The San Francisco Chapter of International Game Developers Association will host a "Breaking Into the Game Industry" panel discussion at The Art Institute of California - San Francisco. This event is free and open to those interested in pursuing careers in the videogame development field, particularly students and newbies. The event will include networking opportunities before and after the discussion, which will be moderated Marc Sherrod of The Art Institute.

Featured panelists include representatives from some of the top game companies in the Bay Area: Wallace Poulter of Infinium Labs, Ashley Monif of Electronic Arts, Todd Fay of Game Audio Network Guild/Todd M. Fay Media Developments, Mark DeLoura of Sony Computer Entertainment America and Kjeld Pedersen of Double Fine.

Networking will start at 6:30 pm with the panel discussion beginning at 7:00 pm followed by Q&A. The Art Institute of California - San Francisco is located at 1170 Market Street (at 8th), San Francisco, California 94102. For more information, call (415) 865-0198 or visit www.aicasf.aii.edu and www.igda.org.

Jilll Gilbert's "Here's the Pitch" Seminar

Pitching is about creating an emotional relationship between the seller and the buyer. To accomplish this, you need to hook in your audience in the first 30 seconds of your presentation. Jill Gilbert’s “Here’s the Pitch” Seminar will go in depth into her pitching philosophy, what to prepare for your pitch, how to pitch, and provide valuable insight from a former executive’s point of view on how to manage a pitch meeting. These strategies and techniques will lead you to your ultimate goal – selling yourself, your company, or your project.

WHEN Thursday, May 13th 2010, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
WHERE: Blankspaces, 5405 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90036
FEE: $20 in advance, $25 at the door (cash only)
RSVP to info@oneplusproductions.com to reserve your spot
or call 310.275.3190.

Little Airplane Academy will be conducting an intensive, three-day preschool television workshop. Participants will learn the fundamentals of creating a preschool series from pitching through writing, character design, directing and producing both live action and animated shows.

Location: Little Airplane Productions
207 Front Street (between Fulton and Beekman)
South Street Seaport
New York, NY 10038

Dates: The course is comprised of three full days as well as optional evening activities. The course will take place Saturday, February 14 through Monday, February 16.

Fee: $1,500 for the course

Space in the course is limited and a simple application and resume are required. Contact Little Airplane at the number below to receive an application. There is no fee to apply.

For questions, please call 212-965-8999 or e-mail: melinda@littleairplane.com or visit our website at www.littleairplane.com.

These monthly 4-hour Workshops are only $25 per class. Each class will teach you everything you need to build a great foundation in film and video production. You'll learn everything from basic script writing to nonlinear editing, distribution, and more. You'll also be learning from award winning, 12 year production veterain, and CA Credentialed instructor Jarrett Grimes. Jarrett's lectured for Videomaker Magazine, SCROC, El Segundo High School, Palos Verdes Intermediate, and El Camino College. You get all that, PLUS we'll pay for your lunch! Our classes are small and personalized. You can take one, or take a series of clasess! Our program is progressive and designed to grow with each class. Looking forward to seeing you there! Enroll in our program by visiting: www.progressivedean.com/workshops

The University of Oklahoma College of Arts & Sciences is hosting biennial $40,000 Creativity in Motion/Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize honoring the creative process. This prize was established in 2002 to recognize and encourage the process of creativity as it unfolds and is expressed by individuals in diverse ways.

The Creativity in Motion/Thatcher Hoffman Smith Prize, established in 2002, is funded through the generous contributions of Oklahoma City supporter Jeanne Hoffman Smith. This biennial award, dedicated to recognizing, honoring and encouraging the creative process, is a collaborative effort with OU

The 10th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books event celebrates and animates the written word through panel discussions, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, book signings and music. The festival affords book lovers the chance to meet best-selling authors, publishers and other literary figures. The hundreds of exhibitor booths, stage events and popular children's characters keep it entertaining for all ages. Admission is free, but tickets are required to attend author-panel discussions and lectures because of limited seating. Free tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations in Southern California starting April 17, at noon until April 21, at 5 p.m., or until all tickets have been distributed. A limited number of tickets will also be available on-site. The two-day takes place April 23, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and April 24, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, on UCLA's campus. General event information about the festival is available at www.latimes.com/events or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK.

For the 10th year, TV France International is organizing Le Rendez-Vous 2004, French TV Screenings. The event sees 160 acquisition executives representing 100 channels and 40 countries. Producers, distributors and broadcasters from 40 French companies, all members of TVFI, will be at the Rendez-Vous to present their latest productions. The program catalogue will list more than 700 French programs, over 60% of which are new. This year around all programs will be digitalized and available for consultation on a server. For more information, visit www.tvfrance-intl.com.

Kid Power Xchange, the leading information resource for youth marketers, is hosting the 11th annual Kid Power Awards. The awards program honors, recognizes and promotes the most innovative kids marketing campaigns in the U.S. and worldwide. All entries will be judged anonymously by a panel of senior-level marketing professionals who represent the youth marketing industry.

The eight entry categories are as follows: Breakout of the Year (campaign for the best new product), Best Campaign in Food and Beverage, Best Campaign in Toy and Games, Best Campaign in Entertainment and Sports, Best Campaign in Media and Publishing, Best Campaign in Non-profit, Best International Campaign and Best Campaign in "Other." The following five criteria will be considered when evaluating the submissions: Objective, Strategy, Creativity, Implementation and Overall Campaign Effectiveness. For more information, visit www.kidpowerx.com.

The 11th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books event celebrates and animates the written word through panel discussions, poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, book signings and music. The festival affords book lovers the chance to meet bestselling authors, publishers and other literary figures. The hundreds of exhibitor booths, stage events and popular children's characters keep it entertaining for all ages. Admission is free, but tickets are required to attend author-panel discussions and lectures because of limited seating. Free tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster locations in Southern California. The two-day takes place April 23, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, and April 24, from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm, on UCLA's campus. General event information about the festival is available at www.latimes.com/events or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK.

The 11th Annual Technology in Education Conference & Exposition brings together thousands of educators and administrators to share problems and discover solutions for the growing needs of the modern learning environment. As official hosts, Los Angeles Unified School District, Chaffey College and DeVry University support TechEd through advisory committees, volunteer recruitment, and outreach to their colleagues at K through 20 institutions throughout the region and across the globe. More information is available online at www.techedevents.org/2006.