It’s probably safe to say that Franz Hall is the last place students want to be on a Saturday afternoon. But an event taking place this Saturday is worth attending if you’re into photography, videography, social media marketing or any other creative pursuit in the digital multimedia world.
The 2018 Creators Conference is a student-organized event for student creators to meet like-minded peers, network, learn about multimedia production and hear from recent UP alumni who are working in the creative fields. It will be held this Saturday, April 14, at 10 a.m. in Franz Hall 120.
Junior marketing major Keaton Averman organized the conference when he was inspired by the collaborative energy of On The Bluff Studios, the student-run design studio where he works and specializes in video production. He felt that student creators at UP are too isolated, and they needed a creative hub on campus where student creatives could meet.
“I wanted to make the group to bring everyone together,” Averman said. “I feel that with multimedia projects, it’s always cool to collaborate with other people. It’s hard to do that when you’re on your own.”
Maybe not so widely expressed on the event’s social media, Averman encourages students to come to the conference prepared to show their work or start creating.
“If you have a camera, bring it, if you’re a writer, bring a journal,” Averman said. “Bring something that is reminiscent of that creativity.”
This is the first year of the event, and Averman has chosen to highlight video production. The video production workshop will discuss how On The Bluff Studios produces content as well as gives attendees the opportunity to make their own videos and introduce themselves and their creative medium of choice.
“The video workshop is going to be a short overview of how On The Bluff Studios approaches the production of video, sound and the planning process,” Averman said. “The goal is for everyone to walk away with a short video of them introducing themselves and the really awesome media that they either love or want to get to know better. Everyone (will have) a video clip that they can use to put themselves out there.”
Three speakers are lined up for the event, including junior Sven Shoultz and alumni Nick Huey and Casey Nguyen. But even with speakers and a workshop, this isn’t your ordinary conference: the biggest focus is on getting to know other creative students at UP.
“There are student alumni speakers — people in the fields who are trying to figure it out and make it work,” Averman said. “The big thing is meeting like-minded creators, people who are in the creative space, who want to hang out and make cool stuff. That’s really the big focus.”
