CTNx 2014: Day One

Hullo all!

Finally, after a year and a half of planning, and an even longer time dreaming about it, I was headed to CTNx!

I had bought our tickets back in February for the convention that was happening in November--talk about being early birds! I also decided to bring my brother along for this trip so that we could both be inspired and motivated to be involved in something creative, a field that we both like to dabble in. He's actually more of a photographer but this was in his wheelhouse all the same.

Obligatory airplane wing photo!

My brother and I decided to tag-team the taking of photos and videos. He just recently started vlogging himself so I was happy for any chance to be on camera as the subject instead of the cameraman.

We landed safely in Burbank after a short layover in San Francisco.

We arrived a day before the actual expo so we decided to just take it easy and explore our hotel--which had a mini arcade!

I found Galaga (I loved Space Invaders on the PlayStation 1 as a kid) and did the geeky thing of spending five dollars in change to get the high score!

This is my failed attempt at a badass face.

We had dinner at BJ's which was right across our hotel. It was a very fulfilling deep dish pizza and alfredo, but the best part was this sampler of their famous Pizookie ala mode (pizza cookie)!

DAY ONE

The excellent view outside our window at the Holiday Inn Burbank Media Center!

Eggs Benedict is my all-time favorite breakfast food (alongside bacon and Pampanga's Best longganisa hamonado). I am constantly searching for the best Eggs Benedict in the world. True story.

My brother and his corned beef! It was a very nice sibling breakfast date. :)

Gonna fast forward a bit here. We had no clue on how we were going to get to the Marriott Convention Center. It was no walking trip so we were going to Uber it. Fortunately, a very nice Shuttle Driver at our hotel said he would take us there. His name is Jorge and he was our savior for the day! 

We got there as people were registering. I suppose a lot of people pre-registered online because the line at the registration wasn't as crazy as I expected it to be. Of course, registration also started 2 hours before my brother and I got there so we probably (fortunately) missed the rush hour. 

Some confusion over the registration process. I think overall, CTNx has to improve on their system. I had bought and registered for both my brother and myself. They couldn't find my brother's name in their system which made it difficult for him to be found in the roster/registration for workshops. I had to make sure I sorted it out with the organizers so that day 2 and 3 would be smoother sailing. 

But with that settled, CTNx officially began with a Kickoff Keynote from *drumroll*

Legendary Animator and Disney Legend, Glen Keane! For those that don't know, this man is responsible for every film in the late 80's and 90's (known as the Disney Renaissance). He was the lead animator for The Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Tarzan, Aladdin well, you get the idea.

He talked about his wonderful short film called Duet. Watching this made me cry, I swear! And this film is my bet to win the Oscar for Animated Short Film! 

We had time to kill after the opening keynote so my brother and I took a look around the front of the convention center.

Hands in your pockets and away from your wallets!

Pretty graphic novels and artbooks everywhere.

Art books from my favorite people at Imaginism Studios! I ended up getting MUSE from Ronnie Del Carmen.

When it was time to head into the workshops, my brother and I had to scramble, occasionally separating. We had chosen various workshops, demos and panels. Most of them were held in conference halls such as this called Vine AB.

My favorite venue, however is Hall C which was specially built for CTNx! It had a very unconventional theater-in-the-round setup which made the speakers interact with their audience more. 

I wish I could go through all our workshops one by one. But honestly, that would be a lot of commentary! Instead, I will highlight my favorite ones in the upcoming entries!

Talk soon!

Mishie

CTNx 2014: The Pre-game

Hullo all!

Has it really been over two months since I last updated? Golly!

Before I get to my main post, I just want to greet everyone a super belated Halloween! I dressed up as Hipster Ariel. Who did you go as?

November is upon me and that means the most eventful month of my year begins! Seriously, since high school, November has happened to be the month where a number of events and memorable experiences have occurred--some planed, some totally by coincidence.

Anyway, off tangent--this month is finally the time I attend the Creative Talent Network Expo 2014 (CTNx 2014 for short)! I've been itching to be part of this expo for a couple of years now, since finding out about it the year before arriving here in the U.S. For those hearing about it for the first time, CTNx is a gathering of artists from the different branches of visual entertainment: animated films, illustrators, video game designers, visual effects artists, photographers, etcetera in California. CTNx hosts panels, discussions, workshops, demos and other special events for people in the industry and for those interested in making this industry their career (like me) to come together and share in their love of visual storytelling.

Right in my wheelhouse, ammirite???

But now comes the tasking--er, well, task--of preparing for the expo. Doesn't seem like I would need to prepare much since I'm going as an attendee, not as an exhibitor or a panelist, but one should not forget that CTNx is also a networking event. I may not have a portfolio to show (which I am kicking myself for), but I do have a chance to still make an impression. Many artists that I stalk follow and sometimes talk with on Twitter are going, and I wish to meet them all. But in the hubbub of a bajillion artists that are going to this event, you want to make sure you are remembered.

What better way to do that than with a business card? I heard that business cards are traded like Pokemon cards out there--gotta catch 'em all. So, gotta make myself catch-worthy. OTL

Now, you'd think it's easy, but the screenshots of the several versions of drafts I've been working on ought to show you how difficult it's been for me OTL

No.

NOPE.

Until finally I thought of a concept--how it came to me, I've already forgotten, but I got very psyched about it. Process is below! :D

I suppose all it takes is a kick in the butt and a tight deadline to get me to finish this. The truth is, I ran the risk of hating it after I ordered it because I rushed something just to have cards to hand out. But I actually really like the final result!

I ordered through MOO, as I've seen many artists do for CTNx and their prints. And I'm glad I did! The cards also arrived earlier than scheduled (even if it was through UPS, which I do not like) which may be the one time I was impressed with UPS (whoops!)

Now I just can't wait for CTNx! Time to charge my camera and get ready for a blog! 

Tuttah,

Mishie