It is a busy, but wonderful time of year. So many exciting new talents are emerging from their study programs around Toronto, all of them stoked with fresh thinking and creative ideas.

Last night two specific events were not to be missed for those interested in meeting and talking with creative talent entering the industry. Namely, the Sheridan Interactive Multimedia Program conducted an exhibition of their talent at Function 13, and following that a short distance away Graduate 4.0 (of the series envisioned by TM Mahdi) kicked off just down the street from OCAD.

Fresh Thinking on Social Web

Firstly I must note that today’s students seem to have gotten the message that creative work does not happen just behind a computer in a dark room. When I enter an event such as those noted above, chances are very good that I am going to run into familiar faces, which I think speaks very well for the industry in Toronto. We are rapidly pushing past the days of a non-social web and most professors are encouraging their proteges to network while still in their study programs. Such efforts will no doubt pay off large in terms of the quality of work emerging in the social web being produced in our city.

Shieridan IMM

One figure I’ve come to know well is Dan Zen, from Sheridan’s Interactive Multimedia program. He does quite a lot to promote his students and to inspire creativity in them. It showed in the presented work last night, as students filled the gallery at Function 13 with sound and colour representing their research into human/machine interaction.

A full house at Sheridan IMM grad exhibit – Function 13

I was pulled into a number of fascinating experiments and examined quite a few very impressive portfolios. The IMM program is a post-grad program, and the maturity of the work shows. Several of the grads I knew from their participation in the Fall Tour of Studios and Megatag, and it was wonderful to see the results of their hard work over the year. I spoke to Fabricio Medeiros, for instance, who has already assembled an impressive collection of interactive works for the film industry (very relevant considering the recent changes to Telefilm and the creation of the Canadia Media Fund here in Toronto). Likewise Ricardo Quieroz impressed with his experiments into 3D interfaces in Flash. Nancy Ng is familliar to me and displayed both strong graphic skills and an enthusiastic presentation manner. Kev Mayo got very animated when talking about interactive installations and his experiments into sound visualizations in both Flash and Processing. Tom Pischel is a frequent attendee at events like Flash in TO and has stopped by Oddly several times to show his work, he’s a talented animator and illustrator with a great demo reel of 3D work. There are simply too many good people to go through in a simple blog post, but suffice it to say it was a treat to see all these creative ventures into Flash, Processing, Jquery and more.

Dan Zen speaks to grads of Sheridan IMM

Graduate 4.0

Tearing away from the IMM show, it was time to head over to McCaul street for the fourth installation of the Graduate series organized by TM Mahdi, who works tirelessly in promoting local talent. This is an event open to all graduates that seeks to connect studios needing talent with rising stars of design.
Once again, I was delighted to see friendly faces from Megatag, and catch up with the work they have been doing. In some cases I was amazed with the depth that a year can add to the creative development. One such case was Hussein Mahfoud.

Hussein Mahfoud at Graduate 4.0

I spoke to Hussein at the last Graduate event, which he attended even though not yet graduated himself (a very good idea). At the last event, he was there seeking advice on developing a great portfolio. This time around he was there to show what he had done with the advice. I was immediately impressed with his crisp design, and the way his style has matured over a year of hard work. I was curious to see what he had done for the brand Skull Candy (a high-end maker of audio accessories). I was not disappointed, the design showed a level of professionalism that can not be faked. Hussein is enthusiastic for print and packaging design and will no doubt do well for himself. He has already begun his career, accepting a position at The Printing House as an opportunity to pick up yet more skills. Well done Hussein!

I could write a lot more about this show, but there would be no end to this article. I will say I was very happy to run into Megatag-folks Mike Ianozzi and Daniel Lowder and was very impressed with what they have done over the year. I was also happy to make new friends such as Anastasya Koshkin from Ryerson’s Radio and Television program, and Desiree Eser who took time to show me an extensive portfolio built during her time in Sweden, Germany, and here in Canada. The multi-cultural influence showed through wonderfully in the design.

These great events join several more that have been going on, including the Oddly Pre-wards party, the SCA Awards, the CAB gala, FITC, and others. It is a very busy time indeed, but also very inspiring. We at Oddly wish these great new creative talents the best in their efforts to start their careers. I hope you will have as much fun as we do.