Five students from Daemen’s Visual and Performing Arts department participated in the International 24-Hour Animation Jam held last fall. 
Jeremy Lopez-Reices, Mia Weller, Lily Beyer, Sheila Forbes, and Zym Goodberry, whose team name was “Jam No PB,” created a 30-second animated film under the prompt, Flip Your Perspective, written by Pixar’s CCO and Director Pete Docter.
Jam No PB’s film placed in the top five percent in the competition, with the team finishing 41st out of 764 teams.
“Once again, Daemen animation students have created excellence and achieved amazing results,” said Mike Jones, associate professor and program director of animation at Daemen. “We are thrilled that the Daemen team placed in the top 50 in this international competition.”
“I really appreciate how Daemen animation provides us with the resources to compete in a contest like the 24-Hour Jam,” said Weller. “It really pushes our storytelling and technical abilities, completing a film in a 24-hour span and better preparing us for future long-term projects like our senior films or productions we may work on post-college.”
“The 24-Hour Jam helped me get a better grasp on the animation pipeline and improve my time management skills,” said Forbes. “I feel honored to have been able to participate alongside such talented animators. Everyone brought a unique set of skills to the team that not only allowed us to create something we were all very proud of, but also made for a fun and memorable experience.”
Goodberry said, “As a first-year student, I feel really lucky to be put on a team with such talented animators. Everyone gave it their all. I am glad I got to participate this year, and I am ecstatic with what we were able to accomplish!”
Beyer added, “The 24-Hour Jam is one of my absolute favorite events I’ve gotten to experience since coming to Daemen! This year was the third time I’ve done it, and my last year now that I’m a senior. The jam has always been a fun way to bring people together, while allowing us all to strengthen our skills in producing an animation on our own, and it’s helped me feel more prepared to tackle my senior film this year!”
“This was my third and final year doing the 24-Hour Jam and this was both the most stressful and the most fun Jam I have ever done,” said Lopez-Reices. “Everyone worked their absolute best and the creativity and execution was phenomenal. I genuinely could not have asked for a better team.”