Sources are reporting an astounding $150 million dollar price tag to complete and operate a new facility in Orlando, FL to house NBA players during their preseason practices. It's called "The Bubble." Since there wasn't any footage of life inside "The Bubble" just yet - our crew was hired to produce a full color animation featuring the NBA players decked out in their uniforms and masks (no exceptions!) Narrated by Maria Taylor, this animated video depicts what the NBA's Bubble might look like in Orlando during the 2020 preseason, where 22 teams plus their staff will live and practice during quarantine. Watch the full clip here: After the creation of the English video, ESPN wanted to translate this piece into Spanish for ESPN Deportes . We provided our client with new on-screen translations to the artwork and the final product came out beautifully. The full Spanish version is embedded below.

If you're in the dark on how to properly wear, replace and dispose of masks and gloves in an effort to combat the spread of Covid-19, you are not alone. In fact, a Fortune 100 company recently reached out to 321 Fast Draw to create a whiteboard animation video for its sales reps, and the entire company overall, as they embark on their latest business re-entry phase. We were able to create an easy-to-understand whiteboard animation to show how to properly use personal protective equipment, or PPE.  The result has been a resounding success ! Contact 321 Fast Draw today to customize a PPE animation for your employees so everyone can get on the same page as work resumes.  Reach out to diane@321fastdraw.com to learn more!  Visit our website at www.321fastdraw.com Follow 321 Fast Draw on Facebook Follow 321 Fast Draw on Twitter Follow 321 Fast Draw on Instagram Follow 321 Fast Draw on LinkedIn

Ever wonder how currency actually originated? We created this Fast Draw whiteboard explainer video for PayPal to help consumers better understand the past, present, and future of payments! 

AECOM had a dilemma. Their health insurance premiums were skyrocketing and employees, faced with exorbitant out-of-pocket costs, were skipping simple health maintenance checks that would ensure their good health. So, AECOM launched a comprehensive health maintenance program, "Wellness at AECOM," not only to promote good health, but to also save the company and its employees money. However, despite a massive print and email marketing campaign, only 24% of their nearly 100,000 employees signed up. That's it. Only 1 in 4 people were aware of this new corporate initiative.  So, AECOM challenged us to find a way to reach and engage ALL of their target audience. And we did!  We worked with AECOM to produce a short whiteboard explainer video that was produced in English, French and French Canadian so everyone in AECOM's target audience could easily understand. Within 48 hours of the release of the whiteboard video, employee sign-up was up to 78% . The $8,000 inve...

If you're on our site, chances are you need to get a message across to your colleagues, customers, team members or - maybe you're just looking for a little "infotainment" for yourself. Whatever brought you here today, we are here to help! Whether you're hosting a webinar, group chat, email blast or any other virtual meeting, we can help bring pictures to your words with a 321 Fast Draw Live Virtual Illustrator . Simply organize a meeting as you normally would, and our staff of brilliant visualists will join your meeting and transform ideas into memorable illustrations - in real time via video conference. If you'd like, we can organize the technical side of things by setting up the web conferencing meeting with the platform of your choice (like Zoom , Explain Everything , or GoToMeeting ). Attendees are engaged. Communication is clear. Creativity and outside the box thinking is supercharged. Plus, the final illustration is instantly availa...

As most of us hunker down in one spot trying to conduct, and possibly salvage, our businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, we thought you might enjoy a few "pearls of wisdom" from some of the world's leading entrepreneurs. Over the last ten years, we've been producing whiteboard animations for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation "Sketchbook" series, and highlighting these individuals has never grown old. Here's our top 5 sketchbook picks from our Kauffman playlist: 5) Kauffman Sketchbook "Visionaries" by 321 Fast Draw The two "visionaries" and co-founders of Warby Parker, Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal, explain their entrepreneurial journey into the business of eyewear. 4) Kauffman Sketchbook "Cracking the Code of Success" by 321 Fast Draw Amy Wilkinson, author of The Creator's Code , in which she interviews the world's most creative entrepreneurs on what they have learned from starting up their...

We're Open! If you're on our site, chances are you need to get a message across to your colleagues, customers, team members or - maybe you're just looking for a little "infotainment" for yourself. Whatever brought you here today, we are here to help. In this time of uncertainty, we know how important it is to stay connected and informed. Whether you're hosting a webinar, group chat, email blast or any other virtual meeting, we can help bring pictures to your words. We provide live illustrations for your virtual meetings! Click here for more info. That's what we're here for - so give us a try and stay safe! Visit our website at www.321fastdraw.com Follow 321 Fast Draw on Facebook Follow 321 Fast Draw on Twitter Follow 321 Fast Draw on Instagram Follow 321 Fast Draw on LinkedIn

"I'm very sorry to be asking you this... this is probably not possible... but we would need the video by Friday..." said the producer of SC Reportajes latest video segment. "...Is that possible?" he asked. "...And also, we would need one version in English and one version in Spanish." Then he paused. It was Tuesday afternoon and our creative team had gathered for a conference call for a new project. Everyone in the room looked at each other and shook their heads in agreement. "That is possible... We can definitely deliver that for you." replied 321 creative director Ken. The next morning our illustrators and graphic artists bustled into the studio ready to rock n' roll. We started with pencil sketches and delivered a video storyboard pitching our initial concepts. After a quick approval from the client, we were off to the races in production. Raw sketch from 321 Fast Draw illustration room Professional wrestler and Mixe...

Our home base was recently featured in a news story on Business First AM . Virtual, Augmented and Immersive Reality is set for explosive growth, and reporter Diane Moca got a first hand look at how 321 Next Reality and 321 Fast Draw use these types of innovative technologies in the office. After trying the headset on and speaking with our staff, Moca explains how companies are using AR/VR for training as well as relaxation in the office with Virtual Reality mini-vacations. If you've never heard of a VR mini-vacation, read our previous post here . We're excited to see what the future holds as this technology develops and expands! Watch the full Business First AM segment in below: Visit our website at www.321fastdraw.com Follow 321 Fast Draw on Facebook Follow 321 Fast Draw on Twitter Follow 321 Fast Draw on Instagram Follow 321 Fast Draw on LinkedIn

321 Fast Draw and its new mixed reality division, 321 Next Reality , recently welcomed 25 mid-level professionals and entrepreneurs from sub-Saharan Africa as part of the Nelson Mandela Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) . This 6-week program, coordinated through Northwestern University's African Studies department , exposes these professionals to various companies, innovation hubs and nonprofit organizations throughout Chicago. We started by showing the group The Potato Caper, one of our favorite hybrid 2D animation videos. You can watch that video here ! Th e next stop was to our storyboarding studio. This is where the magic really happens! Our creative directors and illustrators stop in here to get their creative juices flowing, and develop the unique storylines you see in our animations. Finally, our AR/VR division shared some games and virtual environments from our newest immersive reality developments. Many of our YALI guests participated by putting on...

A client of ours - a large packaging company - wanted to make a big splash to announce an international merger. They wanted it to be fun, irreverent, and colorful. The idea we pitched? Dancing packages! 321 Fast Draw Studio: Initial Storyboard Drawings for Client Pitch So... how did we do it? We could have gone 3D all the way along with integrating motion capture technology to animate complicated dance sequences...but we didn’t have the time or budget for that. So we opted for a more novel approach. Using a motorized lazy susan, we filmed high-resolution digital stills of each package spinning in a complete 360 degree circle. In addition to filming the products, we designed some of the packaging labels! Then we used After Effects to key out the background and exported the spin as a QuickTime video with alpha (animation codec). Next, using the puppeting tool in Adobe After Effects, our talented animators were able to choreograph simple dance moves and used the ti...

Milwaukee Buck Giannis Antetokounmpo just won the Most Valuable Player Award and he's the third youngest to do so in the last 40 years. You may wonder what the 'Greek Freak' does to prepare for game day like an MVP. After getting the inside scoop on his game-day routine, 321 Fast Draw illustrated the fascinating methods used by of one of today's best NBA players. What does it take to be the best in your field? The answer may surprise you.  Find out the secret to being an MVP in this full color animated video that we helped produce for ESPN. "Giannis Antetokounmpo routinely torches his opponents on the floor, but his practice and pregame routine with the Milwaukee Bucks is as specific as they get and gets him in the right zone to play at an MVP level. Malika Andrews documents." - NBA on ESPN Read more on ESPN : Giannis is third-youngest to win MVP in 40 years. To find out more about 321 Fast Draw, visit: www.321fastdraw.com Follow us on Face...

School isn’t out for summer just yet! While CPS students across Chicago are winding down the school year and counting down the days to summer break, a standout group of 7th graders from Columbia Explorers Academy , 4250 So. Kedzie Ave, had an opportunity to end the year with a twist. This year’s annual Columbia Explorers Academy Career Day featured a group of diverse CPS volunteers to talk about what they became when they grew up! 321 Fast Draw was invited to participate in this event and had such a wonderful time connecting with the future screenwriters, illustrators, editors, and animators of tomorrow.   When speakers Diane and Jackie from 321 Fast Draw arrived, they were welcomed by two smiling students ready to escort them to their first meeting room with snacks and other friendly faces, including administration and other career day volunteers. The school signage and artwork in the hallway was uplifting and captivating at every turn, and showcased a variety of cultures...

With several blockbuster hits being released in 2019, one of the most anticipated movies coming out this summer is Toy Story 4 . The final installment of Pixar’s Toy Story series has come a long way since the release of the first film back in 1995, and features many of the same voices including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusak. What has stuck with us throughout the years are the charming and relatable personalities of each toy and their ability to connect with us, the audience. The evolution of animation has given story writers, voiceover talents, and visual artists the opportunity to change the way animated storytelling is brought to life.  The evolution of animation hasn’t only affected Pixar, but it has made a huge, positive impact for our team here at 321 Fast Draw. For us, the way we create whiteboards has evolved over the years as technology has changed and software has upgraded; however, it's never stopped us from showcasing the message we're trying to get ...

Have you ever sat down to text your friend an emoji and thought about how one simple thing like the smiley face ever got started? When people think of storytelling, they seem to forget how far back it began to connect people across the globe. As early civilizations evolved, their visual languages expanded and became more communicable. And we thank the ancient Egyptians for creating a clear, efficient way of telling stories through their use of hieroglyphics. The term “hieroglyphic” originates from the Greek words hiero (‘holy’) and glypho (‘writing’). The Ancient Egyptians began using hieroglyphics (also referred to medu netjer, or ‘the gods’ words’) as a way to communicate. By using symbols strung together, the first visual stories were born. This culture believed stories were divine in nature and something that would be carried on far ahead into the future. Turns out they were right! Maya, Inca, Aztec  "Evolution of Egyptian Writing and Language"  Hieroglyphic sy...

We created an incredible full color animated video that alerted the world to the story of Luka Dončić of the Dallas Mavericks. It inspired him to have one of the best seasons of his career! And now he's on track to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award. The winners of these awards will be revealed at the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on Monday, June 24 at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. The third annual NBA Awards will take place at Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George and James Harden are also finalists for the 2018-19 Kia MVP Award. We're waiting for our thank you, Mister Luka. But this isn't the first time this has happened. We also discovered an NBA Player early on in our existence. That's right - LeBron James. Thanks to one of our videos putting him on the map, he's had QUITE a career! www.321fastdraw.com Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram   Follow us on LinkedIn

If a picture is worth a thousand words, multiple pictures woven together to create a visual story is priceless. Why are people so captivated by visual storytelling - especially if these visuals are illustrated and animated? Here at 321 Fast Draw, our award-winning team of artists pour their blood, sweat and tears into the animated videos you see on screen. We are passionate about transforming complex messages into images that are easily understood. And it all starts with our favorite tool: storyboarding . Storyboarding is the foundation for everything we do. When a new project comes through, we immediately reach for our two constants: pencil and paper. After a productive brain dump, our favorite concepts go up on our whiteboard and that’s when the creative juices really start flowing. Storyboarding allows the client to work with artists in the animation and editing industry. It’s a crucial part of the storyboard dance where the words of the script and visual i...