What to know 

• The Electronic Arts (EA) and Berklee College of Music Next Gen Scholarship offers one female or non-cisgender composer (each semester) who is majoring or minoring in Game and Interactive Media Scoring the chance to receive a financial scholarship and be mentored by an industry-leading team. In addition to the award, the selected student may also be provided with the opportunity to take part in a mentorship program with EA composers and/or EA executives and employees.
• A recent USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative found that women currently represent only 1.7 percent of composers in screen music. 
• This partnership will enable greater equity in the entertainment industry and the world of screen scoring. 
• The scholarship recipient, Kate Rupinski, was announced at EA Day, where she met notable guest speakers, acclaimed composers, and music executives. 
• The EA/Berklee Next Gen Scholarship celebrates a commitment to gender inclusion and a fundamental continuation to creating the next generation of female composers.

In the 2017 GameSoundCon Game Audio Industry Survey, female game composers and sound designers made up just 12.7 percent of the industry. While we’ve made significant strides to create solutions and level the playing field, our work both in-game and IR is far from done!

Enter Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. They’re widely considered the place to be for learners looking to be among a diverse, talented, ambitious, and accomplished group of students, faculty, and alumni. Our recent partnership with the institution is the latest in a series of EA initiatives designed to inspire the next generation to pursue STEAM-based careers.

Driven by the EA Music team, this scholarship is part of EA’s bigger commitment to inclusive hiring and next-generation talent development.

On April 24, Katie Rupinski became the first recipient of this honor at EA Day, an annual event that brings notable guest speakers and EA music executives to Berklee’s Boston campus to accelerate the careers of women from all walks of life. A major objective of EA’s scholarships is to break down barriers and bring people together through direct engagement with industry leaders. This year’s participants heard from a multi-award-winning panel comprised of composers Dara Taylor, Nami Melumad, Stephanie Economou, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Chanda Dancy, moderated by Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive and President of EA Music, and Sean McMahon, Chair of the college’s Screen Scoring Department.

EA’s purpose is to expand the positive power of play. Scholarships like this represent the ambition of the entire company and its desire to keep this goal moving forward. This day is the latest in our efforts to build a future where talent from all backgrounds are given the opportunity to thrive. EA has ramped up its efforts to serve underrepresented communities and foster an environment focused on equality, inclusion, and empowerment. It is work like this and our EA Madden Scholarship that help us make a real difference.