Creative Pros from Film, TV, Gaming and Tech Industries Headline Virtual Digital Media Event for High School Students

Nonprofit’s immersive digital media event for students goes digital, expands reachThe Mosaic Film Experience today announced the speaker lineup for its 2020 Mosaic Event, which will be held virtually due to COVID-19. The 2020 Mosaic Event will be broadcast globally from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on November 4 from Celebration Cinema North in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Fifth Third Bank is the presenting sponsor.

2020 Mosaic Event speakers include:

• Phillip Boutte Jr., Costume Concept Artist and Production Designer – Work includes Hollywood blockbusters like Black Panther (2018), Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood (2019) and Inception (2010).
• Nikk Franklin, replay operator and producer at Live Sports – Work includes the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Playoffs, NCAA Basketball Tournament, World Cup, and the 1996 Olympics.
• Kirie Quackenbush, cinematic artist for Electronic Arts (EA) – Work includes EA trailers like the Sims 4 Journey to Batuu Game Pack and The Sims 4 Snowy Escape.
• Lauren Adams, director of photography, feature producer and editor, National Hot Rod Association.
• Gabriela Acosta, CEO at MUV; and Carlos Rosas, the chief of production at MUV – a transmedia company headquartered in Mexico City that has worked with clients like Google, Mercedes Benz and Adidas.

 While the virtual nature of this year’s event provides new logistical challenges, event organizers look at it as an opportunity.“The safety of our young people, guest presenters and team members is always at the forefront of our priorities,” Skot Welch, founder of the Mosaic Film Experience, said. “We’re excited to leverage the digital event format to broaden our reach and connect with even more students, not only in Michigan but across the country and even internationally.”Since 2011, the annual Mosaic Event has engaged more than 4,000 students from across Michigan in immersive workshops and interactive presentations. Presenters have included West Michigan creative professionals and nationally renowned guests ranging from HBO and Spotify executives to Netflix producers.The Mosaic Event serves as an educational opportunity and a bridge to careers.“Each year, our students walk away thinking about media differently,” Bill Wolbrink, Careerline Tech Center instructor, said. “They think more critically about digital content and have a better understanding of different career paths to career opportunities they may never have considered.”In addition to the guest speakers, the Mosaic Event also serves as the culmination of the annual Mosaic Mobile contest, a mobile film competition for high school students in which films are shot, edited and entered on mobile devices.To register for the 2020 Mosaic Event or more information about the 2020 Mosaic Mobile film competition, visit mosaicfilmexperience.com.MEDIA CONTACT:Adam Russoadam@com616.com