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Alvy Ray Smith: Set to inspire Auckland and Wellington

‘[We] were really determined to create a kind of mutual admiration society, so that the techies thought the artists were geniuses, and the artists thought the techies were magicians. We wanted people to want to learn from each other. That’s always when the best stuff happens: when someone tells you something you didn’t already know.

Alvy Ray Smith

His working history reads like a golden book of experience, a former associate professor of computer science who worked on the inception of  SuperPaint, published well regarded papers in the intersection of computer graphics and computer engineering, and held a spot in the famed  New York Techs Computer Graphics laboratory.  It was at ‘the lab’ that Alvy met Ed Catmull – together the pair would go on to pioneer computer graphics at Lucasfilm before going out on their own to found Pixar.

The story of Pixar is one of creativity and collaboration, from startup to high growth.  Although heralded as an overnight success, Pixar’s tale is like that of many startups – one of hard work, immense joy and a good dose of flearning.

The generally curious, pioneering and free thinking Dr Smith will be heading to New Zealand to share his tale of innovation, creativity and success with a series of events made possible by Project Connect.  Visiting Auckland on December 3rd and Wellington on December 4th, the team from Project Connect invite you to an inspiring evening with Alvy as he discusses technology & entertainment, from the pixel to Pixar and beyond followed by a Q&A session.

Event cost: $39.00
Date: Auckland – December 3rd | Wellington – December 4th
Time:  5:30 – 8:30 pm
Perfect for: The curious, entrepreneurs, storytellers, creative thinkers, interactive and digital strategists.  Anyone with a curious mind or a desire to do something different