New Degree Pathway Available to TFS Grads with Launch of Yorkville University’s Bachelor of Creative Arts

Ask any leader in the creative industries what it takes to be successful, and they’ll tell you it’s a mix of equal parts passion and drive.

Starting this April, Toronto Film School graduates will now have a pathway along which to drive their creative passions all the way to career prosperity – and it’s all thanks to Yorkville University’s Bachelor of Creative Arts program.

“One thing I’ve noticed in my career as a writer/producer is that, along with creative passion usually comes something else – drive. The drive to take your career further. The drive to go all in. The drive to see your creative vision make the biggest impact possible,” said Adam Till, director of the newly launched degree program.

Aimed students with a specialized diploma in the creative arts, the Bachelor of Creative Arts degree completion program was designed to build upon the marketability of the creative skills they learned in their diploma programs, by teaching them about leadership and critical thinking in the cultural context of the creative arts.

“All told, it’s meant to be leadership, entrepreneurship, management and project management training for artists – with the unique slant that it’s for students in the creative industries,” Program Director Adam Till said of the newly launched degree.

“We want them to be able to go into a production company or video game company after graduation and be able to work on projects right away, know the lingo, know-how teams work, know what a timeline looks like, and know the corporate realities of working on projects.

“We want them to be able to set up their own production company and know how to do their own research, how to finance projects, what the realities are for financing creative projects in terms of grants and tax credits and some private financing in certain cases. We want them to be able to actually have these careers that they’re trained for after their diplomas.”

Offered both online and at Toronto Film School’s College-Dundas Campus, Yorkville’s Bachelor of Creative Arts is a natural next step for graduates of any one of Toronto Film School’s array of diploma programs – from Film Production, Acting and Writing for Film & Television, to Video Game Design and Graphic Design & Interactive Media.

By teaching these students a breadth of skills – from fundraising and budget planning to research and critical assessment, to the importance of ethical collaboration and personal accountability – Yorkville University’s five-term Bachelor of Creative Arts will arm them with both the bachelor-level credential and the advanced skills necessary to create their own opportunities in as few as 15 months.

And that, said Toronto Film School’s Emmy-winning Executive Producer in Residence, is the perfect recipe for a successful career as a leader in the creative industries.

“The great thing about the Bachelor of Creative Arts program is that it’s going to build on the foundation that you already have – what you’ve already learned in the classroom, what you’ve already experienced on set, and in your experiences creating your own portfolio of work,” said Andrew Barnsley, an Executive Producer on CBC’s Schitt’s Creek and CEO of Project 10 Productions.

“You will be getting trained by industry experts who will be there to guide you along the way, who will speak from experience and who will give you the head start you need to build a career in this business.”

In addition to Till, who will teach Creative Arts in an Ethical and Legal Context, other faculty members who have played a part in the development of the Bachelor of Creative Arts curriculum include:

– Veteran writer and broadcast journalist Ralph Silva, who will teach Creative Arts in a Cultural Context

– Victoria Novak, an associate at Taylor Oballa Murray Leyland LLP, who will teach the Managing Talent course

– Amber Fares, the award-winning documentary filmmaker behind Speed Sisters, who consulted on the Global Perspectives course

“Our degree will be taught by award-winning, industry-active experts who will give you a more complete understanding of the practical side of the creative industries, including film, graphic design, video games and others,” Till said.

Another added bonus of the program for international students is that Yorkville University’s Bachelor of Creative Arts can also serve as a pathway towards a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

“International students can also apply for PGWPs to help achieve their career aspirations right away,” Till said.

“If you’re ready to unite your creative passions with more professional opportunities, join the Bachelor of Creative Arts program at Yorkville University, where you complete you.”

Learn more about the Bachelor of Creative Arts (Online Delivery) here and/or the Bachelor of Creative Arts (On-Campus Delivery) here.