Archive for May, 2012

Lunch Lab Recipe Potluck

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

Like most lifeforms, CloudKids subsist primarily on oxygen, water and food.  Which is why it makes sense that a few weeks ago, we hosted our first ever CloudKid Potluck!  Everyone loves a good theme, so we thought it’d be extra fun to base the event around our favorite CloudKid project, Fizzy’s Lunch Lab.  Why not try some of the recipes featured on our website?  What could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out, nothing!  Each CloudKid picked out a recipe that tickled his or her fancy, and prepared it for all to enjoy: Caprese Salad, Almond Butter and Blackberry Jam Sandwiches, Cheesy Quesadillas, Potato Gnocchi, Guacamole and Baked Pita Chips — the list goes on!  With the exception of a rather charred Apple Frisbee (which admittedly still tasted good, minus the blackened crust), we all delighted in trying Fizzy’s recipes, and of course comparing the final products to the food illustrations on the website.  Did they measure up?  You be the judge … check out the final results in our Facebook album.

MassArt Convocation Speech 2012

Friday, May 18th, 2012

The following speech was given as the opening remarks at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design’s Convocation on Thursday, May 17, 2012 by CloudKid Co-Founders, Matt Moore and Dave Schlafman.

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We Be Jammin’

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

Game Jam  [game-jam] noun: 1. A gathering of developers, artists, and other creatives over a short period of time in which a collective effort is made to make one or more games.

A few weeks back, the creative minds at CloudKid came together to formulate and pitch ideas for our next potential game(s). The goal of each game jam (yes, we had 2!) was to produce several concepts for possible games and present them to our peers.

We met early in the morning and, after a yummy breakfast, broke into small teams of 3 or 4 (each with an artist, an animator, and a programmer). Each game jam started with a theme and some rough parameters on which our teams based their ideas. After brainstorming and discussing concepts, each team settled on an idea to flesh out and present to the larger group. We sketched, wrote, wireframed, and, in some cases, even programmed rough mock-ups of our projects. At the end of the day, the whole CloudKid crew met to view and discuss all the game jam presentations.

Results: a success! For the second year in a row, we had some great concepts come out of the game jams and had a lot of fun in the process. In fact, one of our current productions–our first iOS title–was a result of our very first jam last year.  More on that game’s launch to come very soon…

In the meantime, check out our Facebook album of some of the CloudKids jammin’ away.

Emmy Nomination!

Monday, May 14th, 2012

Last week the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced its nominations for the 2012 Daytime Emmy Awards, and we’re proud to announce that for the third straight year, Fizzy’s Lunch Lab was nominated in the Children’s New Approaches category!

This nomination is the result of our awesome artists and engineers that take many creative risks and work long hours to ensure that the Lunch Lab is always entertaining, informative (and looks great). Fizzy’s success couldn’t be possible without the tireless effort from the team and our advisors.

A big shout out the PBS Kids Interactive staff and the other nominees in our category, (which all happen to be PBS projects): Cyberchase, Design Squad, and Oh Noah.

The Daytime Emmys take place on Sunday, June 17th in Los Angeles. Hopefully, the third time’s a charm, and we’ll have some good news to report.  Our fingers, toes, legs, and eyes are crossed.

Sup Dawg

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Guess what? Dave turned into a dog. You need proof?

  • Exhibit A: The Dinghy and the lemon seltzer water.
  • Exhibit B: Matt’s bemused face, undoubtedly getting a kick out of something Dave the Dog just said.
  • Exhibit C: Kim’s hand on the right, positioned as if to say “Oh God, please stop!” which is how she usually reacts to Dave the Human’s awkward jokes.

…But for real, this is Maggie, our temporary CloudKid Canine in Residence (CCR?). She visited recently when her owner was out of town and brought tons of love to the office. There’s nothing like an adorable pup to boost morale!