FutureProof ’25—The Motion Design Conference at Ringling College of Art and Design will be held on campus from March 3-7. The event, hosted by the Department of Motion Design, includes industry presentations, workshops, technical demos, and activities designed for Ringling College students to ensure a seamless transition from the classroom to their future careers. Our mission is to prepare the next generation of visual communicators through education, inspiration, and connection.
“There is no better way to inspire students than to provide them with professional engagements with the creative leaders of our industry,” said Ed Cheetham, Department Head of Motion Design. “Leveraging Ringling’s professional reputation and the exceptional quality of our students, we attract leading studios who are eager to engage with the next wave of emerging talent. The FutureProof conference underscores Ringling’s commitment to providing students with unique opportunities to connect directly with industry leaders right from our campus.”
We are excited to announce this year’s keynote speakers: Mitch Monson from Sibling Rivalry, Alexis Copeland from Microsoft, Noah Wilde and Austin Bauwens from Ravie, and Justin Harder from CLAUS. There will also be studio presentations from Disney Live Entertainment, Black Math, Hornet, Ravie, and DASH. Our always-popular Alumni Panel will feature Maddy Hodgetts ’18, Motion Design, and Creative Director of The Infatuation, and recent grad Sol Bourdeau Garcia ’23, Motion Design, who is a Freelance Designer/Animator.
This year, FutureProof will present a host of hands-on technical workshops by Luis Cataldi from Unreal Engine, Ian Robinson from Maxon, the maker of ZBrush, Roy Yang from Foundry, the maker of Nuke and other visual effects software, and Nicholas Sharma from Adobe, maker of Substance 3D. All of these software packages are used extensively throughout the Motion Design curriculum.
The event is created for Motion Design students and alumni—but all Ringling College students are welcome to attend. Representatives from Career Services will also be available throughout the event to provide students with workshops on topics such as resume building, networking, and interviewing skills.
“These workshops are just one of the many ways we help prepare them for their careers,” said Alejandra Lance-Henterly, the Director of Career Services at Ringling College. “We provide a multitude of opportunities for students to perfect their professionalism skills, whether it’s through the classroom, our career counseling, or events like this.”
The week-long conference wraps up with the senior DEMO DUEL. This is a March Madness type of bracketed head-to-head competition of Motion Design senior demo reels. The audience votes in real time for the winners to move on to the next rounds. It’s a fun and exciting way to highlight all the amazing student work in front of recruiters and industry professionals.
We would like to give a big shout-out to our FutureProof ’25 sponsors for their generous support of our students: Unreal Engine, Foundry, Maxon, Adobe, and our media sponsor, Stash.
For more information, visit RinglingFutureProof.com. If you would like to know how to participate in future events, please email motiondesign@c.ringling.edu.
Ringling College’s Department of Motion Design has been ranked #1 in the World for Best Motion Graphics Schools by The Rookies for two years in a row. The Department has received numerous national and international awards, including National Gold ADDY Awards, D&AD Pencil Awards, Art Directors Club Awards, Motionographer’s Motion Awards, and Communication Arts Awards, and our alumni have won numerous EMMY Awards.
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