Savannah, Ga. - SCAD alumnus Reinaldo Ortiz and Team Latin America, of which he was a member, took first place in "The Engine Room," an mtvUniversity competition between digital artists from around the world.
The network announced that Ortiz's team won $400,000 in cash and Hewlett Packard gear as a result of the original animations, Web sites, short films, and sound mixes they created for the competition.
Originally from Anasco, Puerto Rico, Ortiz graduated from SCAD this year with a Master of Arts degree in animation. He said he felt appreciative and extremely privileged to participate in the mtvU competition.
The mtvU competition and filming took place over the course of several weeks in New York City earlier this year. Team challenges included interpreting time travel through digital art and creating commercials, Web sites, stop-motion short films and other projects.
HP and MTV also selected Ortiz as the international spokesperson for the next chapter of "The Engine Room," which offers artists a chance to have their design featured on the cover of a new laptop computer. In addition to answering questions about the competition, he'll be one of the judges who select the winning design.
To hear Ortiz speak about the next "The Engine Room" competition and to see his team's winning designs, visit www.mtvengineroom.com/notebook.