Pixel Academy
Teaching Kids + Teens Video Game Design & 3-D Modeling
Quick Pitch
The Pixel Academy is a community of kids and teens that are passionate about learning 21st Century Skills. We want to give our members access to state of the art technology, from virtual reality goggles and 3D Printers to self-teaching guitars. Pixel members are able to explore and master new and relevant subjects that traditional schools aren't able to provide like Video Game Design, 3D Printing, Arduino Programming, App Development, Film Making, Music Writing, and so much more.
Right now, we're operating all over NYC, out of libraries, museums, pop-up shops, and living rooms. What we NEED is a place to call home. A place where kids and teens can drop in and learn anything they want, any time they want.
And that's where you come in! Rent in NY is expensive (see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4o-TeMHys0), but we're determined to create a perfect, modern, central learning location. To do that we need space. Nice space. Safe space. We've got a few areas in mind but your contributions will help us get up and running quicker!
The Pixel Academy will stand out as the only after-school location that offers children and teens the ability to create films, music, games, and software applications. Catering specifically to youth ages 8 through 18 and offering access to state-of-the-art hardware and software, we will be a one-stop shop for experimenting and learning to create with technology. By providing access to advanced technology including 3D printers, laser cutters, musical instruments and recording space, HD cameras, and high-end computers, we will provide full-service spaces for the creation of anything our members can imagine.
Pixel Academy in the News
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Key Features
We're creating an atmosphere of creative learning.
Every day we'll have between four and eight different drop-in workshops covering topics like video game design, 3d printing, 3d scanning, iOS app design, computer programming, Kinect hacking, digital embroidery, Arduino, electronics, Adobe creative suite, web design, autocad, level design, HTML5, CSS, OSX, Javascript, movie making, video compositing, special effects, computer animation, stop motion, 3d photography, guitar, piano, drums, garage band, DJing, singing, music composition, music theory, and songwriting... for a start.
All members are created equal! No one is locked into a certain time or a certain day of the week. Come when you want, and learn what you want. Pick up a guitar on Monday, and make a video game on Thursday. Creativity is about freedom. Freedom to explore and learn.
The Team
Mike 'Fish'
'New Jersey' Noah
Iman 'the Destroyer'
Franklin Logan
'Dylan' Dylan
The Founder
Mike Fischthal's passion lies in helping youth discover their creative potential and unlock their technological capabilities. He has worked in all roles of a game design team, from developer to designer. Mike was Senior Game Designer at Nickelodeon and Lead Designer of Nicktropolis, one of the most popular children's virtual worlds of its time, which maintained a user-base of over 7 million users. Most recently, he was the Senior Interactive Producer at PlayScience, leading the design, development, and project management of educational mobile, tablet and web-based applications. Mike teaches video game design to groups of youth aged 8-12 and has written several youth-targeted game design and 3D printing curricula. Mike founded the Pixel Academy in May of 2012, which has since grown to include a staff of four incredible instructors. Currently the Pixel Academy has 90 registered members, is hosting two to three workshops per week for the New York Public Library, runs six in-home workshops per week, and is a member of the Youth Advisory Board for the New York Hall of Science.
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