The first three years of ARC Academy- what we achieved and what’s in the works. Anthony Christov and Milin Djalaliev
This spring, ARC Academy celebrates its third anniversary. It is said that the first three years are crucial for a child’s development. At the risk of sounding sentimental, we allow ourselves to talk about the Academy as our child.
We believe we have put in a lot of effort and laid the foundation necessary for ARC’s growth as a modern educational institution, say Antoni Christov and Milin Dzhalaliev.
How it started
After 30 years in Hollywood, including 18 years as an Art Director at Pixar, Antoni Christov returned to Bulgaria in 2019 to start a digital arts academy. At the same time, Milin Dzhalaliev decided to apply his 16 years of experience in advertising and branding, 10 of which as the manager of Saatchi & Saatchi Sofia, to launch an academy for young talents growing as professionals in the creative and gaming industries.
How it continued
Three years later, with 140 students having gone through our programs, we are confident that the path we have chosen is the right one. Over 85% of ARC Academy graduates have found jobs in the gaming and creative industries. We are proud of these talented young people who achieve their dreams through persistence, dedication, and hard work.
We are happy to offer young Bulgarians a reason to stay in the country and an opportunity to succeed. We are confident that Bulgaria has the potential to become a desirable destination for international students and producers seeking partners to create high-quality content. We have found like-minded collaborators beyond Bulgaria, including Romanian gaming studios such as AMC, Amber, KillHouse, and Those Awesome Guys. The next step in our development is to transform into an international educational institution.
A significant milestone in our growth is our partnership with the American University in Bulgaria. As a result, we changed our location and now welcome our students at the “Elieff Center for Education and Culture” at AUBG.
