Monday Meeting

In this guest episode, motion designer and toolkit creator Scott Black joins Monday Meeting to talk about going from freelance animator to After Effects plugin developer, the ADHD hyperfixation that started it all, and the tools he's built to make AE faster and more fun to use.

This episode covers:

• Working with ADHD as a motion designer: Tips and tricks from the group on managing focus, task stacking, and dopamine.
• How a cold-outreach macro turned into a plugin business: The Keyboard Maestro rabbit hole that changed Scott's career.
• Control Groups: Bringing RTS-game-style layer selection to After Effects.
• Compstronaut: A back button for After Effects.
• Command Frame (free): A command palette that goes a few steps beyond FX Console and Quick Apply.
• Stream Deck and beyond: Why Scott's hardware integration works differently from the preset packs.
• Control surfaces for motion designers: Dials, foot pedals, and the gear that doesn't exist yet for AE.

Find Scott's tools:

• scottblack.me/software
• aescripts.com/authors/scott-black (Select Every Other Layer, Control Groups, Compstronaut, Command Frame)

Upcoming Events:

• Game Night: Wednesday, October 28 — costumes encouraged!
• Next Open Discussion: Monday, November 9
• Open Office Hours: Monday mornings when we're not recording — portfolio reviews and hangouts

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 
  
• Command Frame
• Scott on AE Scripts
• Keyboard Maestro
• Zack Lovatt’s Site

This open discussion episode recaps Camp Mograph Colorado, digs into personal development systems that actually work for creative brains, and features the podcast's first-ever live showreel review.

This episode covers:

• Camp Mograph Colorado recap: What makes camp magic by day two, the women-of-camp circle that might become its own retreat, and a scavenger hunt that gets more unhinged every year.
• The Anti-Planner and ADHD-friendly productivity: What happened when Dani Donovan's workshop made a room full of motion designers cry, and the unpacking trick that actually worked.
• "Discipline doesn't exist": Why the thing we call discipline might really be ten separate skills, and what that changes about building habits.
• Live showreel critique: The podcast's first on-air reel review, with notes a beginner can act on today, from one mislabeled effect to what's missing from the end card.
• Personal branding and the logline: The one sentence every designer should write before touching their brand, and why being obviously human is now an edge.
• Networking beats cold-applying: Where freelance jobs actually come from, and the offer that gets new designers their first repeat clients.
• Where to host and find reels: Which showreel site everyone's migrating to, and why rushing to the newest AI tools might be a mistake.

Upcoming Events:

• Monday, October 19: Guest episode with motion designer and toolkit creator Scott Black
• Wednesday, October 28: Online Game Night, costumes encouraged
• Monday, November 9: Next open discussion
• An additional guest episode in November, to be announced
• Office hours continue on the Discord voice channel on off Mondays

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 
  
• ⁠Shrisha’s Show Reel
• Camp Mograph
• Dani’s Anti Planner
• Change Academy/Body Brain Alliance
• Karin Nordin, CEO of Brain Body Alliance’s Instagram (full of so many helpful tips)
• Post about what Self-Discipline is
• Free Course ”Time and Task Management for Creative Freelancers”

Our last open discussion episode of the summer wanders from focus rituals and sleep tech into cult psychology, library inspiration hauls, and an honest look at running a volunteer-powered creative community.  

This episode covers:

• What motion designers listen to while working: Silence, podcasts, ambient soundscapes — and one unexpected kaiju-based approach.
• Sleep tech for creatives who can't shut off: Sleep buds, earplugs, and the tricky problem of waking up once you've blocked out the world.
• Cults, true crime, and the language of persuasion: Why influencer culture feels so culty — and what that has to do with staying human in the age of AI.
• Analog inspiration is back: Libraries, kids' books, vintage layouts, and slowing down offline.
• The Monday Meeting bookshelf: Community book recs keep stacking up, and a browsable bookshelf page is coming to the site.
• Tips on running a volunteer community: Burnout, the nonprofit question, and why growth isn't always the primary goal.
• Ways to get involved: Newsletter sections, the listener spotlight, and guest hosting opportunities.

Upcoming Events:

• No game night this month
• Next Open Discussion: October 12th
• Open office hours continue on Discord on non-recording Mondays

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠
• 
  
• Sleep headphones Illya suggested!

In this guest episode, Nick and Sam Snyder of Snaggletooth Creative join Monday Meeting to talk about launching a public-facing motion design studio, making the award-winning folk horror short Nurture, navigating the film festival circuit, and how live-action filmmaking sharpens the storytelling skills motion designers bring to client work.

This episode covers:

• How to finish a personal project when client work keeps winning: The scheduling mindset that finally got a years-long film idea out the door.
• From freelancer billing name to public-facing studio: What actually changes when you stop talking like a freelancer and start talking like a studio owner.
• Why a mascot character can carry a brand beyond its founders: How Snaggy came to be, and the part of the process nobody warns you about.
• Bringing motion design tricks to live-action: The pre-production habits from mograph that made a 3–4 day shoot possible.
• Why horror is a smart genre for first-time filmmakers: Creative constraints, community, and a surprisingly welcoming room.
• How to navigate the film festival circuit: Where to submit, how to figure out where your film fits, and how to make festivals work for your business.
• The festival market motion designers overlook: A whole category of clients that need exactly what you do.
• Building the promotion muscle when imposter syndrome hits: A low-stakes way to get comfortable putting yourself out there.
• DaVinci Resolve vs. Adobe for color: Why the final conform didn't happen in Premiere.
• How cinema language levels up your motion design portfolio: What live-action storytelling teaches you that client work won't.
• How to get on a film set with zero experience: Free, local, and closer than you think.

Follow Nurture on Instagram at nurture.film and find behind-the-scenes breakdowns at snaggletooth.tv.

Upcoming Events:

• Open Discussion: Monday, September 14
• Game Night (usually the last Wednesday of the month): TBA for September — watch the website, newsletter, or Discord
• Office Hours voice channel on Discord on off-Mondays — unrecorded, drop-in co-working and hangout
• Additional guest episodes to be announced

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠⁠⁠
• 
  
• Snaggletooth.tv
• "Nuture" Film
• Film Festival Submission Resource

In this open discussion episode, the Monday Meeting community digs into Adobe's new After Effects AI Assistant, agentic workflows and MCPs, the booming market for interactive graphics in Rive, and how AI is reshaping specialization and career strategy in motion design.

This episode covers:

• First impressions of Adobe's After Effects AI Assistant: The beta tool promises to build comps from text descriptions, but early reactions raise questions about speed, pricing, and when it's actually worth changing your workflow.
• How one agent can replace a stack of AI subscriptions: Why paying for isolated AI features inside each app might be selling yourself short—and how a single agentic workflow with good context can organize Illustrator files, Rive state machines, and more.
• Where AI helps and where it doesn't: The tasks worth handing off (labeling layers, hunting down broken expressions, batch settings) versus the ones where you'll spend more time prompting than doing it yourself.
• Rive's interactive graphics boom: How the "Flash on steroids" tool is powering live event graphics for NBA All-Star Weekend, Final Four broadcasts, and interactive games—and what that market looks like for freelancers.
• How to make developers love working with you: The handoff documentation approach that keeps clients coming back, plus a free open-source Rive player tool shared with the community (link in show notes).
• Spotting AI misrepresentation in freelance work: The growing problem of hired artists secretly passing off AI output as handmade—and where the community draws the line on acceptable use.
• Hyper-specialization vs. covering more ground: How AI lets artists go deeper into a niche or expand their range to deliver full products solo—and how to decide which path fits you.
• Do degrees still matter in an AI world?: A spirited debate on liberal arts education, critical thinking, and what to tell the next generation entering creative careers.

Upcoming Events:

• Game Night date TBA—keep an eye on the website and Discord for the official date
• Guest episode later this month: Nick and Sam Snyder from Snaggletooth TV on passion projects outside client work (date TBA)
• Next open discussion: September 14th
• Office hours on Discord on non-podcast Mondays—portfolio reviews, reel reviews, troubleshooting, and hangouts
• Ilya is seeking beta testers for a new After Effects expression editor—post in the Discord to join

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠⁠
• 
  
• ⁠⁠IVG Tool Kit
• Ilya’s expression editor plugin (needs beta testers!)

This open discussion episode starts with live events, collaboration, and freelance positioning — and one rule: no AI talk. That rule lasts about six minutes.

This episode covers:

• How to stay visible without making everything yourself: Why collaborations are quietly doing more for freelance work right now than solo output.
• The call opener that gets clients talking: How to turn cold outreach warm, and why leading with your credentials is the wrong move.
• Why your reel might not be what's getting you hired: The case for selling your process and your soft skills instead.
• The difference between AI slop and AI that actually drives your software: What happens when you hand an approved script to an agent and walk away for coffee — plus the argument for why it's still not worth your time.
• How to spot "tool slop" before you download it: Vibe-coded plugins are flooding the market, and provenance is becoming the only real filter.
• Where to draw the line with generative AI: The push-button test, and whether gen AI storyboards quietly contaminate everything downstream.
• How to talk a small business out of the AI flyer: The argument that actually lands — and it isn't water usage or artist harm.
• How to price your work when the client wants an AI discount: Flat rates, rate cards, and who should be paying for those tokens.
• On being the tired cheerleader: An honest note about burnout, survivor's guilt from the COVID boom, and the LinkedIn positivity trap.

Upcoming Events:

• Game Night: Wednesday, July 29th, 6:30pm Pacific — Gartic Phone is the official game, with optional Mecha Chameleon afterward
• Open discussions are held the second Monday of every month
• No guest episode scheduled this month — pitch a guest if you've got one!

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠
• 
  
• ⁠IVG Tool Kit
• AE Scripts Sale

In this special guest episode, Ben Drake (head of motion) and Shaw Flick (creative director and head of writing) of Pennant Video join the Monday Meeting team to talk about how motion designers can think like writers—from daily writing habits to hooks, structure, and saying more with fewer words.

This episode covers:

• Writing as thinking, not word smithing: Why the real skill is finding the underlying message and structuring ideas—and the daily morning practice that builds it.
• The writing/motion overlap: Patterns, contrast, rhythm, transitions, problem-and-resolution—how the writer and the animator are solving the same problems.
• Less words on screen: Why mirroring the VO hurts retention, how text length quietly drives runtime, and where on-screen words actually earn their place.
• Pennant's mid-funnel approach: The "video marketing trifecta"—differentiation, demonstration, validation—and the anthem, explainer, and testimonial work it shapes.
• Live script reads as a client unlock: Reading a first draft aloud on the call instead of emailing it—and why it beats the ChatGPT scripts clients tend to send.
• Start with the goal, not the deliverable: Digging into what a video needs to do before any craft call, with a Datavant trade-show piece that turned "powered by AI" into a turbine-engine metaphor.
• Hooks that actually pull people in: Bucketing ideas into themes, generating in your own head over a chatbot, lenses like "list and twist," and a book recommendation for silencing your "inner ding-dong."

Upcoming Events:

• Next Open Discussion: July 13th (second Monday of each month)
• Next Game Night: July 29th (last Wednesday of every month, possibly debuting Mecha Chameleon!)

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter⁠
• 
  
• Pennant Video
• Pennant Video "Trust Issues Vol 1"
• Datavant video
• A Self-Help Guide for Copywriters by Dan Nelken
• Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
• Do Interesting by Russel Davies
• Hey Whipple, Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan
• Manifesto Writing
• Sony Trapper's of Time

In this open discussion episode, the Monday Meeting team leads a conversation about the emotional side of creative work—processing projects that get canceled, separating your identity from your output, and leaning on community through the freelance feast-or-famine cycle.

This episode covers:

• When a project gets shelved at the 11th hour: Why it stings more when you've poured yourself in—and how to tell over-investment from imposter syndrome.
• Separating yourself from your work: How to keep your work from becoming your identity—plus a book recommendation that helps.
• "The client is not your friend": How to stay emotionally distant while still doing your best work.
• Reframing canceled work: How a shelved project can still earn its keep—and why the ownership outlasts the client's approval.
• Coping strategies that actually help: The small daily habit that brings back a sense of control when everything else feels out of your hands.
• Soft skills over creative: Why how you handle a project going sideways can matter more than the final result.
• The feast-or-famine booking cycle: Saying "no," the "full restaurant" effect, and the booking pattern every freelancer keeps running into.
• Community as a lifeline: How these calls and the Discord help carry people through rough seasons.

Upcoming Events/Schedule:

• Game Night: Wednesday, June 24th (now every last Wednesday of the month), ~6/6:30 PM Pacific—playing Gartic Phone
• Next Open Discussion: Monday, July 13th (now monthly, every second Monday)
• Off-Monday "Open Office Hours" voice channel on Discord for portfolio/reel reviews—not recorded, so good for NDA-sensitive work
• Open to guest hosts and topic requests; new social media memes and challenges rolling out

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter
• 
  
• The Good Enough Job
• Scott Pelley Fired from 60mins
• Do What You Can’t by Casey Neistat
• Business Model Generation written by Alexander Osterwalder & Eves Pigneur

In this open discussion episode, host Jen Van Horn leads a conversation about unplugging from screens, summer hobbies, and creative projects that get you off the computer.

This episode covers:

• Boulder Startup Week recap: Highlights from the AI-heavy conference, an unexpected standout workshop using LEGO to surface abstract ideas, and why networking leads from startup events tend to pay off on a longer timeline than you'd expect.
• Explaining motion design to non-designers: Why pitching at conferences and local meetups sharpens how you describe your work in ways your website never will.
• Automation as a way off the screen: How vibe coding and AI tools can actually free up time for hiking and other things—and the trap of getting pulled back in to build "just one more" automation.
• Tactile creative projects for summer: Laser cutters, zoetropes, flip books, stop-motion experiments, and physical design work that keeps the creative muscles moving without a monitor.
• In-camera experimentation over Photoshop: Playing with prisms, plexiglass, LED wands, and actual cameras to make weird abstract imagery and try unfamiliar genres.
• Rituals that reset the brain: A grab bag of what the team actually does to unplug—biking, hammocks, gardening, running programs, and small bookend habits that separate work from life.
• Visiting Colorado pre-camp: Recommendations for anyone arriving early for Camp Mograph, plus a heads-up about altitude.

Upcoming Events/Schedule:

• **Monday Meeting is moving to a monthly format—every second Monday going forward!
• Next podcast: Open Discussion on June 8th
• Game Night: Wednesday, May 27th
• Join the Discord for announcements, office hours, and topic suggestions

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter

In this open discussion episode, host Jen Van Horn facilitates a conversation about AI systems, workflow automation, and the evolving role of motion designers as creative technologists.

**ATTN! Show Format Update: Monday Meeting is moving to once-a-month scheduled open discussions (second Monday of each month), with additional guest episodes announced as they come together. Off-Mondays will feature open office hours on the Discord, with more focus on game nights, workshops, and community engagement across Discord and social media. A new topics channel is live on the Discord server for episode ideas and guest suggestions.

This episode covers:

• AI as operations supercharger, not generative art: The most valuable AI use cases for small studios and freelancers aren't generative imagery—they're automating the operational tasks that drain mental load and free up creative energy.
• Building agents like employees: Framing each automation as a specific role (producer, biz dev, social media manager) keeps things tactical and prevents the "system after system" trap that plagues early adopters.
• Motion designers are uniquely positioned: Sitting at the intersection of creative and technical, motion designers are well-suited to ride the current automation wave across industries—reminiscent of the pre-standardized motion design era.
• Vibe coding as a legitimate skill: Real examples shared of building MVPs, custom plugins, and proprietary tools (cloud generators via GLSL, render queues) born from specific production needs that became sellable products.
• The democratization opportunity: If artists don't inject their voices and processes into the AI ecosystem, the path of least resistance for the next generation will shape tools and recommendations away from craft.
• Energy, ethics, and legitimate concerns: Discussion of environmental impact, IP/rights issues, and the optimization pressure driving genuine efficiency gains—though guardrails and legislation remain urgent.
• Choosing your lane: Participation isn't mandatory. Artists keeping traditional workflows become the specialists others hire—collaboration across approaches is the path forward, not forced adoption.

Upcoming Schedule:

• Next week: Another open discussion episode (hosts TBD)
• Going forward: Open Discussion episodes scheduled for the second Monday of each month
• Off-Mondays: Open office hours on the Discord

Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!

SHOW NOTES:

• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Monday Meeting Discord⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
• ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MondayMeeting Newsletter
• 
  
• Mark Cernosia's Systems PDF