Friday, February 18, 2011

A plug for two companies that support Portland's creative community

Portland is the home amazing companies that support the creative industry. They want us to be successful. It's good for the community that they serve, and they like to be associated with people who are able to gain traction with their work. It is also good for their business for us to be successful.

A couple standouts that I've had the pleasure of working with are 3DV, led by Kurt and Mark Macey, and Red Giant Software, managed locally by John Kerr.

3DV is a vendor of Autodesk products, which include 3DS Max, Softimage, and Maya...the heavyweights in the 3D animation and effects industry. Their post-sales support is phenomenal, and they'e great guys to work with.

Red Giant Software is the creator of the famous Magic Bullet image treatment program. Their software library is impressive, and their support is right here in Portland. They also want to see how artists are using their software, and they'll bring lunch!

Both of these companies support the industry financially and with knowledge. They both donate to local groups dedicated to growing our industry, such as Portland After Effects User Group, the Portland Cutters, and Portland 3D User Group. This support allows users to grow and learn in a market that isn't yet moving at the pace of Los Angeles, Vancouver, or New York. They help our local market grow to serve the national market.

I'm asking everyone who reads this blog to keep this in mind as they decide which tool to buy, or where to buy it. The global market allows us to buy software and hardware more cheaply if we go online. But the big superstores don't support our local talent base in any way other than by selling to it. Please support those who support you.

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