Late last year I saw some posts on social media about a storytelling course being offered by a startup (X in a Box) but taught by Pixar employees. At the time I believe it was limited to students and educators but ultimately I could’t fit it in my schedule had I wanted to take it then. However, as the world gradually re-opened this year I found myself looking into more formal development opportunities and was happy to find that the program was now open to adults. I registered for the 9 week course about a week before the first class (October 3rd). The course contents follow a weekly lesson and assignment. I’m not sure I’ll post after every week, but I plan to have a course summary post when the 9 week class is over, just in time for the holidays.
For this post I’ll give some background about the course and some of my early thoughts.
X in a Box is a new startup (I have no stake in it, nor do I know anyone that works for them) that looks to be developing a new business model that combines community outreach as well as vocational educational for the benefit of all parties. The company lists a slew of tech and entertainment companies it is partnering with but the Pixar Storytelling course seems to be the only one publicly available at this time (I would be very interested in any Imagineering programs or perhaps a video game company).
The instructors for this cohort are Derek Thompson, Chris Siemasko, Esteban Bravo, Margaret Spencer, Hannah Roman, Christian Roman, Jeff Pidgeon & Connie He (10/9/2022)
The course is currently free for students and educators but requires, in my opinion, a fair, $250 registration fee for adults that do not fall into the educator category, though I really don’t know details about that application process. Ultimately, for adults this is like a paid internship in storytelling at Pixar where you don’t really produce anything for the company and you pay them for the experience. Hm, maybe that’s not the best analogy! If you’ve ever attended the Animation Academy at a Disney theme park, I expect this will be a 9 week equivalent in storytelling. What’s cool is that it’s a great opportunity for anyone participating and it’s also a great way for the company to be a catalyst/nurture the future talent pipeline. It seems like a win-win for everyone involved and I’m excited to participate and watch the program grow. Onto the early impressions!
Once you register and create an account on the website you are ushered to an Orientation page where you can watch some videos about the course format and what to expect. Part of the Orientation work is creating a short narrated video introducing yourself with stick figures. I thought this was a nice, easy assignment, that served multiple purposes, the most important being testing out that participants have the hardware/software/knowledge to submit weekly work in the requested format (I used a combination of Clip Studio Paint which has an animation capability, Windows Recorder and Video Editor but the course website has a Google Docs shared file with many PC/Mac alternatives, including free options) .
My Week 0 introduction Animation (10/2/2022)
Once I posted my video I was able to view the videos from my peers (which seemed to be in the hundreds if not more). This is when I realized that while I had been most excited to learn about the Pixar Process from the Pixar intructors, it was clear I would learn the most from my peers, and that was essentially emphasized in our first class. If younger participants learn anything from this course, I hope it is how to give and receive critical feedback in a constructive manner. It’s such an important skill to develop to be successful in life and achieve your dreams. I’m really looking forward to participating and training in this respect, because, like muscles, I think you have to keep exercising communication skills to keep in top form.
Example videos (with user names removed) showing diversity of skills and perspectives from our Week 0 introductions (10/9/2022).
I will say that while the heart of the course seems very strong, the scaling of the course and course platform are still being iterated. Even though the course is only on its 4th cohort, there are nearly 1000 student/educator participants and 1000 adults. For a single course, this is a staggering number of videos being posted in a short amount of time and to coordinate feedback on. To make sure that as many people receive feedback on their work each week each time you submit your work you are required to provide feedback on the work of 4 other peers, which ensures that if you get your work in on time you should get some feedback. In the first week I have found that there is so much good work out there to learn from at all levels of competency that I’ll actually have to figure out how to restrict myself from getting lost in watching videos and giving feedback. The site has a “follow me” feature which I may use to keep track of my own virtual feedback network to see if I can cultivate that further as the course progresses.
Cereal Killers Statues (Ron English) – Entrance To Designer Con 2017
Designer Con (DCon) is just around the corner and a perfect convention endcap to close out the year and prepare for 2020. If you haven’t been before, Designer Con is an annual Southern California art and designed goods (toys, clothing & all things pop culture) convention that has its humble roots in the designer vinyl toy scene. The convention was started in 2005, I suspect as a way for the founder Ben Goretsky, to bring together his favorite vinyl toy artists under a single convention roof. To be clear, this isn’t some get rich quick jump on the convention scene money grab. This guy legit loves toys and pop art and wants to promote these artists (Check out the youtube channel for The Toy Geeks Network and his story 3DRetro in Burbank, CA).
Ben Goretsky Vinyl Sticker – Power Quest
The annual convention was held at the Pasadena Convention Center until last year when it moved to the much larger Anaheim Convention Center. While less intimate than Pasadena, and no longer a “just park on a local street and stroll in” convention, it had been growing rapidly in size and was clearly beyond what Pasadena could accomodate.
If you’re going for the first time, here are some tips to maximize your time.
Step 1: What to do today
Finish this blog entry!
Go to Designer Con website and buy a ticket
Single Day : Great option if you’ve never been
Weekend Pass : Best deal if you aren’t trying to rush for any particular exclusive
VIP Weekend Pass(Best Value) : If you want exclusives and need to get in earlier than regular attendees to get to that booth, get this. It lets you in 1 hr early and ALSO gets you into preview night Friday. It also gets you access to the little lounge areas where there is seating to rest (I never saw anyone really checking badges though). If you are into Bearbricks you will want this pass as it includes a free Designer Con Bearbrick! Last year’s Bearbrick is still available for anyone to purchase for $15 on line. The cost has gone up significantly cmpared to the standard weekend pass, but it’s worth it if you want to go Friday night. Do the math that makes sense for you!
MVP Weekend Pass : Only get this if you really want the 2 exclusive Mark Hamill Funko Pops included in this pass. Frankly, I think it’s super expensive (but I might get it anyway!).
KIDS 12 and under are free
Scour their facebook page, instagram and twitter accounts for announcements.
Start making a list of people you want to meet, products you want to buy or events you want to participate in.
Secret Walls – Art Battle – Designer Con After Party
Step 2: What to do the weekend before!
Go to the Designer Con website and checkout the interactive floor plan. you will see the shear size of the convention as well as links (where available) to the vendor sites. Create a list of people and booth numbers you want to hit up.
If there is a particular item you want, reach out to the vendor and see if there are limited quantities or a way to get on a reservation list.
Start getting prepared for the Awesome:
Do you have good walking shoes? If not, get some!
Do you have a good carrying bag or case that can protect what you plan to buy?
Art stores and Daiso carry extendable poster tubes with straps.
Re-useable bags can hold alot and scrunch down to tiny sizes.
A backpack with padded shoulder straps is handy.
If you plan to buy Funko Pops do you have protector cases?
If you plan to buy large original art on board (vs poster), do you have an art folio to carry it?
Do you have a water bottle?
Many of the artists are very approachable to talk about their work and the craft. some will even be willing to sketch in a sketchbook for you (especially if you buy something!). Do you have a good sketchbook? I recommend something with a smooth white surface.
Thinking about getting something signed? Consider bringing your own preferred pen so that you don’t get a random pen color/quality. Lots of folks like Sharpies but I’ve had mixed experience with some Sharpies bleeding/discoloring overtime. I prefer acrylic paint pens now that can also be used to sign on vinyl.
Step 3: Day of the Convention
Get there early if you want to park at the convention center off of Katella. If you miss that there is a free shuttle off site, but it takes more time and is inconvenient if you want to “drop stuff off” at your car mid-day.
Cash is King! You are in a better position to haggle with cash when buying several items. If the vendor says they can’t, please respect that, there is a reason for the term “starving artist.” Many of the artists pour their time and soul into the work and just make ends meet. Most people take square/paypal these days but bring your ATM card if you think you’ll run out of cash.
Be friendly to people, you will likely find kindred spirits and can learn more about the art and artists, thus getting more out of the convention.
Food. Bring snacks and a water bottle, both of which you can bring into the convention. There is food in the convention hall that is surprisingly decent (much better than San Diego Comic Con). There will also be food trucks available. There are a few restaurants across the walk way at the hotel (Sbarro, Baja Fresh, Sandwich shop, etc…)
Other: Artists
Here are some short profiles for artists that I make a point of visiting to give you an idea of the quality and variety of vendors at Designer Con.
Mini Vinyls (George Gaspar)
George Gaspar – Accomplished toy sculptor. He sculpted a really cool vinyl/plastic version of the Designer Con mascot Vincent and produced them in a bunch of colorways including GID. He also was involved in the October Toys O.M.F.G. figures which are a throw back to M.U.S.C.L.E. He has a ton of industry credit. You probably have a toy that he sculpted! Follow him on instagram @doublegtoys.
Nychos Sketching
Nychos – Austrian Graffiti Illustrator that has work all over the world. Known for anatomical exploded views of characters. Sells clothing, prints, empty sketchbook and last year a Vinyl Jurassic Park TRex collaboration with 3D Retro. Check out the documentary Deepest Depths of the Burrow and his site Rabbit Eye Movement.
Last Days of Autumn (Amanda Vissell)
Amanda Vissell – Cute and dark artwork. Something about her style I just love! Simple, cute, edgy. In addition to vinyl toys she makes stuff out of wood and resin. I love the work she has done with Kidrobot and COARSE to bring her illustratins to life. I’ve only met her once but apparently she loves Disney stuff. I got the feeling that she’s a total bad ass in real life… the kind of person that you wish you were! Check out her site. She has a design brand, Switcheroo, with artist Michelle Valigura.
Prednaut Fang vs Mechanaut Defender (David A. White)
David A. White – Professional designer and illustrator. Travels all the way over from Western Massachusetts and brings his amazing 3D printed and hand finished toy designs. I have 2 pieces from the Mechanauts line displayed with my Transformers. This guy not only has the passion and creative vision but the smarts to keep improving his designs. He has gained quite a following in the last few years and even visits schools to teach kids! Check out his site and follow him on twitter @mechazone and instragram @mechazone.
Nate Mitchell – Creator of the So Analog 10-doh vinyl toy platform which is a throwback to the NES cartridges from the 80s. I love the design and that there are two sizes. Nate updated the figure arms a few years ago to better hold accessories (zapper gun!). I have a dozen or so of the small size figures and a few of the larger… just need more space to display them all. Check out his work at Squid Kids Ink.
Joy Riders (Christopher Lee)
Christopher Lee – Dude is prolific. I met him at the first Designer Con I attended and now run into him at San Diego Comic Con. When I first met him he had done some really cool toy action figure cartoon posters that I picked up. Since then it seems like his career as an illustrator/designer has just exploded. His work is always super high quality and has a certain retro asthetic. He also has an amazing toy collection! He runs Night Cake Press and The Beast Is Back
Sket One – Graffiti Artist and Professional Illustrator Andrew Yasgar. A legend in the vinyl toy scene. A fellow New England to West Coast transplant! His Sket product mashups are amazing. He is probably most well known for his Sketracha Dunny, but he does so much, including recent collabs with Hite Beer and the Dodgers. His low production run resins are on another level. I have a set of resin Dripples… but pln some day to get a Kikko-Sket! Check out his site where there are links to all social media.
Other: Stuff I Look Forward To Discovering
Unique Products – I like buying gifts at Designer Con because in many cases they are very limited/unique compared to Black Friday Big Box Retailer products.
Jason Freeny Sketch
Sketchbook – When I buy something from an artist I try to get them to make a small doodle in my sketchbook. In many cases I value the sketch more than the product itself. The product catches my eye and can serve as a reference for me in my creative endeavors… and likely a display item for my home! But the sketch serves as reminder and a creative inspiration for me. There is nothing quite like flipping through a sketchbook and it bringing back the memories of all the conventions and people met. Try it! I use a Moleskine Carnet Large Storyboard. The small squares provide structure that allows the artists to sketch something very small in seconds and not be guilted/threatened to fill an entire empty page.
Larry Lacto’s Pin (Andrew Bell)
Pins /Patches– Always on the lookout for cool enamel pins. I don’t have a huge collection but I appreciate nice simple artwork that would look good on a backpack or work lanyard. They have an entire ENAMEL PIN MARKET at Designer Con. You can bring pins to trade also.
Stickers – Definitely into vinyl stickers, in particular, those from Graffiti artists.
Custom Blown Away Dunny (Josh Mayhem)
Resin/Vinyl DIY – Love being able to see something visually/tactiley appealing and speak to the creator about it. Brink something to take notes!
Shirts – Lots of unique, custom shirts you won’t find at Target or Kohls. Stand out! Support an artist. I got a hoodie from Nychos (Rabbit Eye Movement) a few years ago and I still treasure it! Outside of Designerc Con I have not seen anyone else wearing it.
Pictures – Love taking pictures. Bring a camera or use your phone. Bring a backup battery and a charger (there are some outlets). Also, take pictures with the artists!
That’s about it for now.
Check back for a post-show dump Thanksgiving week.
