JUNE 21, 2022 (LOS ANGELES, CA) – The CEO of San Francisco based Unity Technologies, John Riccitiello, has donated $14 million to the USC School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Media & Games Division (IMGD) to establish the John Riccitiello Fund, it was announced today by Elizabeth Daley, dean of the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
The gift will provide a permanent source of financial support ensuring IMGD remains the leader in cutting edge education and research and will continue to be a creative incubator for future professional interactive media creators. Danny Bilson, SCA professor, chair of IMGD and director of USC Games, will be installed as the John Riccitiello chair in Games and Interactive Media.
States SCA Dean Daley: “We are incredibly grateful to John Riccitiello for this generous and meaningful gift. The games industry is the fastest growing sector of the entertainment industry, and this endowment will ensure our students have the long-lasting support necessary to continue to break barriers and find new ways to create impactful games, interactive experiences and innovative research.”
States Riccitiello: “I am beyond excited to partner with the talented team behind the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Interactive Media & Games Division. By providing support for faculty and students, my goal is to help ensure the next generation of diverse, interactive media creators has the freedom to experiment and thrive. I cannot wait to see what the students create under the innovative and future-facing approach for which the Division—and USC Games--is known.”
States Bilson: “With the generous support of John Riccitiello, our programs and research labs will continue to advance the artform of interactive media and games. It will also ensure we can attract faculty and mentors with the extensive industry experience necessary to support and guide our students. I am honored to hold the John Riccitiello chair in Games and Interactive Media.”
The only program of its kind tied to a cinematic arts school, the Interactive Media & Games Division offers unprecedented opportunities for students to explore media convergence in an environment that leverages the natural advantages of its Los Angeles setting. As half of the prestigious USC Games joint program, shared with the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the Division explores the methods and technologies that are shaping art and entertainment today, and provides leading edge research and a hotbed of ideas for future professional storytellers.
The Interactive Media & Games Division offers a Bachelor of Arts in Interactive Entertainment and a Master of Fine Arts in Interactive Media as well as a number of courses in computer-based entertainment for non-majors.
The Princeton Review has ranked USC the #1 Game Design School in North America nearly every year since its ranking system began in 2009.
ABOUT JOHN RICCITIELLO:
John Riccitiello is an American business executive, currently serving as chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of Unity, the world’s leading platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content. Previously, he served as CEO, chief operating officer and president of Electronic Arts, and co-founded private equity firm Elevation Partners in 2004. Riccitiello has served on several company boards, including those of the Entertainment Software Association, the Entertainment Software Rating Board, and the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
ABOUT THE USC SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS:
The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is one of the leading media schools in the world. Founded in collaboration with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1929 over 90 years ago, the USC School of Cinematic Arts has fueled and mirrored the growth of entertainment as an industry and an art form. The School offers comprehensive programs in directing, producing, writing, cinema and media studies, animation and digital arts, production, interactive media and games, all backed by a broad liberal arts education and taught by leading practitioners in each field. Its more than 17,000 alumni are among the world’s most distinguished animators, scholars, teachers, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound experts, video game designers and industry executives. Since 1973 not a year has passed without an alumnus or alumna being nominated for an Academy Award or an Emmy. https://cinema.usc.edu/
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