Nice Moves Mentorship
Motion design is a small world. Nice Moves is here to make it a warmer one.
We connect emerging creatives in Minnesota and the Midwest with working professionals in motion design, VFX, and animation. No gatekeeping. No guessing. Just real relationships with people who’ve been where you want to go.
How it Works
Twice a year we host a Mentorship Mixer: a free, in-person event where prospective mentees meet available mentors through a series of short, informal conversations. Think speed dating, but for your career.
After the event, mentors and the Nice Moves committee identify the best fits and confirm pairings. Matched pairs hear from us within a week, then take it from there. Most engagements run about three months, with a goal or project in mind from the start.
You set the pace. You pick the format. We make the introduction.
Ready to find a Mentor?
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to level up, apply to join as a mentee and come to the next Mixer ready to show your work and talk about where you want to go. You don’t need a polished portfolio. You just need to show up.
Ready to Give Back?
Mentors are working professionals in motion design, VFX, animation, and adjacent fields who want to invest in the next generation. Three months, a handful of conversations, and a real impact on someone’s career. That’s the deal.
Looking for mentee
ABOUT CARSON
Carson Nordgaard is a producer at DN Studios, where he owns and operates a virtual production studio. His work centers on Unreal Engine and virtual production for filmmaking.
He is not a traditional VFX mentor. Virtual production is a narrow and fast-moving corner of the field, and he has spent years building both the skill set and the physical resources to work in it. He wants to open that up to someone at the start of their path, sharing what he knows and giving access to what he’s built to help grow the next round of creators working in virtual production.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOLS
A basic understanding of Unreal Engine. Beyond that, a thirst for self-learning, creativity, and a passion for filmmaking.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
None. I’m looking for a self-starter; bonus points if they have an interest in virtual production.
WHAT THE MENTORSHIP LOOKS LIKE
The goal is a finished virtual production project. I’d encourage my mentee to produce a piece in Unreal Engine and guide them through the process start to finish, with access to my virtual production studio and filmmaking gear along the way. Depending on how well they pick up the process, there’s potential for real work down the line.
Looking for mentee
ABOUT ED
Ed Sargeant is an animator and studio owner based in North Dakota. He is Co-Owner and Director of Animation at Birdtree Studio, where he works primarily in 3D.
He got his start in VFX through a network of mentors and peers, and credits that support with landing his first job in the industry. Having people to turn to for advice or an introduction made the difference early on, and he is now at a point in his career where he wants to give that back.
He works in Blender, Toon Boom Harmony, Creative Cloud, and Clip Studio, on a production pipeline built with Deadline and self-hosted tools including OpenProject, Nextcloud, and Flamenco.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOLS
Comfort with the fundamentals of at least one industry-standard program. 3D is my specialty, so a mentee already finding their way around Blender, Maya, or Max is where I can help the most, but a solid foundation in any core tool works. I care more about dedication than technical mastery.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
No formal experience required. This is aimed at students and people early in their journey, so I’m not looking for professional credits. What matters is genuine commitment to animation and some work you can show and talk through, even if it’s class projects or personal pieces that are still rough.
WHAT I CAN HELP WITH
Someone committed to the craft usually has the basics down already, so the more valuable work is figuring out which market you’re moving into and the specific skills that path calls for. I can offer perspective on the animation industry here in North Dakota and how expectations differ from larger studios in heavier markets. Beyond that, portfolio, career paths, or soft skills, depending on what you need most.
Jonathan Miller
Looking for mentee
About Jonathan
Jonathan writes, produces, shoots, edits, and designs video and motion graphic content for internal and external communications. His work ranges from shooting and directing executive leadership videos to art directing and animating motion graphics content.
Minimum requirements for tools
Basic understanding of the Adobe Creative Suite.
Experience Requirements
Collection of work to help assess capabilities and set goals. Prefer junior level or strong student.
Mentorship “time limits”
3 months
Type of Mentorship
Supporting emerging creatives with video, motion, editing, VFX, and producing.
Looking for mentee
ABOUT Marcie
Marcie LaCerte is a mixed Chinese-American animator, art director, and illustrator based in Minneapolis, MN. She is represented by Jacky Winter and is in post-production on an independent short film, The Pleasure-Dome.
She is a 2023 Jerome Hill Alternate Artist Fellow and a 2022 Creative Culture Fellow. Her work has been recognized by The One Club for Creativity, The New Yorker, Vimeo Staff Picks, Ottawa International Animation Festival, GLAS, AFI Docs, and more. Her clients include The New York Times, Vox, PBS, NPR, Quartz, Giphy, and Adobe. She has given talks at the Columbus College of Art and Design, Saturday Career Workshops, CalArts Experimental Animation program, Living Room Light Exchange (New York), Bethany Arts Community, and the Light Grey Art Lab Residency.
She uses analog and digital tools to create surrealist films that satirically explore themes of personal identity and social alienation. She is also interested in interactive multimedia art. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, designing HTML/CSS websites for friends, and talking about Shrek.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOLS
Basic knowledge of the Adobe Suite
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
A portfolio or gallery of your work (an art blog is fine, like Insta or Tumblr), but no strict requirements beyond a desire to work on and complete a personal project under my guidance.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
I would love to meet more people in Minneapolis—I went to school here but moved to NYC right after graduation—and share some of my knowledge with early-career animators!
Looking for mentee
ABOUT NATALIA
Natalia Poteryakhin is a story artist, cartoonist, screenwriter, and 2d animator. Growing up in a Russian immigrant family, she was raised on Soviet cartoons (and highly recommends you check out Fyoder Khitruk’s Winnie the Pooh on YouTube). She graduated the U of MN with an Art BFA and Film BA (and is always down to talk about how she learned the skills she needed outside the context of art school). She currently helps make original short content at MAKE Visual, an animation studio in downtown Minneapolis.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOLS
Basic knowledge of the Adobe Suite (primarily Photoshop) and a digital drawing tablet.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
A portfolio or gallery of your work (an art blog is fine like Insta or Tumblr), but no strict requirements beyond a desire to work on and complete a personal project under my guidance.
MENTORSHIP “TIME LIMITS”
Depends on the project proposed and your own rate of progress towards completion, but typically 3 months.
TYPE OF MENTORSHIP
Remote video calls over Discord once every two weeks, 30-45 minutes long, on a weeknight we determine to work for the both of us. Can also hopefully meet up in person depending on Covid and availability. Driven by your desire to work on a specific skill, create a portfolio piece, or something we decide on together after talking about your goals and interests. The mentorship’s success will depend on me being able to respond to work you present to me at each check-in, so being motivated to make work between meetings is key (and a desire to receive feedback!)
ADDITIONAL NOTES
I draw/animate primarily in Photoshop, so might not be able to help too much regarding Toonboom Harmony, Animate, or 3d animation processes–but definitely can still critique underlying principles of animation, storytelling, etc.
Looking for mentee
ABOUT Travis
Travis Haggerty is a motion designer, editor, and founder of Haggerty Design Co., based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Minnesota Duluth and has built his career at the intersection of motion, branding, and storytelling. He spent over six years at Yamamoto, one of Minneapolis’s leading brand agencies, where he rose to Senior Motion Designer and handled everything from concepting and storyboarding to filmmaking, drone piloting, and content creation. From there, he served as Motion Designer and Editor at Superhuman before launching Haggerty Design Co. in 2022, where he works with clients to create modern design solutions driven by motion. His client work spans brands including Bank of America, Illumina, and the Minnesota Rokkr. He describes himself as endlessly curious about technology and design.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR TOOLS
Comfort with Adobe Creative Suite, particularly After Effects or Premiere, is helpful. A basic understanding of motion, editing, or design fundamentals will set you up for success.
EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
A portfolio or body of work in motion, video, or design, in any format. No strict requirements beyond drive and a genuine interest in how motion can elevate a brand or story.
MENTORSHIP “TIME LIMITS”
Flexible and project-dependent, typically built around a defined deliverable or creative goal.
TYPE OF MENTORSHIP
Primarily virtual; in-person meetups possible in the Minneapolis area.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Travis brings a freelance and agency perspective and can speak to both the creative and business sides of running a design practice. Expect a mentor who pushes you to think about design as a problem-solving tool, not just an aesthetic one. You can see his work at haggertydesignco.com and on Instagram at @travi_T.