2020 Mosaic Event Speaker Profile: Kirie Quackenbush

If you want to know what it’s like to work with brands like Star Wars and The Sims, this year’s Mosaic Film Experience has got a treat for you.Since 2011, the annual Mosaic Event has engaged more than 4,000 students in immersive workshops and interactive presentations. Presenters have included creative professionals and nationally renowned guests from HBO, Spotify, and Netflix.One of this year’s keynote speakers will be Electronic Arts cinematic artist Kirie Quackenbush, who’s worked on EA trailers like the Sims 4 Journey to Batuu Game Pack and The Sims 4 Snowy Escape.Working at one of the world’s biggest gaming companies is a dream come true for Kirie, who studied cinematography and film production at Grand Valley State University.“If you’re a gamer, working at EA is a perfect career path. EA puts players and fun at the forefront of everything we make, and it always feels so incredible to see people, just like you, enjoying a game you contributed to,” said Kirie. “Whether your passion is artistic or scientific, being a part of the EA family is fun and exciting, and I am always stoked to spend my days working on and with video games.”The Chicago native recalls a particular Star Wars project as a highlight of her budding career.“The first official reveal trailer that I worked on after my training was the Star Wars: Journey to Batuu trailer. It was extremely fun and unbelievable for me to experience, as my two favorite things are Star Wars and The Sims—and each day, I was able to work on shooting clips of them together,” she said. “Every time I was able to pose and animated Kylo Ren’s sim or shoot a cute droid, I had a many fangirl moment in my desk chair.”In high school, Kirie was very interested in The Sims games and filmmaking. She created a successful Sims 3 machinima series on her YouTube channel and a few other movies that won awards and recognition at the Sims International Film Festival. Kirie always made a Sims video for class projects if given the opportunity.Kirie’s advice to high schoolers interested in digital media is this: “The most time you’ll have to work on this kind of digital content is actually during high school, so start creating now.”“With just software, you can get online for free, you can create stunning content that sets the stage for your skill and wows several employers well into the future,” Kirie said. “The more you start making now, the better you’ll become.”And for those unsure of what they want to be when they grow up, Kirie says not to worry.“Even people like myself, who was sure that I wanted to become a director or editor—you just don’t really know what’s out there until you experience it,” Kirie said. “So focus on finding the things you like to do and pursue continuing that thing into a trade or university degree.”Hear more from Kirie and her exciting career at Electronic Arts at our 2020 Mosaic Event. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Mosaic Event is going virtual. We will broadcast globally from 9 - 11:30 a.m., November 4, from Celebration Cinema North in Grand Rapids, Michigan.