KC IMAGINE and Digital Drive KC have teamed up to establish a new program designed to provide networking opportunities for KC’s digital media community: DIGITAL SCENE – KC. KC IMAGINE identified a need for area digital media professionals to have better opportunities to connect with each other in informal sessions. These after-hour sessions are themed on disciplines and subjects important to the digital media industry such as animation, motion graphics, video production, esports, etc. To add interest to the events and to broaden KC professionals’ knowledge about KC’s digital media industry, the sessions are hosted by best practice companies or organizations related to the theme of each event. For example, the first event’s theme was Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and it was hosted by UMKC in their new AR/VR Lab in the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center. Our second event had an Animation theme and was hosted by Trinity Animation.
It was the hope of KC IMAGINE that participants would benefit from networking with peers and broadening their awareness of KC’s wide range of digital media businesses. Digital Drive KC recognized the value of these programs and jumped in to partner in sponsoring the events. In addition to digital media professionals, we invite digital media educators to the events so that they can connect with industry professionals and stay abreast of new trends and technology in the industry. This is a by-invitation-only program to assure that digital media professionals find plenty of peers to connect with during the events. Food and drink are provided free of charge. The sessions generally run from 5:00 – 6:30 so that workers can drop by for an enjoyable “happy hour” period before heading home for the day.
To encourage networking and to help participants make connections with KC’s best practitioners, we invite “guest exhibitors” to be on hand to share their areas of expertise. Each guest exhibitor is pointed out during the opening remarks and are allocated a station where participants can seek them out to learn more about their connection to the event’s theme.
The response to the DIGITAL SCENE – KC events has been very positive. Registration and attendance has greatly exceeded the expectations of the program’s planners. Participants are making connections, sharing ideas, conducting business and pursuing shared projects. All of this contributes to KC IMAGINE’s goal of growing the digital media industry in Kansas City.
Here is a summary of DIGITAL SCENE – KC events that have already been held along with those planned through the rest of 2023:
September 14, 2022 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: AR/VR at the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center, UMKC
November 3, 2022 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Animation at Trinity Animation Studio
January 19, 2023 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Video Production & Lighting at the Outpost Worldwide Studio
March 9, 2023 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Data Visualization at the DeBruce Foundation
May 11, 2023 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: eSports at Populous
July 19, 2023 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Digital Storytelling at Woodneath Story Center
September 14, 2023 DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Artificial Intelligence at Saile.ai
November 9, 2023. DIGITAL SCENE – KC: Motion Graphics at 19 Below
If you are a digital media professional or digital media educator and would like to be added to the invitation list for these events, please call Ron Green at (816) 804-5917 or rronaldgreen@gmail.com. If your organization is interested in hosting a DIGITAL SCENE – KC event or supporting the series through a sponsorship, contact Jim Starcev at (913) 707- 8495.
