those at home, flipping through their 1993 box TV with antenna and seven channels, can still find an oasis in the dirt.
To explore Studio Arts LA, visit www.studioarts.com. Visit the Studio Arts WIOA page to find contact info for grant funding. To explore WIOA-eligible training facilities in your state, visit the www.careeronestop.org WIOA training program search tool.