A bright future for one of the Motion Design community's favorite sites
Note from Joey: A few years back, Joe Donaldson and I were having coffee in Sarasota, FL. He told me about this crazy idea he had for a marketplace that gave people access to some of the best work from the top artists in the industry. I immediately knew it was a really, REALLY good idea... but at the time, School of Motion didn’t have the bandwidth to help him do it. Joe was on his own. Of course, like everything Joe touches, Holdframe was a resounding success.
Last summer I pitched Joe on the idea of joining forces. My hope was that by pairing School of Motion’s team, resources, and expertise behind Joe’s vision, we could create something incredible. Late last year, School of Motion acquired Holdframe and—with Joe leading the way—began the process of reimagining what it could be. Today we’re launching the first of our new Holdframe Workshops, and I couldn’t be any more excited… or proud.
I asked Joe to write up some thoughts on the partnership and the vision he has for Holdframe, and that is what you’re about to read.
Holdframe started as a radical idea
What if we took something that has historically had little to no value—project files that are figuratively collecting dust on hard drives all across the world—and shared it with the community? What would happen if we collectively offered total transparency into how we work? And in turn, what if we sold these files at a reasonable rate? Would this then create a totally new and accessible learning resource for our community, offering the ability to learn from some of the world's best working artists? And by purchasing these files, what if that then helped support these artists to create more work?
That was how Holdframe started.
It was me, a simple Squarespace site, a domain, and of course loads of unbelievably generous and talented contributors. After a little more than two years, I'm happy to say that this crazy idea has exceeded all expectations!
In this short amount of time, Holdframe has:
- Been viewed in almost every country (181 out of 195... so close!)
- Processed right under 80,000 downloads (that's over 100 a day!)
- Shared 60 amazing projects
- Generated nearly $100,000 in sales with over 60% of every dollar going directly to the artist
- Paid close to $70k to the artists involved
- Donated almost $10k to charity
From the start, the response to the site has been nothing short of amazing. And none of that would have been possible had it not been for those in our community willing to share their work and for those willing to download and buy it. As a proof of concept, this idea worked!
Since the launch, I've had a front-row seat to see the potential of this idea and the prospects of where it could go. With time, though, I could also see that this idea was much bigger than just myself. And that if I held the reins too tightly and made it all about me, I wouldn't just be the person responsible for bringing this idea to life...I'd also be responsible for killing it. Long story short, I needed help.
Enter Joey Korenman and School of Motion
I've known Joey for some time now. We live in the same small town, and whether it's catching up over coffee or the countless miles we've put in together running, I've gotten to know him quite well. Throughout all this, I’ve come to respect and admire what he and the team at School of Motion have been able to do in such a short amount of time. I’ve watched them grow School of Motion from a mere blog to the industry giant it is today, and I see the hopes they have for the future and for our community at large. Naturally, when he offered to help out with Holdframe, it didn't take very long to know that this was the right direction to go.
That brings us to the present day, as Holdframe and School of Motion will now be joining forces!
Our goal is to preserve all of the things that made Holdframe...well, Holdframe, and to work together to see how these two brands can complement one another. And most importantly, we aim to bring our community even more fantastic work, put more money into artists' pockets, and provide even more context and more structured learning outcomes with the work we share.
We're just getting started, and we have a lot in the works. To get things kicked off, we're thrilled to introduce our first new product: Holdframe Workshops. We hope you enjoy it!
Joe Donaldson
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What’s to come?
Note from Joey: Joe and our team have been working for months to book artists, to record and produce workshops, and to clear the path for a reimagined Holdframe. Workshops are just the beginning, though… if I may say so… a pretty incredible way to make an entrance.
Wanna see the result? Check out Holdframe Workshops
School of Motion’s mission has always been to break down the barriers to learning, mastering, and working in Motion Design. Holdframe puts some serious weight behind the “mastering” part… I would have KILLED for these workshops when I was starting out,.
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We’re also working on fleshing out what Holdframe can become when it’s fully realized, and we’re investing heavily to make it the most valuable resource it can be for the community. You’ll be hearing more about it as things develop, and new Workshops will be released regularly.
Thanks so much for being a part of the community, and we hope you learn a lot and enjoy the new Holdframe Workshops!
-joey
