On January 12, 2012, ASIFA-East held an informative panel discussion with representatives from Sesame Workshop. Hosted by Justin Simonich (Production Coordinator), the panel was made up of Louis Henry Mitchell (Design Director), Margot Duffy (Producer), Marcus Pauls (Production Director of Digital Media), and Nikon Kwantu (Animation Producer). Together, they provided valuable insights to the inner workings of Sesame Workshop. Justin started off with a brief history of Sesame Street and Sesame Workshop, giving an overview of how the show and company came into existence. Sesame Workshop has been an incredible supporter of NY Animation for 40 years, employing thousands of artists across all spectrums. Media produced has become increasingly interactive, and consists of e-books, mobile content, website content, and games. A recent production that has employed many NY animators is Sesame Street English, a multi-media English language-learning program for young children. Flash and After Effects are used in the creation of interactive media for use on smartboards, teaching not only English but math, science, and social studies concepts as well. Content is also being made for Kinect. Created for the x-box 360, it is an award-winning interactive experience, which stimulates creativity and imaginations. Children have no need to touch...
