Miami Animation, VFX, and Gaming February 2026 Meetup Recap: Networking Night at Mia Market
- AVG Guild
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Miami showed up again—this time for a cozy, idea-packed meetup at Mia Market on Thursday, February 19, 2026. Fourteen of us pulled up for an easygoing night of community, career talk, and the kind of cross-discipline conversations that remind you why the AVG Guild exists in the first place.
The vibe was simple: grab food, meet someone new, and talk about what you’re building—whether that’s a game prototype, a short film, a new reel, or your next big career move. And within minutes, the table turned into a shared brain trust: advice for students, project brainstorming, future meetup planning, and plenty of encouragement.
Professions: Miami Animation, VFX, gaming meetup Recap
One of the best parts of any AVG meetup is the range of perspectives you get in one place. This month’s crew included:
3D animators
2D animators
Game developers
Producers
VFX artists
3D printing experts
Character modelers
A storyboard artist
An FIU professor
MDC students and Alumni
And the industry experience was just as diverse—folks with backgrounds connected to Bungie, PlayStation, Shiver, Gearbox, and more. That mix always makes the conversation better because you’re not just hearing one “correct” path—you’re getting real-world perspectives from multiple corners of the animation, VFX, and game-dev pipeline.
The Energy in the Room
This Miami animation VFX gaming meetup recap really comes down to two words: momentum and comradery.
A big theme of the night was the future of AVG—how we keep building excitement, strengthening the community, and making the meetups even more valuable for both working pros and students trying to break in. People swapped stories about what’s changing in the industry, what skills are becoming more important, and how community can help you stay motivated when the path gets messy.
We also had some great “student-to-pro” moments: honest advice, actionable next steps, and lots of reassurance that it’s normal to feel uncertain early on. The best part? Nobody was gatekeeping. Everyone was pushing the conversation toward solutions—what to learn, what to make next, and how to keep showing up.
Spotlight: Bilal and Isai’s Board Game + 3D Printing Brainstorm
Huge shoutout to Bilal and Isai for bringing board games to the meetup and sparking one of the most fun conversations of the night: how to blend tabletop design with 3D printing.
They shared games, compared mechanics, and tossed around ideas on incorporating 3D-printed pieces and magnets. The conversation quickly expanded into prototyping workflows, iteration speed, and how physical builds can influence digital thinking (and vice versa). Bilal showed his 3D printed Soduku with Urdu numbers, while Isai was showing his new iteration on his board him.
What’s Next
AVG x Batship Studio Collaborative Networking event!
March 15, 2026 2pm!
Join us for light snacks, refreshments, and Networking at Miami's Unreal Authorized Training Center, owned by Miami native, Valentina Echeverry.
If you’ve been thinking about coming to an AVG meetup, this is your sign. You don’t need a perfect portfolio or a fancy job title to belong here. If you’re learning, building, pivoting, freelancing, studying, or just looking for your people in Miami’s animation, VFX, and game-dev scene—pull up a chair.
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