November 19, 2016

Meet Alpharetta Motion Designer: Will Fortanbary

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Will Fortanbary.

Will, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started doing some really cruddy motion design when I was at Lassiter High School in Marietta. I learned how to make zombie heads explode and bevel 3D text thanks to Andrew Kramer and video copilot. I loved film, editing and shooting stupid movies with my buddies, so I decided to go to the University of South Carolina and study Media Arts. I was fortunate enough to graduate college in 3 and a half years and get a job working in Druid Hills for Crawford Media Services. You may know them from the dailies work they did on The Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries. I currently serve as the Lead Motion Designer at North Point Church in Alpharetta and have my own business, Fort-Studios.com.

Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth road? Not really. I believe that anything worth doing well is going to be hard – It will take a lot of time commitment and patience. To be honest, I feel like I just got on the “road.” I would still consider myself a young designer and I realize I have a TON of learning to do. The biggest struggle I faced exiting college was coming to the realization that I wasn’t very good. That, at first, can be a tough pill to swallow. I decided I was tired of not being good so I made 1 image everyday for 730 days (2 years) straight to work on getting better. I still think I have a lot of work to do.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
With motion design, it’s really hard to tell. Like any industry that relies heavily on technology it ebbs and flows. I see the emergence of Virtual Reality becoming a venue that motion designers will continue to play in. I also think that the more screens people use (phones, watches, VR, AR, TV, laptop, tablet, computer…) the more of a need there will be for motion design.

What has been the primary challenge you’ve faced?
My biggest challenge has been trying to constantly push myself to get better. I’m learning quickly in life that it’s really easy to coast and still get by. You can have a decent job, make decent money and just be average. It takes a lot to wake up everyday and fight passivity so that you won’t be average. So – ya. I would say my biggest struggle has been trying to never be average, always push myself and put myself in situations where I am forced to grow.

Let’s change gears – is there any advice you’d like to give?
Let’s hang out!!! For real, I feel there is a lack of motion designers in ATL and I would love to meet you – I know I could learn a lot from you. I would say keep pushing, don’t be average, and quit watching tutorials once you understand the program.

Contact Info: