We are thrilled to announce Variety has named Ringling College Film Program Head Bradley Battersby as the 2017 Variety Mentor of the Year.

Variety has been honoring influential and inspiring educators the “Mentor of the Year” award as a staple of the publication’s annual Educational Impact issue, released at the end of each academic year.​

“Since the inception of our Film Program ten years ago, Brad has built an environment of creative experimentation that allows our students to flex their storytelling muscles while developing professional-level production expertise,” said Dr. Larry R. Thompson, President of Ringling College of Art and Design. “We congratulate Brad on this singular recognition and thank Variety for honoring Brad as their 2017 Mentor of the Year.”

In the article, available in print on newsstands and online, Brad is quoted on his belief that “In a film school environment, we get to experiment, we get to learn. I allow and encourage my students not to take the safe route.”

In speaking of this honor, he goes on to say, “Being named Variety’s Mentor of the Year is an incredible honor and something I couldn’t have achieved without my top-notch faculty and staff, amazing students, and a college like Ringling, unafraid of change, innovation and progress.”

Also cited as a factor in the Variety article is Ringling College’s Studio Lab Program, created by the College and David Shapiro of Semkhor Productions, which has brought guest artists including Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, and “The Magnificent Seven” director Antoine Fuqua to Ringling to work with students. In addition, students have earned professional credits in three in-house Studio Lab projects, including two web series created and directed by Justin Long and Dylan McDermott, and the Sundance independent feature “Dark Night,” directed by Tim Sutton.

Congratulations to Brad Battersby!

Brad Battersby on Suncoast View