Maxon announced the co-production of “The Design and Animation Tour” (DAT), in collaboration with community leaders and event organisers, Mograph.com. Kicking off at the end of April with the North American leg of the tour and with numerous industry-leading guest presenters, these events have been designed to inspire, educate and motivate creative professionals and new artists around the world.
From presentations and shared tips and tricks from an experienced team of professionals, to showcases of the latest product developments using shared project files, these events are a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about visual effects and how they can use them to create amazing content.
Dell in partnership with Nvidia, two of the world’s leading technology companies, and OTOY, creator of the Render Network – the world’s first decentralised GPU rendering and 3D asset marketplace – have stepped up as major sponsors of the event. Toolfarm, leading reseller of software solutions for video editing, motion graphics, and visual effects professionals is also sponsoring.
“With the cancellation of major industry events such as NAB and IBC at the onset of the pandemic, we brought the 3D and Motion Design Shows, as well as our regular weekly workshops to the virtual world, and we’ve seen exceptional attendance and feedback over the last few years,” said Maxon CMO Paul Babb. “But it’s time to get back to in person events, after easing back in 2022.”
He further mentioned, “Our creative community is eager for more live tutorials and demonstrations, and we want to bring this directly to their cities. This roadshow will help us to reconnect with our community and partners in a more personal, in-person experience and we hope to inspire creativity and innovation amongst those who attend.”
Maxon and Mograph.com Roadshow events are open to all skill levels of digital artists, motion designers, animators, graphic artists, visualisers, and students. A nominal fee will be charged for entry. Maxon will also be streaming several of the events live and recordings will be available online after each event for on-demand viewing.
Each event will consist of three distinct segments:
- Create: Tips and techniques for creating VFX, motion graphics, and interactive media using the Maxon One suite of tools as well as other industry-leading products.
- Connect: Featuring a panel discussion with local and visiting industry leaders, including audience participation. Topics will include the world of design, education, continued learning, job hunting, networking, contract work, mental health, work/life balance, and the complex social issues facing the modern digital artist.
- Celebrate: Closing out each event will be a social mixer with food, drinks, prize giveaways, and swag. This will be an opportunity for local students and artists to meet with industry professionals, studios, and any other attendees. In select cities, this event will move to a separate venue such as breweries, art galleries, or event centres to coincide with other motion graphics events.
Each city will feature a number of industry professionals demonstrating their key workflows and best practices. Full line-ups for each show will be available online, but attendees can expect to see presentations from popular Maxon regulars such as:
EJ Hassenfratz: EJ is a multi-Emmy winning freelance motion design artist based out of Denver. EJ has conducted numerous webinars, presented at NAB, Adobe Video World, Siggraph and many other events worldwide, and creates tutorials for School of Motion and lynda.com.
Chris Schmidt: Chris is the founder of Rocket Lasso. For two decades he has been providing workflow-enhancing plugins, tutorials, and live-streamed knowledge to the Maxon community. Each and every Wednesday, artists can find Chris on Twitch, diving into an endless variety of topics as he tackles questions live from the audience.
Jonathan Winbush: Jonathan Winbush is the owner of Winbush Immersive, and a multi-award-winning motion graphics artist with over a decade of experience working television, virtual and augmented reality. An official Unreal partner, he continues to create amazing content on his YouTube Channel about Unreal Engine, motion graphics, virtual production, and interactive development.
The first leg of the Maxon 2023 Roadshow will be visiting the following locations:
United States
- 28 April – University of Texas, Dallas, TX
- 11 May – Hilton Garden Inn Denver Downtown, Denver, CO
- 17 May – Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA
- 11 June – Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
- July TBD – Seattle, WA
- September TBD – Chicago, IL
- November – December TBD – Atlanta, GA, Tampa and Miami, FL, Charleston, SC
Canada
- 28 July – Vancouver Film School, Vancouver, BC
- 17 August – DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Downtown, Toronto, ON
- 22 August – DoubleTree by Hilton Montreal, Montreal, QC
Europe
- November TBD – London, Paris Berlin, Barcelona, Milan