MTM COLLEGE
Current location (2024): 95 Moatfield Drive, North York (Toronto)
Founders: Maxine Schacker & Tina Sleeman
Left to Right, Maxine Schacker & Tina Seemann, Toronto Star, 24 May 1998: D6. Photo by Andrew Stawick.
It all began in September 1996, when Maxine Schacker, an animator and former Sheridan College instructor with another artist rented space for a studio. Six months later the partner moved out leaving Maxine facing eviction. Maxine persuaded the landlord to waive three month’s rent while she organized the addition of a school. It was at this time that Tina Seemann, another animator entered the scene. She provided the idea behind the mascot and the name “Max The Mutt” when she mentioned that they were a bunch of mutts not high priced purebreds like more established schools.
The college officially opened its doors September1997 as Studio M. It was an animation college and production facility with Maxine as President and Director and Tina, a Director. Initially, there were thirty students and eight-week sessions but within nine months Studio M had expanded to 200 students with a faculty of sixteen, offering year-round three-month sessions in acting, life drawing, anatomy, story boarding object drawing, layout and animation at both elementary and advanced levels. At that time, the students worked on a professional feature produced by the studio titled The Jazz Bears Jamboree. Written by Maxine’s husband David, it portrayed jazz greats of the past as animal cartoon characters. Music was composed by Michael Moore, who had also written a song about Dieppe called “6000 Soldiers”. It is not clear if this project reached a commercial audience.
The organization expanded and went through several name changes, from Studio M to Max The Mutt Animation, Art and Design to Metro Toronto Media College now called MTM College of Animation Art and Design. It apparently evolved from a combination school/production facility to purely a school. On February 28, 2022, MTM College was acquired by the Farvision Education Group Inc. also of Toronto. It presently (2024) offers four-year courses in classical and computer animation, illustration and story-telling for the sequential arts and concept art for animation and video games.
SOURCE:
Article newspaper:
Toronto Star, 24 May 1998: “Bachelor of ‘Toons”. Writ., Barry Brown: D6.
Internet:
mtmcollege.ca Accessed 10 June 2024.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max-the-Mutt-College-of animation-Art-%26-Design. 29 May 2024. Accessed 10 June 2024.
GALLERY:
Toronto Star, 24 May 1998: D6.