MAGIC

Student Portfolio Review with Nickelodeon & First Contact Entertainment Games
2022-10-28 13:00 - 17:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
What is a portfolio review

Having a portfolio review means getting a professional’s opinion on your work. You get your chance to have talented industry professionals look at your portfolios or projects and give invaluable feedback on where you might improve, and advice on what to look at next. Featuring industry professionals across a variety of different roles, the one-to-one portfolio reviews will last approximately 15 minutes, giving you an opportunity to speak with artists, programmers, recruiters and more to discuss your career path and future aspirations. Nickelodeon and First Contact Entertainment will join us as our guests for portfolio review on Friday, October 28th at MAGIC.

Our industry guests
Bill Buckley / Character Director – Oversees all Animation, Character Art and Weapon Art Development at First Contact Entertainment
Bill Buckley has been working as a developer in the video game industry since 2005. His roles have included Senior Animator, Story Artist, Writer, Digital Cinematographer, Concept Artist and currently, Animation Director with First Contact Entertainment. He has worked on popular titles for companies such as THQ, Disney Interactive, Limbic, SCEA, Activision (Neversoft and Infinity Ward) and StarBreeze. His resume includes major titles such as Tony Hawk Proving Ground, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw, NBA 2007, Disney’s Club Penguin, eight Guitar Hero titles, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, John Wick The Impossible Task in VR, ROM Extraction, Firewall Zero Hour and most currently SOLARIS OFFWORLD COMBAT. Bill is also a lecturer, mentor and teacher of animation and game development both domestic and abroad.

Conrad Montgomery / Vice President, Current Animation, Nickelodeon
Due to last minute engagements in Los Angeles, CA; Mr. Montgomery will be unable to attend portfolio review on Friday, Oct. 28th at MAGIC. He will participate as an industry guest juror at the Miami Halloween Hackathon on Saturday, Oct. 29th as scheduled.
Experienced senior executive with a wide creative network and a demonstrated history of success working in the entertainment industry. Strong creative professional skilled in animation development and production for series, various content formats across new media platforms, complemented by a background founded in live-action television and feature film. Conrad sets the tone for all creative content and is responsible for production content for current series at Nickelodeon. He serves as liaison between teams spanning the country and oversees entire productions, from idea to delivery, pushing through digital, linear television, social media, and public relations. Conrad was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and always wanted to be behind the scenes of the entertainment industry. He received a BA in Cinema and Television Arts and Business Administration from CSU, Northridge, and began his career as a freelance associate segment producer for Good Morning America. He became Creative Executive with Lions Gate Films on “Monster’s Ball.” His work has won both Oscar and Emmy awards. His success can be attributed to passion, drive, education, faith, and goal-setting. Conrad volunteers with the City Light Church in Los Angeles and is a supporter of Women in Animation.

How to attend and prepare

To attend this event, you must be a student currently enrolled in the MAGIC program, just come in-person on Friday, October 28th from 1pm – 5pm and make sure to sign in to get in the queue. This is a first come first serve event. Make sure to bring a link to your work along so it can be reviewed digitally. We will be offering a Digital Portfolio Workshop at MAGIC on September 9th at 11 am, if you’d like to learn how to crate your digital portfolio.

Times for the event may change, please check back to confirm the event, place and times prior to attending. This event is for MAGIC students only.

MAGIC Halloween Hackathon
2022-10-28 18:00 - 2022-10-29 18:00 UTC | Miami Dade College – Chapman Center, Building 3, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, MIAMI, FL, 33132, United States
Game Development, Mixed Reality & Animation Hackathon
Artwork by Shona Rose
Eligibility
Attendees from all backgrounds, genders, and geographies are welcome. There is no age restriction to attend the hackathon. In case you are under 18, your parents/legal guardian should contact the hackathon to request a waiver authorizing you to attend the hackathon and submit their plan for your attendance and transportation to and from the hackathon. Committee members are not eligible to participate in the hackathon. They may, however, assist teams and mentor them during the coding/development phase.

The MAGIC Halloween Hackathon is organized by the MAGIC Club, for more information and to register, visit the MAGIC Club’s Webpage. This event is free and opened to all to attend, register here:

Halloween Pizza Party
2022-10-31 15:00 - 20:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Join us for MAGIC’s Halloween Pizza Party. Students will get to interact with other students and faculty. There will be a Halloween Costume & Art Contest and a Halloween/Horror screening.
Costume Contest & Halloween Art Work Contest with Special Prizes
ART WORK CONTEST
Submission date for Art Work: Monday Oct 24th, 2022
Art Work Criteria:

Halloween Themed Art Work (PG 13)
Still Image
HD: 1920 X 1080
Resolution: 72-300 dpi

Selection of winner: The Art Work winner will be selected by a vote from the MAGIC Staff on September 31st and announced at the end of event.
COSTUME CONTEST

Costume contest sign up (sign in sheet) upon arrival at event

Selection of winner: The Costume winner will be selected by the MAGIC Halloween committee and announced at the end of event.
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Prizes (for both contest): 3D printed Character & Magic Shirts

Art of Tech Industry Series
2022-11-02 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
MAGIC’s Art of Tech series empowers, elevates and inspires innovation within the growing digital technologies industry. The speaker series brings together a wide spectrum of executive level professionals in the areas of Computer Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, Motion Graphics, Virtual and Augmented Reality.

“Fall Frenzy” Super Smash Bros. Tournament
2022-11-04 15:00 - 18:00 UTC | Esports Wolfson Campus – Building 1, Room 1157, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, 33132, United States
MDC Esports will be hosting a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament on November 4th at 3:00PM. The tournament is open to all Miami Dade College students. Please register at (https://forms.office.com/r/nBbqh88Ewe) .

Workshop - Intro to 3D Modeling
2023-01-20 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Town Hall – February
2023-02-08 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Incubator – Building 8, Room 8119, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Students currently enrolled in the MAGIC program, or a MAGIC faculty or staff member will have the chance to voice their opinions, concerns or suggestions with the goal of improving our academic program.
This special session will be moderated by Jose Soto and Nicole Garay. We hope to see you then.

For more information please contact Nicole Garay at (305) 237-3560

Workshop - 3D Modeling
2023-02-10 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Workshop - Modeling Complex objects and advanced techniques
2023-02-24 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Workshop - User interface common questions and problems
2023-03-10 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Art of Tech – Speaker’s Series with Ben Kvalo, Games Publishing & Marketing Leader at Netflix
2023-03-15 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
MAGIC’s Art of Tech series empowers, elevates and inspires innovation within the growing digital technologies industry. The speaker series brings together a wide spectrum of executive level professionals in the areas of Computer Animation, Gaming, Visual Effects, Motion Graphics, Virtual and Augmented Reality.
Our guest speaker for this edition of “Art of Tech” is Ben Kvalo, Games Publiishing & Marketing Leader at Netflix
Ben Kvalo
Ben Kvalo is a leader in the entertainment & games industry focused on innovation in the industry, creating better culture, and improving experiences. Entertainment is Ben’s career, having worked in games, film, Esports, and radio. After starting his career in radio, he transitioned into gaming as a Project manager, working for 2K for 6 years. There he worked on over 100 AAA and AA titles for every major games platform. After he went over to Blizzard entertainment where he became the product manager for Esports marketing. He was responsible for launching, and scheduling BlizzCon for that year. He also recieved an award that year for Best Esports Festival from Fest X in 2018. After his succes he started a new career at Netflix as their Sr. Campaign Operations Manager for film and marketing for the streaming giant. In the the last 5 years he has moved over from films to globally launch Games at Netflix from its infancy. He worked alongside engineering, creative production, and early management to launch the Netflix Games platform. He is responsible for building and managing publishing workflows, cross-functional communication, marketing strategy & planning, and brand integration. Ben has been credited in over 100 game titles and involved in over 50 films

Workshop - Get Your Resume, LinkedIn and Portfolio Ready
2023-03-24 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Portfolio resumes showcase samples of your work and achievements alongside standard resume information. Creatives and other professionals use this type of resume to promote themselves during application processes and impress hiring managers. If you are applying for jobs that require this type of resume, learning how to create one can help you provide more details about your professional competence and accomplishments and help increase your chances of getting hired.
If you are applying for a job or moving to a four year institution to persue a BA degree, you should attend this workshop.

MDC MAGIC + FIU Articulation Agreement Information Session
2023-03-30 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
MDC MAGIC + FIU Articulation Agreement Information Session
Florida International University’s Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media will host an information session fto provide information about the transfer pathway for MDC graduates of the Associate in Science (AS) in Animation and Game Art or the AS in Game Development and Design to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Digital Communication and Media at FIU. Please make sure to attend this event if you’re interested in transferring to FIU to continue your studies.
Professor Laura Kurtzberg, co-Director of the Lee Caplin Immersive Studio for Altered Reality, Mr. Frank Villa from FIU Admissions and Ms. Rachel Vanderford, our communications strategist, will be joining Susan Jacobson, PhD in the presentation. Agenda:

Welcome and curriculum overview – Dr. Susan Jacobson
Why FIU? Location, facilities, iSTAR, student life – Prof. Laura Kurtzberg
Who Is Lee Caplin? – Rachel Vanderford
Applying to FIU – Frank Villa
Q&A

The Agreement
Miami Dade College (MDC) and Florida International University (FIU) signed an articulation agreement that creates a seamless transfer pathway for MDC graduates of the Associate in Science (AS) in Animation and Game Art or the AS in Game Development and Design to pursue a Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Digital Communication and Media at FIU. Both MDC and FIU recognize the significant roles they each play as exemplars evolving successful transfer pathways, which have positively impacted student outcomes.
Students pursuing the AS degree at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex would matriculate at MDC for 4 semesters. Upon successful completion of the AS degree at MDC, MDC graduates would seamlessly enroll at FIU to complete the remaining 4 semesters of the BS in Digital Communication and Media. MDC students who transition to FIU under the terms of the Agreement will be required to complete any remaining General Education requirements at FIU or through approved accelerated credit mechanisms. MDC students must meet FIU’s transfer admission criteria for the catalog year when they first enrolled at MDC. MDC students must successfully complete the Foreign Language Graduation Requirement prior to enrolling at FIU. In addition to meeting FIU’s transfer admission criteria, students seeking admission to the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.85.
FIU will accept major-specific courses completed at MDC to count toward the BS in Digital Communication and Media. Students are allowed no more than 12 credits of lower-division courses to count toward upper-division requirements, as stipulated by the Accrediting Council in Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, the Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media’s accrediting agency.

Both Animation & Game Art and Game Development & Design transfer maps to FIU are available for review by clicking here: MAGIC + FIU TRANSFER MAPS. For more information and further details about this agreement and transferring to FIU, please contact us at (305) 237-3560

The Pitch Event
2023-04-03 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Incubator – Building 8, Room 8119, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
What’s your idea?
Short-films, video games or immersive simulations are produced at MAGIC as a capstone project during the second academic year. All students are granted the opportunity to pitch an idea for a project. Selection is based on having an original idea, strong and defined characters, production feasibility and the potential to elevate MDC MAGIC and our community through its message.
Selected projects are then paired with executives and professionals from animation studios currently partnering with MAGIC as part of our mentorship program. Visit MAGIC’s YouTube Page to watch all students’ projects created and produced at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex.

The Pitch Event – Industry @ MAGIC
2023-04-05 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Incubator – Building 8, Room 8119, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Career & Internship Day @ MAGIC
2023-04-14 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
The MAGIC Career & Internship Day will takes place on April 7th, 2023. Employers interview students for job and internship opportunities in-person. Get your portfolio ready! For more information please contact Nicole Garay at (305) 237-3560.

2023 MAGIC Premiere Night
2023-04-26 18:00 - 21:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Class of 2023 Animated Short-Films and Video Games. This event is by invitation only.

MAGIC Summer Camp - Character Animation with Maya
2023-06-26 08:00 - 2023-06-30 17:00 UTC | Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex @ MDC, 315 NE 2nd Ave - Building 8, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Animation Camp
Students ages 14-19 will get an introduction to character design and animation using Autodesk® Maya®, the application used by top video game development and film studios. Skills development will focus on the use of Autodesk ”Maya” and Adobe Photoshop. This class is project based; students will have the opportunity to complete a portfolio of their own animation. Pre-Requisite: Basic computer skills. Check in from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. get acquainted with equipment, meet and greet. From 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.– students can stay on premises and work on labs while waiting for pick-up. Drop-off and Pick-Up at Building 8, first floor. Camp location: Wolfson Campus.
Week #2: Class 6/26/23 – 6/30/23 MTuWThF 9:00 am—3:00 pm $0
Character Animation with Maya: Using Autodesk Maya, you’ll learn how to bring characters to life, using lighting, settings, and camera angles. We’ll teach you a workflow that will take pre-rigged models and animate them in a short sequence that tells a story. Using Autodesk Maya, you’ll learn how to bring characters to life, using lighting, settings, and camera angles. We’ll teach you a workflow that will take pre-rigged models and animate them in a short sequence that tells a story. Ref Number: 8271
Registration will open March 15th, 2023

FALL New Student Orientation - Mandatory
2023-08-18 13:00 - 15:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Workshop - Figure Drawing
2023-09-08 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Facilitated by Shona Rose.

Workshop - Texturing in Maya
2023-10-06 11:00 - 13:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Town Hall - October
2023-10-11 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | MAGIC Incubator – Building 8, Room 8119, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

Student Portfolio Review with Netflix & Unity
2023-10-20 13:00 - 17:00 UTC | MAGIC Open Lab – Building 8, Room 8108, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

2023 MAGIC Halloween Hackathon
2023-10-20 18:00 - 2023-10-21 18:00 UTC | Miami Dade College – Chapman Center, Building 3, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, MIAMI, FL, 33132, United States
Date and Time
Friday, October 20th, 2023 at 6:00 PM EDT to
Saturday, October 21st, 2023 at 6:00 PM EDT
Registration Ends On October 15, 2023 at 11:59 PM EDT
FREE to all students
Location
Miami-Dade College Wolfson Campus
Building 3 – Room 3210 (Chapman Conference Center)
245 NE 4th Street, Miami, FL
Wolfson Campus Map & Directions
Metro Mover Station: College Bayside
Guest Judges
Elbert Perez – Senior Partner Engineer at Unity
Denise Mendez – Principal Software Engineer @ Microsoft Mixed Reality
Prizes
1st Place for VR/AR Category (Team of 4)
(4) Meta Quest 2 — Advanced All-In-One Virtual Reality Headset — 256 GB
1st Place for 2D/3D Game Dev Category (Team of 4)
(4) Nintendo Switch
1st Place for Animation Category (Team of 4)
(4) Valve Steam Deck, HDMI, 64 GB

The 2023 MAGIC Halloween Hackathon will be held from October 20th, 2023 at 6:00 pm to October 21st, 2023 at 6:00 pm. It’s a 24-hour event hosted by the MDC MAGIC Club at the Wolfson campus in downtown Miami. This live event invites high school and college students from all educational insitutions in South Florida to create a game, animation or an immersive simulations within 24 hours to foster creativity and community in Miami. Food, drinks and activities will be provided to all participants and amazing prizes for best projects. Please register for the event by filling out the form below. This event is FREE to all students.

Join the MAGIC Halloween Hackthon on Discord

2023 MAGIC Halloween Pizza Party
2023-10-31 15:00 - 19:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
Join us for MAGIC’s Halloween Pizza Party. Students will get to interact with other students and faculty. There will be a Halloween Costume & Art Contest and a Halloween/Horror screening.
Costume Contest & Halloween Art Work Contest with Special Prizes
ART WORK CONTEST
Submission date for Art Work: Oct 24th, 2023
Art Work Criteria:

Halloween Themed Art Work (PG 13)
Still Image
HD: 1920 X 1080
Resolution: 72-300 dpi

Selection of winner: The Art Work winner will be selected by a vote from the MAGIC Staff on September 31st and announced at the end of event.
COSTUME CONTEST

Costume contest sign up (sign in sheet) upon arrival at event

Selection of winner: The Costume winner will be selected by the MAGIC Halloween committee and announced at the end of event.
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Art of Tech Speaker's Series
2023-11-08 11:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

The 22nd Annual Animation Show of Shows at MAGIC
2023-11-14 12:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | MAGIC Screening Room – Building 8, Room 8106, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States
After a two-year Covid hiatus, the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS returns to theaters and campuses across North America this fall. This (90 minute) 22nd edition comprises 10 films — nine recent, along with one restored classic — which deal with both the anxieties and hopes of a world faced with a seemingly endless series of existential crises. All are inventive, their tone ranges from the whimsical to the profound; their techniques, from stop-motion to hand-drawn to computer-aided.
Animation is a natural medium for dealing with abstract ideas and deeply felt concerns, and the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS has always strived to scour the world for the most affecting and engaging films, says founder and curator Ron Diamond. While the recent films were conceived and some finished, before the Covid lockdowns, all but the most abstract display a concern with the ways in which we are all interconnected…or sadly alienated from our sense of human connection.This general issue appears in many forms and styles: While “Beyond Noh” cleverly shows the prevalence of masks through all cultures, and “Rain” humorously explores the dangers of groupthink, “Ties” takes the notion of connectedness from the metaphorical to the actual. The nine new films come from Europe, Asia, and North America. The program culminates with a striking restored 4K digital remaster by the Academy Film Archive of Frederic Back’s classic 1987 Oscar-winner, “The Man Who Planted Trees.” As a bonus, an exhibition of original production art from the films listed below will be presented at selected art house theaters and on college and university campuses. the ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS is funded by major studios, companies, schools, and hundreds of animation lovers around the world.

This year’s films are:

Beyond Noh — Patrick Smith/Kaori Ishida (U.S./Japan) – 3m55s, 1.78, color, Stop Motion Animation, No dialogue, US & Japan, 2020.
Empty Places — Geoffroy de Crecy (France) – 8m49s, 1.78, color, 3D computer animation, No dialogue, France, 2020.
Beseder (Good and Better) — Gil Alkabetz (Germany) – 4m23s, Aspect Ratio,1.77, color, 2D hand drawn animation, Hebrew (subtitled English)
Zoizoglyphe — Jeanne Apergis (France) – 7m44s, minimal color, 2D hand drawn animation, France, 2021.
Rain (Deszcz) — Piotr Milczarek (Poland) – 5m13s, 1.78, color, 2D Hand Drawn Animation, no dialogue, Poland, 2020
Average Happiness — Maja Gehrig (Switzerland) – 7m03s, 1.78, color, 2D Hand Drawn Animation, No dialogue, Switzerland, 2019
Aurora — Jo Meuris (U.S.) – 5m15s,1.77, color, 2D hand drawn animation, US, 2020.
Yes-People — Gísli Darri Halldórsson (Iceland) – 8m35s,1.77, color, 3D computer graphics animation, US, 2019.
Ties –– Dina Velikovskaya (Germany/Russia) – 7m36s, 1.85, color, Stop Motion replacement animation, Germany / Russia 2019.
The Man Who Planted Trees — Frederic Back (Canada) – 30m8s, 1.33, color, 2D Hand drawn, Canada, 1987

Town Hall - November
2023-11-30 12:00 - 14:00 UTC | MAGIC Incubator – Building 8, Room 8119, 315 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, FL, 33132, United States

MDC Esports - Club Rush
2024-01-10 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | Esports Wolfson Campus – Building 1, Room 1157, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, 33132, United States
Esports will have a booth set up to answer any questions about the club, sign up potential members and promote our social media and future events.

MDC Esports - Super Smash Bros Tryouts
2024-01-19 12:00 - 16:00 UTC | Esports Wolfson Campus – Building 1, Room 1157, 300 NE 2nd Avenue, Miami, 33132, United States
Students will compete for spots on MDC Esports Super Smash Bros Team. Their skills and techniques will be assessed and evaluated with Club Leads. We will determine if they are eligible to join the team.
