FINAL DAY OF CTN EXPO

Nickelodeon's "Harvey Beaks" signing.

*NOW WITH A KAPLAN-EQSE ADD-ON

I've never seen the event so packed. Or so large.

The Creative Talent Network exposition has been going for five years now. It started in the main hall of the Marriot, and now occupies the hall, two large tents in the parking lot, and presentations and events in the main hotel. The two long tents out in the parking lot have lots of exhibits ... and two large fans going at the entrances. (I don't think anybody planned for days in the high eighteis and low nineties this far into freaking November, but here we are.) ...

The Animation Guild has manned a booth again this year. I've been there a few hours; Organizer Steve Kaplan has been at the table a LOT of hours. We've gotten asked about the state of the cartoon business, how to break into the cartoon business, how to get a non-union studio to sign a contract. People want to know about pension and health benefits (who would have thought?

There are folks here from all parts of the country, come to check out the exhibits and demonstrations, to watch the lectures and the panels. Last night Disney veterans Jerry Reese, Dan Haskett, Bill Kroyer, Henry Selick, John Musker and Brad Bird held forth about the fun and frivolity in the Rats' Nest, a small rectangle of a room into which they were jammed in Disney's original animation building, way back in the 1970s. (Okay, the original animation building in Burbank. Not the one on Hyperion.)

Reese, Haskett, Kroyer, Selick, Musker, Bird.

Events and exhibits continue today until 5:00 p.m.

ADD-ON:

I have to echo Steve Hulett's observations of the event .. bigger and better than last year. There were more people attending, more panels to participate in, more exhibitors to meet, and more fun to be had. Once again, I've talked myself hoarse speaking about the Guild and what we do in the industry.

Many students appreciated hearing about the workplace conditions provided in the contract. Almost as much as they appreciated taking a copy of the wage survey and hearing about 'going rates' and our Job Email Archive. Members came by to say hello, and ask questions about MPI or clarify concerns about various studio matters.

Training programs came by to learn how to participate in the CSATTF Skills Training Grant, and the founder of the Zerply network wants to reach out to members and make themselves known to our group.

All in all, another fine year that regularly highlighted reasons we continue to sit in the exhibit hall and espouse what we do and for whom we do it.

- Steve K