CCS Toyota Lecture Series: Industry EXPOsion

The CCS Toyota Lecture Series presents a night of short talks and panels with industry experts in the disciplines of Illustration and the Entertainment Arts. From concept artists to art directors to illustrators, the speakers will be covering trending topics in their fields and sharing their own stories about their career journeys. A reception will follow the last talk. This event is free and open to the general public. 

The Toyota Lecture Series was established through a generous $1 million endowment gift to the College for Creative Studies from Toyota Motor Corporation to feature presentations by prominent guest speakers from the international design community at CCS and directly engage with CCS students through critiques and roundtable discussions.

Speakers & Schedule

John Trabbic, Executive Producer - Sony Pictures Animation

Luiza Roth Tanaka, Lead Environment Artist - Riot Games

Ed Natividad, Concept Artist

Q&A with Entertainment Arts Speakers

Meredith Miotke, Illustrator

Patrick Hruby, Art Director - LA Times

Sarah Walsh, Illustrator

Q&A with Illustration Speakers

Speaker Bio's:

John Trabbic: John Trabbic III was born and raised in Monroe, Michigan. He has worked for multiple studios including Sony, Paramount, Nickelodeon, Fox, Cartoon Network, and Warner Bros Animation Studio. He's worked on both TV and Feature Animation including such properties as SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, MOTEL TRANSYLVANIA, ARCHER, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and PIG GOAT BANANA CRICK­ET. His roles have included Executive Producer, Writer, Animator, Illustrator, Storyboard Artist, Comic Book writer/illustrator, and all-around swell guy with an extensive shoe collection. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program. He currently lives in Burbank, California with his wife, his son, and two dogs, Fae and Bubbles.

Luiza Roth Tanaka: Luiza Tanaka is the lead environment artist on Teamfight Tactics at Riot Games. Over the course of their career, Luiza has shipped several titles on multiple gaming platforms, with their most notable works being Palia and SMITE. As a lover of nature and the fine arts, Luiza hopes to create immersive worlds for players to explore and feel a sense of belonging in.

Ed Natividad: In 1986, Ed Natividad attended the Center for Creative Studies, majoring in both Illustration and Transportation Design. In 1994, he joined Industrial Light and Magic in Marin County, CA, working on visual effects for Forest Gump, Men in Black, and Jumanji. He would later fulfill a childhood dream by working with George Lucason on Star Wars Episode 1 & 2 at the fabled Skywalker Ranch. He has since worked on films such as Batman v Superman, Matrix 2, Matrix 3, the Transformers series, I, Robot, Tron Legacy, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Man of Steel, Blade Runner 2049, Aquaman, Dune, Dune Two, and more recently, vehicles for the Green Hornet and Kato, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is the recipient of several Art Directors Guild Awards including Passengers,

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, Wakanda Forever and The Batman. He continues to work on a variety of Film projects and is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Meredith Miotke: Meredith Miotke is an illustrator based in Detroit, MI. After a childhood filled with reading, learning, and drawing, she couldn't resist the chance to combine all three by pursuing a degree in Illustration at the College for Creative Studies. She kicked off her career on the East Coast–first in footwear and later in editorial illustration work–before moving back to her beloved home state of Michigan. She loves building intricate, colorful worlds filled with busy characters and hidden details to discover. When not drawing, she can usually be found trying to perfect a new baking challenge or attempting to stop her two cats from bullying her pup.

Patrick Hruby: Patrick Hruby is an art director at the Los Angeles Times. He is a native Angeleno who graduated from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena where he earned a bachelor’s degree in illustration and design. His colorful geometric illustration style has had broad appeal over the last decade. A love for geometry and a playful curiosity drive his designs. Appearing frequently in the Guardian, the New York Times. He has twice served on the board of ICON the Illustration Conference and his work has been recognized by American Illustration, Communication Arts and Wallpaper Magazine.

Sarah Walsh: Sarah Walsh is an illustrator of over 20 picture books with top publishers and has partnered with celebrated global brands. She is passionate about creating magical worlds with vivid colors, thoughtful narratives with elements of nostalgia and surrealism, and endearing characters. Her drawings and hand lettering can be found on anything from a fully illustrated version of Roald Dahl’s classic book Matilda to a promo for the PBS documentary series Trailblazers. Her influences are an eclectic mix of ’80s pop culture, vintage children’s books, mid-century design, and folk art. Sarah lives in Kansas City with her partner, son, and dog, where she is constantly chasing after a sense of wonder and magic.

Host or Publisher College for Creative Studies