Opening Doors for Future Animators

Supporting Student Scholarships

As the first in his family to attend college, Gil Cloyd understands how education can transform a life—and how financial barriers can stand in the way.

“It was good for me and my personal development; you have to learn how to really plan your time,” Cloyd says. “When I got out of veterinary school, I had a small federal loan, but debt was not an issue. It’s a totally different situation today for young people going to college. It limits what they can do sometimes in life. I had it a lot easier. It was much easier back in the ’60s for talented young people to get their education.”

This is what drives Cloyd’s philanthropy: opening access and alleviating financial pressures that create obstacles for students and their families. It’s in this spirit that he and his wife, Susan, created the Cloyd Endowed Scholarship in Animation. The scholarship provides annual funding for Animation students who’ve shown they are leaders in their field, either at work or in the classroom. The scholarship is renewable if the recipient continues to demonstrate leadership.

“I’m very sensitive to the cost of education and the difficulties it can create for talented young people and their families to achieve and to be able to get through and have a quality post-secondary education,” says Cloyd, who is also a member of the CCAD Board of Trustees. “My passion area is helping students make it to where they can financially afford to complete what they’re doing.”

Cloyd earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ohio State in 1969, went into private practice and then began work for Procter & Gamble, where he became involved with Research & Development and eventually the technological side of R&D. He retired as the company’s chief technology officer in 2008.

“While they’re quite different in one respect, there’s a lot of commonality between product development in the consumer product sector and developing outstanding animated films,” Cloyd says. “I used to tell my folks at P&G, think of yourself as an artist and all the other people you could interact with and what you’re doing, it’s like paint on a palette. Do you want to limit what you can do or do you want to open yourself to really explore? If you’re open-minded, you can get good advice. It can be some tough critique, but it’s very valuable. Sometimes you’ll get a great idea, something you didn’t even think about as you’re trying to finalize your creation, and that’s very important in animation, too.”

“I’m very sensitive to the cost of education and the difficulties it can create for talented young people and their families to achieve and to be able to get through and have a quality post-secondary education.”

In 2018, the Cloyds generously supported the Cloyd Family Animation Center, bringing leading-edge animation equipment and spaces to CCAD. Cloyd respects and admires the leadership of Charlotte Belland, Chair of Animation and Professor.

“What I’ve liked about Charlotte is that she is an outstanding teacher, but she also focuses on the full development of students in terms of not just the skill set but ‘what do you need to be successful in your future?’ You’ve got to be very good at storytelling. You’ve got to be able to work in teams,” Cloyd says. “Secondly, it’s her personality. Charlotte’s always a glass-half-full, big smile on her face. Sometimes it’s tough for the students. And to have a big personality like Charlotte’s around raises everyone’s good feelings. She’s always trying to get better.”
In 2014, Cloyd co-founded the Ohio Film Group and Lengi Studios and built offices right around the corner from CCAD on Broad Street. Together, the two entities offer animation and production services for films, employing students and alumni. They recently completed “Sneaks,” the first full-length animated feature film made in Ohio for global distribution. “Now there’s a very large number of CCAD graduates who have been part of a major animated film that will be circulated worldwide,” Cloyd says.