A Montreal non-profit organization is helping those with autism spectrum disorder get training in video production and animation so they can find meaningful jobs in the workforce.
Spectrum Productions co-founder Liam O’Rourke said the facilities they’ve assembled has made them unique, in terms of being an education centre for those with autism. For the past seven years, O’Rourke and partner Dan TenVeen have enabled a group of people who often struggle to find work to learn valuable skills.
“In terms of media production skills, I don’t think there’s anyone else out there, certainly in Canada, offering a program like we’re offering,” said O’Rourke.
The team behind Spectrum is organizing a fundraising gala at the Rialto Theatre on Nov. 2. They’ll be showing more than 30 short films that have been produced by their students.
Among those students is Lucas Leroy, who has discovered a passion for animation. He’s taken the skills learned at Spectrum and founded his own YouTube channel and makes cartoons.
“I want to work at a studio who produce cartoons for books and video games,” he said.
The non-profit offers a summer program, after-school program, a Saturday morning cartoon-making program, two social clubs and a creative media program that operates on weekdays. Those programs allow students to gain real-world experience: Spectrum has begun taking on corporate gigs that has given some participants the chance to work on a professional portfolio.
While the organization has organized the tools, O’Rourke credits the participants for their hard work.
“These guys own it,” he said. “This is their environment. They welcome everybody else that comes in and I think that’s a really special thing.”
