School of Motion Podcast

Joey sat down with Guido and Luigi Rosso—the brother founders behind Rive—to dig into what makes this platform different, where it's headed, and why teams at Spotify, Duolingo, and LinkedIn are building entire interactive experiences with it! Get more deets in the blog post: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/rive-podcast

It's that time of year again—the School of Motion End of Year Podcast is here, and this one is our longest yet... by a lot. Buckle up for an in-depth look at everything that shaped motion design in 2025, and a look ahead to 2026!
🗒️ SHOW NOTES https://schoolofmotion.com/eoy2025
This year, we're joined by 17 industry veterans and special guests to break down what "motion design" even means anymore, how AI is actually being used in production, and the real state of the motion design economy. We cover major software updates from Adobe, Maxon, Unreal Engine, and more, discuss the recovery of the VFX industry, and explore how motion designers are expanding into UX, real-time graphics, and interactive experiences.
This podcast represents our commitment to helping motion designers understand the bigger picture and make informed decisions about their careers. Thanks for being part of the School of Motion community this year!
THANK YOU to this year's contributors:
John LePore - Co-Founder, Blackbox Infinite
Ivan Witteborg - UX Motion Designer,  @Google 
Justin Cone - Executive Director of Communication, Buck & Residence
 @SternFX  - Motion Designer & Educator
Kyle Hamrick - Motion Designer, Editor & Educator
Bekki Leahy - Motion Designer & Illustrator
Greg Stewart - Lead Animator, @bibleproject 
 @JJMotionStudio  - Director & High Torchbearer, We Ride at Dawn
 @sweetboy.motion  - 3D Artist & Educator
Urban Bradesko - Founder,  @DoubleJumpAcademy  & Crispy Chicken VFX
Dan Maurer - Co-founder,  @cartandhorse 
Kris Bargen - Co-founder,  @cartandhorse 
Erin Sarofsky - Owner & Creative Director, Sarofsky
PJ Richardson - ECD, Director & Co-founder, Laundry
 @thejoelpilger  - Founder, Forum
Hayley Akins - Founder,  @MotionHatch
Caleb Ward - Founder,  @curiousrefuge   
👉 CHAPTERS 👈
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:15 Motion Design Present & Future
00:17:54 School of Motion Roundup
00:31:10 Our Favorite Work from 2025
00:52:26 Artists & Studios We Loved in 2025
01:20:24 The State of Adobe
01:32:42 Photoshop & Illustrator
01:43:10 After Effects
01:53:13 Premiere
02:06:12 Substance Painter
02:14:43 Figma on Our Minds
02:26:53 Descript FTW
02:28:43 Affinity: Adobe Killer?
02:38:22 Here Comes the Cavalry
02:54:00 The Rive Lovefest
03:27:51 Lottifiles Update
03:32:22 Greyscalegorilla Merger & More
03:36:05 Maxon's Moves
03:51:56 The Autograph Curveball
03:58:41 Will Blender Blend?
04:22:09 Houdini Happenings
04:29:17 Unreal is Unreal
04:55:14 Lottielab
04:57:27 Simulon
05:00:34 Spline & Hana
05:04:18 Womp Womp
05:09:09 Nomad Sculpt
05:13:22 Zbrush
05:16:00 Ad Industry Consolidation
05:25:49 Marketing Budgets Spread Thin
05:32:19 The Great Bifurcation
05:51:14 Pour One Out for The Mill
05:52:28 National Design Studio
05:53:00 Ben Fryc Makes a Keyboard
05:58:47 Contra is Cool
06:00:31 A New Vimeo?
06:05:42 The Motion Economy
06:16:18 Macroeconomic Trends
06:21:28 Return to Office
06:26:11 The Two Races
06:32:33 The Lost Art of Communication
06:54:21 The Race to the Top
07:21:17 The AI Conversation
07:23:22 Adobe's AI Play
07:37:11 Weavy & ComfyUI
07:49:52 MoveAI
07:53:51 Cascadeur
07:59:46 AI Image Generator Roundup
08:10:53 Firefly & Boards
08:17:41 AI Video Models
08:32:05 The AI Financial Bubble
08:39:16 The AI Vibe Shift
09:04:55 AI's Utility
09:26:01 THAT Coke Ad
09:31:42 How Artists Actually Use AI
09:41:38 The AI Ethics Question
09:49:29 2026 Predictions
🎓 SCHOOL OF MOTION COURSES MENTIONED
School of Motion All-Access: https://schoolofmotion.com/all-access
School of Motion Team Training: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/training-for-teams
Courses & workshops coming soon: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/coming-soon

What if the things that make you anxious are actually pointing you toward your greatest strengths? School of Motion Creative Director EJ Hassenfratz shares his talk from the Motion Plus Design conference in New York City, exploring how the anxieties we face as creatives—imposter syndrome, the proliferation of AI, creative blocks, and staying relevant in a fast-changing industry—can actually become our biggest competitive advantages. EJ reveals practical ways to transform nervous energy into creative fuel and reframe professional anxiety as a guide toward growth and opportunity.
Recorded live at Motion Plus Design 2024 in NYC. Big shourt out to the Motion Plus Design team for allowing us to share this footage! Want to get more insights into the Motion Design industry? Check out our blog at schoolofmotion.com/blog

We got Ben Marriott on the podcast, and honestly, it's about time...Ben's one of the best tutorial creators out there for After Effects and motion design, and his journey from freelance illustrator to full-time YouTuber happened faster than anyone expected (including him). Check out the corresponding blog post with key takeaways here: https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/b...

From pouring drinks to lighting shots at Blue Sky to leading Adobe's Substance 3D team, Michael Tanzillo's professional path is anything but typical and his story is packed with lessons motion designers need to hear. Check out the corresponding blog post here: www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/adobe-michael-tanzillo In this episode of the School of Motion Podcast, EJ Hassenfratz sits down with Michael to talk about the state of 3D, why motion designers are impressing major animation studios, and how foundational skills (like lighting and storytelling) will outlast any software trend.
🗒️ SHOW NOTES
Michael Tanzillo https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeltanzillo/
The 3D Artist Newesletter https://3dartist.substack.com/
Jasmine Katadakarn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasmine-katatikarn/
Alwyn Hunt https://www.therookies.co/about/team/alwyn-hunt
Andrew Kramer https://www.videocopilot.net/contact/company/
Sebastian Deguy https://x.com/sebdeguy?lang=en
Nick Campbell https://nickvegas.com/
Connor Henkle  https://vimeo.com/996490291?fl=pl&fe=ti&pgroup=plv
Connor Henkle on SOM podcast https://www.schoolofmotion.com/blog/connor-henkle-sports-design
Patrick Foley https://www.instagram.com/patrick_4d/
Colosseum https://colosseum.co/
Winbush https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmzWP6o2cw73moEF7LO_KvA
PJ Richardson https://www.pj-richardson.com/
Victoria Nece https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-nece
Sora https://openai.com/sora/
Midjourney https://www.midjourney.com
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/
Substance 3D stager https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d/apps/stager.html
Omniverse https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/omniverse/
Structure reference tool https://www.adobe.com/learn/firefly/web/generative-ai-structure-reference-image?learnIn=1&locale=en
USD (Universal Scene Description) https://3dartist.substack.com/p/demystifying-usd
Blue Sky App https://bsky.app/
NAB Conference https://www.nabshow.com/
Safe Space LA https://www.safe-space-la.com/
Camp Mograph https://www.campmograph.com/
Blue Sky Studios https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Sky_Studios
Pixar https://www.pixar.com/
20th Century Studios https://www.20thcenturystudios.com/
Disney https://www.disney.com/
The Mill https://www.themill.com/
Frame Store https://www.framestore.com/
Buck http://buck.tv/
Finding Nemo https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0266543/
Ice Age Three https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1080016/
Rio https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1436562/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
Peanuts Movie https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452042/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
Nimona https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19500164/?ref_=fn_all_ttl_1
Spider-Verse https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7_tt_8_nm_0_in_0_q_spider-man
Game of Thrones https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/
Severance https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11280740/
Flow https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4772188/
Wild Robot https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29623480/
The Whale https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/
SCAD https://www.scad.edu/
Cinema 4D https://www.maxon.net/en/cinema-4d?srsltid=AfmBOoqj346c50q5PODG-_HTeZ017JdipbkaQRt_XDIX0NBHsGV7Mu-z
Maya https://www.autodesk.com/products/maya/overview
V-ray https://www.chaos.com/vray?srsltid=AfmBOoogC_jTWraDUnBTjNhG0pkAZ9csF4CO_mtNstdVflJtvuZ4zWju
Redshift https://www.maxon.net/en/redshift?srsltid=AfmBOoo_siCAT_UUp0clTp4nqupkBj5b8zl9tVbL_q_9s4rSApkihGbo
ZBrush https://www.maxon.net/en/zbrush?srsltid=AfmBOoo3KatuGEWJE2rr4ztpt3_DJlV7Wbz0dxzl1sY2pzACcpzxdeMI
Blender https://www.blender.org/
Lightroom https://lightroom.adobe.com/
Substance Painter https://www.adobe.com/products/substance3d.html
Substance Viewer https://helpx.adobe.com/substance-3d-viewer.html
Project Neo https://helpx.adobe.com/project-neo/help/overview.html
Mixamo https://www.mixamo.com/
Firefly https://www.adobe.com/products/firefly.html
Unreal Engine https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US
Mega Scans https://quixel.com/megascans