Unreal Engine, Creative Communities, and Career Growth with Cart & Horse
Release Date: 02/26/2025
The HONEST Truth About Motion Design in 2025 | Year in Review
School of Motion Podcast
It's that time of year again—the School of Motion End of Year Podcast is here, and this one is our longest yet... by a lot. Buckle up for an in-depth look at everything that shaped motion design in 2025, and a look ahead to 2026! 🗒️ SHOW NOTES This year, we're joined by 17 industry veterans and special guests to break down what "motion design" even means anymore, how AI is actually being used in production, and the real state of the motion design economy. We cover major software updates from Adobe, Maxon, Unreal Engine, and more, discuss the recovery of the VFX industry, and explore...
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How to Turn Your Creative Anxiety Into Your Biggest Advantage
School of Motion Podcast
What if the things that make you anxious are actually pointing you toward your greatest strengths? School of Motion Creative Director EJ Hassenfratz shares his talk from the Motion Plus Design conference in New York City, exploring how the anxieties we face as creatives—imposter syndrome, the proliferation of AI, creative blocks, and staying relevant in a fast-changing industry—can actually become our biggest competitive advantages. EJ reveals practical ways to transform nervous energy into creative fuel and reframe professional anxiety as a guide toward growth and opportunity. Recorded...
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How to Build a Tutorial Empire Like Ben Marriott
School of Motion Podcast
We got Ben Marriott on the podcast, and honestly, it's about time...Ben's one of the best tutorial creators out there for After Effects and motion design, and his journey from freelance illustrator to full-time YouTuber happened faster than anyone expected (including him). Check out the corresponding blog post with key takeaways here:
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Why Motion Designers Are Having a Moment — with Adobe’s Michael Tanzillo
School of Motion Podcast
From pouring drinks to lighting shots at Blue Sky to leading Adobe’s Substance 3D team, Michael Tanzillo’s professional path is anything but typical and his story is packed with lessons motion designers need to hear. Check out the corresponding blog post here: www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/adobe-michael-tanzillo In this episode of the School of Motion Podcast, EJ Hassenfratz sits down with Michael to talk about the state of 3D, why motion designers are impressing major animation studios, and how foundational skills (like lighting and storytelling) will outlast any software trend. 🗒️...
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Nikola Wonder Dynamics
School of Motion Podcast
In the sea of surface-level chatter about AI and filmmaking, Nikola Todorovic is saying the quiet part out loud—and it’s the stuff creative pros actually need to hear. Check out the corresponding blog post with our key takeaways here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/wonder-dynamics As Co-Founder and CEO of Wonder Dynamics, Nikola helped build Flow Studio, an AI-powered platform that lets small teams create VFX-rich productions without VFX-rich budgets. The work was so forward-thinking that Autodesk acquired Wonder Dynamics in 2024, folding it into their growing cloud-based creative...
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Why Moonvalley's Approach to AI Video Makes Sense
School of Motion Podcast
Most AI video companies are gambling with copyright law. Moonvalley made a different bet. Check out the corresponding blog post with highlights here: Real talk: Most AI video companies are doing it wrong.They scrape everything they can get their hands on – YouTube, Vimeo, whatever – and feed it into their models. The results? Tools like Sora and Gemini are genuinely impressive. The quality is getting scary good. But here's the rub: Video producers are using these tools to create content that's trained on copyrighted work, while the original artists who made it all possible get zero credit...
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Sarah Beth Morgan Gets Real About Parenthood, Career Crisis & Her New Podcast
School of Motion Podcast
Sarah Beth Morgan, illustrator and School of Motion instructor, joins Joey to dish about the real stuff: moving across the country, having a baby, and navigating the ever-changing animation industry. See the corresponding blog post here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/sarah-beth-morgan Since her last appearance on the SOM Podcast, she's moved across the country, had a baby (a delightful two-year-old egg enthusiast named Arty), and launched a narrative podcast called Ghost Frame while navigating what she describes as a "career crisis" in today's evolving animation landscape.In this...
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Mack Garrison, Dash Studio, and Building Creative Community
School of Motion Podcast
Joey recently caught up with the main dude behind Dash Studio, Mack Garrison, for an episode of the School of Motion podcast that's creative rocket fuel. These two industry veterans dive into everything from bizarre career plot twists to throwing killer community events and surviving the AI apocalypse. It's a dive into how to thrive as a creative when the entire industry seems to be transforming at warp speed. Check out the corresponding blog post here: www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/mack-garrison-dash-studio
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Already Been Chewed and the Journey to Motion Design Success
School of Motion Podcast
EJ jams with Barton Damer, the creative muscle behind Already Been Chewed (ABC)...basically the Tony Hawk of motion design. This dude turned his skateboarding obsession into a full-blown 3D animation studio that now cranks out mind-blowing work for Nike, Adidas, Star Wars, and Marvel. Check out the corresponding blog post with key takeaways: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/already-been-chewed Artists Barton Damer https://www.linkedin.com/in/barton-damer-92a32918 EJ Hassenfratz https://www.youtube.com/@eyedesyn/videos Nick Campbell https://greyscalegorilla.com/about-us/ Paul Babb...
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From Self-Taught Animator to Oscar Winner: Gints Zilbalodis on Creating "Flow"
School of Motion Podcast
Oscar-winning director Gints Zilbalodis just proved you don't need fancy film school or million-dollar software to snag that golden statue. See the corresponding blog post with key takeaways here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/gints-zilbalodis-flow EJ sits down with animation's newest golden boy, Gints Zilbalodis, the genius behind "Flow" (yep, the one that just took home an Oscar). From doodling in Flash to accepting Academy Awards, Gints' journey is the ultimate inspo for anyone who's ever thought, "Maybe I could make cool stuff too?" Spoiler alert: You absolutely can. 👉CHAPTERS👈...
info_outlineWhat happens when a small group of motion designers in Detroit evolves into a powerhouse of collaboration and innovation? The crew from Cart & Horse sat down with Joey on the School of Motion podcast to share their journey—from navigating the tight-knit creative community in Detroit to pioneering new workflows in Unreal Engine. Check out the corresponding blog post and key takeaways here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/cart-and-horse
👉 CHAPTERS 👈
00:00 Chapter 1: Welcome!
01:27 Chapter 2: Chris's Experience in Detroit
03:08 Chapter 3: Dan's Journey from LA to Detroit
04:34 Chapter 4: Unreal Engine Early Adopters
08:06 Chapter 5: Why Is Unreal Engine Making Its Break Out Right Now?
11:58 Chapter 6: Live Working Sessions with Clients
17:43 Chapter 7: Unreal Engine's Learning Curve
24:22 Chapter 8: What Types of Projects Are You Using Unreal For?
28:44 Chapter 9: Virtual Production and the Travelers Spec Collab Project
43:22 Chapter 10: The Value Proposition of Virtual Production
57:42 Chapter 12: Cart and Horse Origins
Artists:
Dan Maurer https://www.linkedin.com/in/maurerdan/
Kris Bargen https://www.linkedin.com/in/krisbargen/
Julie Craft https://juliecraft.work/
John Einselen https://jeinselen.com/
Clemens Conrad https://www.linkedin.com/in/clemens-conrad/
Elliot Ruddy https://www.elliotruddy.com/
Jonathan Winbush https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzWP6o2cw73moEF7LO_KvA
John Bugg https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonbugg/
Joel Pilger https://www.joelpilger.com/
Andy Blondin https://www.linkedin.com/in/andyblondin/
Geoff George https://www.geoffgeorgedp.com/contact
Studios:
Cart and Horse https://www.cartandhorse.studio/
Launch by NTT DATA (formerly Vectorform) https://launch.nttdata.com/
Gunner https://gunner.work/
Rocket Mortgage https://www.rocketmortgage.com
Activision https://www.activision.com/
Golden Hour https://www.goldenhourgr.com/
Lunar North https://www.lunarnorth.tv/
Work:
Travelers https://vimeo.com/938752533
The Mandalorian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mandalorian
8 Mile https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8_Mile_(film)
Michigan Lottery commercial https://vimeo.com/938889801
Resources:
MoGraph Mondays https://www.mographmondays.com/
Unity https://unity.com/
LightWave https://www.lightwave3d.com/
Rive https://rive.app/
After Effects https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html
Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/
Unreal Engine https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US
Octane https://home.otoy.com/render/octane-render/
Redshift https://www.maxon.net/en/redshift
Nanite https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/nanite-virtualized-geometry-in-unreal-engine
Lumen https://lumenandforge.com/services/animation-visual-storytelling/
Activision https://www.activision.com/
Viz Artist (Vizrt) https://www.vizrt.com/products/viz-artist/
Chyron https://chyron.com/products/all-in-one-production-systems/3d-real-time-graphics/
Fox Sports https://www.foxsports.com/
Miro https://miro.com/
Datasmith https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/datasmith
Cineware for Unreal https://support.maxon.net/hc/en-us/articles/4411492995730-Cineware-for-Unreal