Imagine if you had the chance to work with one of the greatest bands of the modern age. How hard would you work to get there...and what did it take? Bomper Studio's Emlyn Davies and Josh Hicks challenged their team to learn how to produce high-end character-driven work, and that effort directly led to a contract...with the Foo Fighters.

Chris Schmidt is a really good 3D artist. He was one half of the wacky Greyscalegorilla team back in the early days of the site, and quickly gained a reputation for his MacGyver-like ability to rig things up in the most clever ways imaginable. Some of his tutorials were instant classic, and helped many artists learn their way around Cinema 4D. Now, we're talking to him about his new site, Rocket Lasso, and the future of 3D art and design. Check it!

Even if you don't pay close attention to industry news, you've likely heard of NFTs. Crypto art, led by a growing list of pioneering artists, is revolutionizing not only our industry but art as a whole. However, there have been some valid concerns raised over the viability of the market and the environmental impact of cryptocurrency. That's why we gathered to grapple with this topic and share our observations...plus what we've been hearing from artists and studios.

What do you do when you get a great idea? Not just something you enjoy thinking about, but a brain worm that burrows deep and won't let go. Even when we're confident that we have a handle on something great, the road ahead can be so daunting that we just give up. Today we're joined by Max Keane, creator of the new Netflix animated series Trash Truck, to hear about his journey from concept to reality.

Demo reels aren't just a reflection of your past—they're also a signpost to your future. The work you show can directly connect to the jobs you'll land...which adds all sorts of pressure to an already stressful task. We're getting real about reels and talking to Laura Porat, a freelance motion designer with a seriously impressive client list. In this conversation, we cover her most recent (and magnificent) reel, which was hyper-focused on the work she wants to find in her future.

Katie Menzies and Abel Reverter founded Cabeza Patata in Barcelona, Spain in 2018. There, they consider themselves artists first and motion designers second, with a focus on inclusiveness, positivity, and having a hands-on approach to motion design. Cabeza Patata just opened up their new studio where not only do they work for big clients such as Spotify and Google, but their studio is also a gallery—a place they open up to the community, teaching workshops for kids and adults alike, showing them how they can get their hands dirty creating art.

Mike Winkelmann is well known in the digital art world. His work is often provocative, sometimes downright shocking, but always has a style that is uniquely his. Better known as Beeple, Mike has demonstrated an incredible focus on his craft, releasing a brand new piece every day for over 5,000 consecutive days. Now he's revolutionizing the art world as a pioneer of crypto artwork...and we've hogtied him to a chair until he spills the beans on what any of that means.

Our mission at School of Motion is to break down the barriers to the Motion Design industry so that everyone can share their voice. That is a journey more than a destination, and we have a long way to go. Macaela VanderMost is a titanic talent, but she has faced some—unfortunately—all-too-common barriers to entry along the way. Listen to Macaela VanderMost's journey as a driven creative director.

2020 was...well, it was certainly a year. Not just for the MoGraph industry and for School of Motion, but for everyone. We know you don't need a recap of all the challenges and craziness that made this year what it was. Instead, we want to focus on the positive. While 2020 certainly presented a difficult road, we have seen our community emerge stronger and better than ever. On the 2020 End of Year Podcast episode, our founder Joey Korenman is joined by Creative Directors EJ Hassenfratz and Ryan Summers—along with a special guest—to talk about the artists, studios, tools, trends, and events that made MoGraph news in 2020…plus all the exciting plans (and bold predictions) for the coming year. This is a long one—but worth it—so grab a comfy seat and join us.