Detroit, Michigan, March 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The College for Creative Studies (CCS) will host Industry EXPOsion, its acclaimed week-long industry immersion event, March 16-20, 2026. The initiative connects over 140 Entertainment Arts and Illustration students with more than 50 industry professionals from leading studios and creative companies nationwide, culminating in a public Toyota Lecture Series symposium on Thursday, March 19, from 4–9 p.m. at the Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium (201 E Kirby).
This year’s Toyota Lecture Series speaker panel features Rachelle Baker (multidisciplinary artist and illustrator whose published works include Making Our Way Home: The Great Migration and the Black American Dream, Shirley Chisholm is a Verb, Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop, and Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You); Brandon Bidleman (illustrator and graphic designer, Jones Knowles Ritchie); Gian Galang (award-winning artist and illustrator who has created work for UFC, Nike, Marvel, ESPN, and Electronic Arts); Eric Goldberg (animator and director known for his work on Disney’s Aladdin, Pocahontas, Hercules, Fantasia 2000, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana); Charlie Griak (filmmaker, illustrator, and storyboard artist with over 25 years of experience); Andrés Parada (senior illustrator and concept artist, Art Directors Guild, whose recent work includes projects for Netflix, Disney, Apple TV+, Marvel Studios, and Sony Pictures); and Lydia Zanotti (game designer, Blizzard Entertainment).
Joining the lecture series for portfolio reviews and industry critiques throughout the week are creative professionals representing some of the most recognized studios and brands in animation, illustration, gaming, and design, including Golden Wolf, Titmouse, Lunar North, Marvel, the Wall Street Journal, Civilla, Bento Box, 20th Century Fox, EVOL Motions, Glitch Productions, Duolingo, and Epic Games. Together, these professionals will offer students direct access to industry perspectives spanning feature animation, editorial illustration, game development, branded content, and independent studio production.
“Industry EXPOsion represents our ongoing commitment to connecting students with the creative professionals and industry leaders who are shaping visual storytelling today, so our students can create tomorrow,” said Dave Gazdowicz, Chair of Entertainment Arts at College for Creative Studies.
The week begins March 16-18 with over 500 portfolio reviews and presentations by creative professionals and CCS alumni, followed by the public Toyota Lecture Series symposium on Thursday, March 19, and concludes March 20 with in-person industry reviews.
CCS’s Entertainment Arts program prepares students to join the next generation of storytellers through three specialized paths: animation, concept design, and game design. Students learn from Hollywood insiders using industry-standard software and equipment. All Entertainment Arts emphases are STEM-designated programs.
CCS’s Illustration program integrates visual storytelling fundamentals—figure drawing, color, composition, and perspective—with industry-relevant coursework. Students can focus on visual development, publishing, fashion, lifestyle, licensing, comics and sequential art, or gallery work. Combined with business-centric courses and an optional Creative Entrepreneurial minor, the program prepares students for freelance or studio-based illustration careers.
The Toyota Lecture Series was established through a $1 million endowment from Toyota Motor Corporation, bringing prominent designers and scholars across all fields of design to the College.
Event Details:
Toyota Lecture Series: Industry EXPOsion
Thursday, March 19, 2026, 4 – 9 p.m.
Wendell W. Anderson, Jr. Auditorium
Walter B. Ford II Building
201 E. Kirby
Detroit, MI 48202
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required at Eventbrite.
Free parking is available in CCS’s Brush Street parking structure.
About the College for Creative Studies
The College for Creative Studies (CCS) is a nonprofit, private college accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and authorized by the Michigan Department of Education to grant Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. CCS, located in midtown Detroit, strives to provide students with the tools needed for successful careers in the dynamic and growing creative industries. CCS, named an Opportunity College by the Carnegie Classifications, fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, engage their responsibilities as citizens and learn throughout their lives. With world-class faculty and unsurpassed facilities, students learn to be visual communicators who actively use art and design toward the betterment of society. The College is a major supplier of talent to numerous industries, including transportation, film and animation, advertising and communications, consumer electronics, athletic apparel, and many more. Its graduates are exhibiting artists and teachers, design problem solvers and innovators, as well as creative leaders in business.
- College for Creative Studies Industry EXPOsion
- Gian Galang “UFC281” (2022)