Isolina Minjeong

11th

Pictoplasma
NYC

SEPTEMBER 25 + 26, 2025

This September, Pictoplasma — the leading character design conference from Berlin — returns to New York to present the freshest talents, probe the workings of their creative mind, and offer the chance to learn from and be inspired by some of today’s most innovative and avant-garde artists.

Attendee registration for the 11th Pictoplasma NYC edition is now online
with a special early bird offer, limited to the 100 first attendees completing the online registration process.

LIMITED

EARLY BIRD

AVAILABLE NOW!

CONFERENCE

ARTIST TALKS & LECTURES

Pictoplasma NYC presents 10+ hand picked key lectures by the world’s most influential artists and upcoming talents, cutting-edge graphic, toy and game designers and leading animation filmmakers.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Danny Casale

USA

(aka Coolman Coffeedan) self-titled ‘Bad Animator’ creating animations in his unique style, which have gone viral and reach hundreds of millions people around the world

Fran Meneses

CL, USA

Illustrator, author and content creator known as frannerd for her online comics depicting the ins and outs of freelancing and mental health

Isolina Minjeong

USA

Ceramic artist questioning cultural narratives of tradition by intricately weaving together ancient motifs and her expansive world of characters

Jon Burgerman

UK, USA

New York-based British artist whose works have been acquired by prestigious public collections such as London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and the OÖ-Kultur Museum in Linz, Austria

Julian Glander

USA

Artist and animator who has recently venture into feature-length film with “Boys Go To Jupiter”

Laser Days

USA

Real-time rendering studio co-founded by Jack Wedge and Will Freudenheim creating worlds, stories and characters using game engines

Lauren Martin

USA

Multi-talented illustrator inspired by the humor and joy that can be found in day-to-day life

More Speakers

TBA

… more participating artists t.b.a. soon!

ANIMATION SCREENINGS

Big screen psychedelic eye-candy …

… and storytelling genius: Pictoplasma NYC presents a feature film length selection of 16 fresh animated shorts and experimental narration a far cry from family entertainment, featuring the latest generation of characters in motion, including work by AJ Jefferies, Cat Johnston, Gabby Cherney, Will Anderson and Zohar Dvir..

VIEW SCREENING PROGRAM

Ducks

2025 / UK / 04’45”
AJ Jefferies

A completely normal day in the park.

Normal Grey

2025 / HK, GER / 01’08”
Jack Sachs

A love letter to my favorite bird.

Long Distance

2024 / CH / 02’00”
Michael Frei

A fly takes flight to meet a close friend.

Brazey & D'Bruppy

2024 / USA / 04’50”
Jared D. Weiss

Brazey and D’Bruppy reconvene in a park after a period of time apart.

Gimme 5

2024 / NL / 00’30”
YONK

Two sweaty strangers attempt to connect in an absurd series of mismatched gestures.

Cowgirlies

2024 / USA / 01’37”
Kate Costello

Girls being girls in the wild, wild west.

Retirement Plan

2024 / IRL / 07’17”
John Kelly

At apathy with his life, Ray dreams of the beauty and joy he will find in retirement.

Robert Yoghurt - FaceTime

2024 / UK / 00’30”
Sacha Beeley

Robert Yoghurt wants to FaceTime.

Storytelling

2024 / CH / 07’00”
Nils Hedinger

From cave drawings to echo chambers: The history of humankind is a history of storytelling.

The Wickywock and the JubJub Berry

2024 / UK / 05’00”
Cat Johnston and Joseph Wallace

An exhausted mythical creature suffering from insomnia is offered a sedative.

Voicemails From My Dad

2024 / USA / 05’53”
Gabby Cherney

Only one person leaves me voicemails – an animated compilation of phone messages collected over the years from my dad.

Horizon

2024 / ARG / 03’00”
Pablo Rafael Roldan

“What will you do when I’m no longer here?” – a question evoking nostalgia, for both what has been and what is yet to come.

The Id, the Bad and the Ugly

2024 / UK/ 04’27”
Hannah Eccles

A short slapstick following the psychological journey of a cowboy, his truck and an elusive therapist.

Kokuruga

2022 / SP / 06’00”
Choche Hurtado

A compendium of childhood memories.

Butterfly Kiss

2024 / GER, ISR / 10’00”
Zohar Dvir

After quarreling with her girlfriend, Carol awakes to an apocalyptic reality.

Maurice

2025 / USA / 01’00”
Nate Milton and Alix Bloom

Alix attacks Nate after responding poorly to her Dawn of The Planet of The Apes bit.

Non-Fungible Therapy

2024 / UK / 03’45”
Will Anderson

A little cat in therapy dreams of success and ends up headed to the moon.

Portfolio Reviews

Networking

Do you want to showcase your animation project or hope for personal feedback on your illustration portfolio, crave to hook up with “the industry,” or just get some advice by someone who might be able to help recalibrate your character project?

Friday morning’s rapid-fire networking event grants conference attendees private face-to-face time with ten industry leaders, agencies, production companies and talent scouts, including the likes of Snyder, Hornet Inc., Buck, Jacky Winter, B&A and more.

Review slots are limited and pre-registration is required. Sign-up for all interested attendees begins at 5:30pm on Thursday (first conference day, first break) at the registration tables in the SVA Theatre lobby.

VIEW PORTFOLIO REVIEWERS

HORNET INC

Natalie Labarre + Dez Stavracos

„Hornet is looking for animation artists in all mediums who are passionate about their craft, eager to learn, and inspired by Hornet’s body of work. We are currently seeking artists of all disciplines, with a focus on Nuke compositors, CG Generalists, Motion Designers/ Animators, and Designers. Portfolios/demo reels on laptops or iPads are preferred over mobile sites.“

#animation #characteranimation #dreamwithus #hellohornet

BUCK

Mercy Lomelin

“At BUCK, we’re always on the lookout for individuals who love design and animation just as much as we do. We love seeing each artist’s individual point of view! What gets us really excited is seeing the liberties an artist takes, the unique decisions they make, and how they bend or break the rules to their liking.“

#animation #motiondesign #brandingt

SNYDER

Kristina Snyder

„SNYDER is a women owned agency representing illustrators and animators. We are based in NY and we seek to match our global talent with commercial projects and opportunities that put creativity first.“

#illustration #animation #CG

Jacky Winter

Delaney Cavanagh + Bianca Bramham

„Jacky Winter is a global creative representation and production company. We’re always on the lookout for artists and image-makers who have a consistent, inimitable style, consistently push their craft, and inject their personality into everything they create.“

#creativedirector #animation #advertising

B&A

Karol Wernek + Matthew Palizay

„B&A is a premier global management agency renowned for its roster of talent spanning illustration, photography, and beyond. As part of the Great Bowery collective, B&A is at the forefront of curating innovative visual narratives, cross-studio collaborations, and world-class campaigns. We are on the lookout for trailblazing talent in illustration, cgi, animation and murals. We seek artists who have a unique voice that is applicable to editorial briefs, ad campaigns, and brand collaborations.“

#illustration #cgi #animation #murals

ustwo

Yuqiao Qin

„At ustwo, we pride ourselves on designing impactful digital products and experiences that deeply resonate with users. When reviewing your portfolios, we’re not just interested in the final piece, but in understanding the “why” and “how” of your designs. We have lots of experience working with tricky and demanding clients, so we will be looking for you to really sell us on not just the final output, but your process as well.“

#productdesign #digital #playthinking #emotioncentric

NYC SCHEDULE*

* subject to change

THURSDAY, SEPT 25

2:30 PM

DOORS OPEN:

REGISTRATION

4 — 5:30 PM

LECTURES

6:30 — 8 PM

LECTURES

8:30 — 9:45 PM

ANIMATION SCREENING

FRIDAY, SEPT 26

11 AM — 12:30 PM

PORTFOLIO REVIEWS

1:30 — 3 PM

LECTURES

4 — 5:30 PM

LECTURES

6:30 — 8 PM

LECTURES

8 — 11 PM

GOODBYE DRINKS

VENUE

SVA THEATRE

333 West 23rd Street
between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York, NY 10011
www.svatheatre.com

Featuring two theaters, an elegant lobby and green room designed by Milton Glaser, the SVA Theatre hosts both intimate and extravagant events and has been home to red carpet premieres, awards shows, film festivals, and theatrical events.

FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS …

… and a hand full of answers:

WHAT DOES THE REGISTRATION FEE INCLUDE?
HOW AND WHEN DO I GET MY PHYSICAL TICKET?

No physical tickets are sent out prior to the event. After payment, all attendees receive a personal registration code via email (sent to the email address used during the payment process, so keep an eye on your Spam-folder!). Attendees are asked to save or print out this email (especially the included registration code) and bring it to the conference venue together with their valid ID. The full passes (wearable, non-transferable wristbands) will be available directly at the conference venue.
DO YOU OFFER GROUP REDUCTIONS?

We have set aside a limited amount of reduced tickets to offer for groups larger than 10 attendees, available if all 10+ tickets are purchased in one order.
Reduced group tickets are granted on a first come, first served basis:
Please contact us HERE for more information.
WHAT IS THE REFUNDING SITUATION?

Tickets are generally not refundable once purchased. A participant, who is unable to attend the conference, can name a substitute in writing, and the ticket is transferred.
Cancellation of registration might be possible in writing before August 1, 2025, but an administrative fee of 50,- USD will have to be subtracted from the refund. There’s no chance for reimbursement after August 1, 2025, and absence from the conference does not entitle to reimbursement of the admission fee – simply because all fee’s by then have been spent on the production of the event.

Please carefully read the full version of our terms and conditions >>> HERE
WHO’S THIS PICTOPLASMA ANYWAY?

Pictoplasma is an unique project wholeheartedly focussed on contemporary character design and art — abstract figurative entities that create a direct emotional bond with the viewer and have invaded all media over the past decade. The brainchild of Peter Thaler and Lars Denicke is renown for its style-defining book publications, immersive exhibitions, international conferences and festivals, that continuously push anthropomorphic appeal to new limits.

Since its inception in 2004, the annual Pictoplasma Berlin Festival has established itself as the main meeting point for an international audience of visual creators and producers. The event is an unconventional design conference, a forward looking animation film festival, a communal playground for collaborative creation, a surprising tour of gallery exhibitions – and is all about the fun of encountering like minded people. In 2008, Pictoplasma has established a second home in New York, while further events keep bringing the project from Mexico via Paris to Madrid and around the globe.

HOSTED BY

PictoplasmaNYC