I’ve been to CTNx in previous years as an attendee, so I knew it would be filled with awesome, but this year I decided to step it up a notch. This year, I grabbed a table in the fairly new New Talent area of the eXpo. I figured it would be a great way to get some exposure and network with other artists. Boy, was I right.
But let me back up for a minute. If you’re not familiar with the CTN animation eXpo, which you may not be since this was only its 5th year, you may want to check it out. It is a rapidly-growing convention dedicated to the art and artists of animation (and related media). It has a very strong studio presence, but at its core, it is about the creators. Where SIGGRAPH is more about the tools, CTNx is more about the people that use them. That’s my summary in a nutshell.
So, I had a table at XT32 and shared it with another talented artist, Kasey Amato (see above). We collaborated previously on “Treasure Dogs”, so I knew she had a lot to offer. Our table drew plenty of attention, and we had some great discussions with some really friendly and enthusiastic people. I was even asked to sign a few of my prints, which I found very flattering. A big thank you once again to those who enjoyed our work. I was published in the CTNx Sketchbook as well (below). Cool stuff.
I had some fantastic conversations with some of the studio representatives, too. I got to show my “Grandpa” puppets to LAIKA and talk to Disney and Nickelodeon, which was all really exciting and fun. No instant hires, of course, but it was invaluable to get advice and feedback from people actually working at those high-profile studios. Worth every bit of my time in line.
I did have some technical difficulties, spent a part of the first day hunting down a power strip, had a Sharpie explode on me and didn’t find out the shipping services of the hotel were closed on Sundays until Sunday. However, when it was all said and done, I was exhausted but very happy and optimistic about the possibilities. I left with a little more understanding and knowledge of myself and my animation colleagues, which is what I think events like this should be all about.
Creations, Thoughts and Musings 