What is your Niche?

1)  What do you consider to be your medium, style, and services of choice?

I have always loved working with visual components, and have worked in many different mediums. My background (and original major) was Illustration where I developed a love for fine arts. While I enjoyed working on drawings and paintings, I seemed to have a pull towards more computer based design, which ultimately placed me in the Design Program.   
My love for working with components like vector art and figural drawings seemed to translate to a love for working with Motion Graphics. Programs like Premiere  After Effects, and Cinema 4D while seeming intimidating at first, were the most easy I could translate visual ideas and skills in to. I could sit and work on a Motion project for 10+ hours and still look forward to it the next day. Apart from motion, I developed a passion for Production Art, as a result of a recent internship I took. There, I utilized my design and artistic skills while also being able to work with may hands and rarely stay in one place. A sedimentary lifestyle being a slight deterrent when thinking of my future work. 

2)  Conduct some research and identify and target potential clients and partners you hope to work with in the future.

A potential company I could see myself working for would be an athletic wear company or a sports team, specifically dealing with large capacity sports venues. The Sports Graphics world is one that I got a taste of while Interning with the Denver Broncos. While working in production, I got to witness the full scope of what the Creative services department accomplishes. The Motion Designers I worked with sometimes drew inspiration from https://www.videocopilot.net/ and https://www.videocopilot.net/ when working on simple traditional pieces for the scoreboard. Occasionally, they will outsource their work to companies like Cake Studios https://vimeo.com/188058136 . Another company I could see myself one day working for would be Thought Cafe https://thoughtcafe.ca . This company does simplistic vector animations for various clients and companies. This would tie into my skills in vector art as well as my love for history, as the company does a lot of animations for historical documents and talks. 

3)  What common frustrations or needs do your services or products address?

The thing that fascinates me most with large capacity sports venues such as the Broncos is how they use their work to communicate with the fans. If someone is confused about something, the motion graphics on the score board will eloquently inform them on what they need to know. At the same time they can add a certain advantage orchestrating on how fans should act at crucial moments during a game. This goes in to the motto the Motion team has on their doors, "Home Field Advantage Starts Here". 
In terms of Vectorized Animation, the problem that it addresses is visually re creating a narrative to give the viewer better context. Visual components and animation strengthen narratives so that the idea is better understood with the viewer.  

Conduct a bit of secondary research to see just how competitive your chosen market is.

In terms of Sports Graphics, the industry is a tightly networked community that works very closely. This is true not only for NFL teams, but for other sports leagues as well. The Broncos for example will regularly work with teams like The Avalanche and Nuggets to help with new packages and game day live animations. In addition they occasionally contract outside studios.

Cake Studios https://cakestudios.tv
- Uses an extremely smooth animation style that makes each piece flow well together. 

Lumbre http://www.lumbre.tv
- Very technical and detail oriented animations with a wide array and use of colors.

Thought Cafe https://thoughtcafe.ca
- Portrays complex ideas and narratives in simplistic and fun ways.