Behind the MAGIC Podcast

In this special live edition of Behind the MAGIC, Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus President Dr. Beatriz Gonzalez hosts a celebration of the Class of 2026 at MAGIC Premiere Night. Meet the student leaders behind four original capstone projects: Fallen Fate, Behind the Paper, Nightlight, and Foster. Hear how these graduates transformed ideas into finished animated films and games through storytell...

In this episode of Behind the MAGIC, Mauricio Ferrazza sits down with veteran animator, director, and producer Chris Bailey to explore a career that spans decades of animation history. From working on Disney classics like The Little Mermaid , Oliver & Company , and The Lion King , to supervising animation and directing major television and feature productions, Chris shares how his role evolved...

In this episode of Behind the MAGIC, we go behind the scenes of Nightlight , a student-produced animated short developed at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex. The film follows Eva Hernandez, a young hero struggling to define her own identity while carrying the legacy of her supervillain father. Through a visual style that blends 3D animation with 2D comic-inspired impact frame...

In this episode of Behind the MAGIC, we sit down with Bill Buckley, Senior Vice President of Animation Production at Big Shot Pictures and industry mentor at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex. With more than two decades of experience across AAA games, VR, and real-time production, Bill shares how animation pipelines have evolved from traditional offline workflows to real-time...

A haunting island. A story shaped by grief. A student team pushing narrative-driven gameplay further than expected. In this episode of Behind the MAGIC , we go inside Fallen Fate , a psychological RPG developed by students at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex. Set in a snow-covered version of Alcatraz Island, the game follows Dante as he navigates denial, obsession, and accept...

Recorded live from the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, this special episode of Behind the MAGIC explores the current state of the global game industry, hiring trends, portfolio expectations, and the skills students need to break into game development today. The episode features conversations with studio founders, technical leaders, and industry veterans gathered at GDC 2026. Host Maur...

Episode Description: In this episode of Behind the MAGIC , we go behind the scenes of the student capstone animated short “Behind the Paper.” Director Estefania Mora joins host Brenna Verner to discuss the creative journey of bringing this character-driven film to life inside a full studio-style production pipeline at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex. The film follows Archie,...

In this episode of Behind the MAGIC , we go behind the scenes of FOSTER , a student capstone animated short developed at the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) at Miami Dade College. Set in a haunting post-apocalyptic world, FOSTER follows a wooden humanoid navigating loss, memory, and survival after war has devastated life on Earth. When a fragile device holding the memory...

Behind every animation, game, and immersive experience is an ecosystem of tools, partnerships, and strategic decisions that shape how creators work. In this episode of Behind the MAGIC , we sit down with Hannah Imperial Cannon , Senior Director of Global Partner Relations and Director of Business Development at Xencelabs. With more than 30 years of leadership experience across creative technology,...