This year, Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) is excited to announce that Digital Media’s Speak Week is returning with another diverse four-day lineup of distinguished artists with expertise in visual effects, 3D art, animation, and more.
Speak Week was created to provide students with more opportunities to meet renowned professionals in the fields they are most passionate about. The annual event brings a wealth of insights and expertise that are helpful for students to explore their future careers.
This week, students will hear from the following guest artists:
Monday 12/12
Frank Le Cocq (DM, ‘17)
Frank Le Cocq is an OCSA alumnus and visual effects artist who specializes in digital painting, digital sculpting, texturing, and 3D art and modeling. He currently works as an Associate VFX Artist at Blizzard Entertainment.
Knight Zhang (Arucelli) (DM, ‘16)
Knight Zhang, a Digital Media Conservatory alumna with a BFA in Game Art from Laguna College of Art & Design, is a Senior Concept Artist at Riot Games. She has expertise in character design, concept design, graphic design, motion graphics animation, and commercial illustration.
Tuesday 12/13
Lopsie Schwartz
Lopsie Schwartz is a visual effects artist and art director in film and television. Her notable works include Happy Feet Two (2011), Batwoman (2019), The Lord of the Rings (2002), and Stranger Things (2022).
Wednesday 12/14
Blizzard Entertainment
There will be a panel discussion with Blizzard Entertainment, a video game developer and publisher based in Irvine, California. Blizzard Entertainment has created well-known games such as Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, and Overwatch.
Elise Bryant
Elise Bryant is the NAACP Image Award-nominated author best known for her works titled Happily Ever Afters, One True Loves, and Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling.
Thursday 12/15
Nat Nichols (DM, ‘16)
Nat Nichols is a 3D artist at thatgamecompany where they work on the award-winning game, Sky: Children of the Light. They specialize in 3D modeling and digital painting. Nichols’ CG short film created for their senior thesis at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film won multiple awards, including Catalina Film Festival’s Best Animated Short.
Shalom Mann
Shalom Mann is the Chief Executive Officer and one of the co-founders for the veteran-run game studio, Secret Dimension. The studio’s focus is to utilize cutting-edge technology to develop games that are highly accessible and thrilling for players worldwide.
We’re so excited for OCSA students to have these unique experiences to enhance their education and prepare them for their futures!