HATCH is a four-day innovation incubator for creative professional who are serious about transforming their ideas and talents into bold action. This year’s HATCH Experience will take place in Asheville on April 14–17, and in Bozeman, Montana, on October 5–9. The HATCH Experiences bring together international luminaries in multiple fields to serve as mentors to groundbreaking new creative talent. These immersive weekends include panels, workshops, keynotes, exhibits, creative networking, and mentoring sessions over four days in the heart of downtown Asheville.
Every year, HATCH—whose mission is to mentor, inspire and connect the next generation of creative minds—invites established professionals across seven disciplines (architecture, design & technology, fashion, film, journalism, music, and photography) to serve as mentors to a selected group of groundbreaking young talents as well as everyone in our creative community.
Fashion
This year, HATCH is proud to announce this year’s Fashion Mentors:
- Keyna Aranguren, Couture Designer from Oslo, Norway
- Dr. Alycia Fogle, Assistant Professor of Marketing at UNCA, Ph.D. International Retail
- Ayoka Lucas, Creator/Producer/Visionary of Charleston Fashion Week
Born in Venezuela, Ms. Aranguren has been working with her own brand since 2004, mixing the sensuality of South America with the Scandinavian style. Loved by fashion magazines and stylists across Europe, Aranguren is an international designer who has incorporated a fashion house into the international distribution and retail community.
Dr. Fogle has consulted for fashion houses across the country and is an active member in the Asheville business community. Her research interests include consumer behavior, international marketing, branding, and consumer perceptions.
Ms. Lucas not only created Charleston Fashion Week, she’s also the Style Editor for Charleston Magazine, Charleston Home, and Charleston Weddings Magazine. She authors two style blogs and serves as a fashion correspondent on local television. She has secured a national spotlight on the local fashion community as a premiere shopping destination.
Photography
HATCH Asheville hopes to inspire expert photographers and novice point-and-shooters alike this year, with the interactive combination of mentorship, panel discussions and photographic exhibitions. This year, HATCH is thrilled to be able to match young up-and-coming groundbreakers in photography with two internationally-renowned and award-winning artists:
- Sylvia Plachy has published six books, has work shown in galleries and museums all over the world, and is a Guggenheim fellow and recipient of a Lucie Award and others. She is perhaps best known for the stories she tells with her photos for Village Voice and The New Yorker.
- Gerald Slota has been widely exhibited across the US and abroad with images appearing in numerous publications including The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, The New Yorker, New York Magazine, Discover and Scientific America. He currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in NYC. Slota has garnered many awards including a Polaroid 20”x24” Grant, a MacDowell Artist Residency and a Mid-Atlantic Fellowship Grant in 2001 and 2009.
Design/Technology
Two workshops will be hosted by the Design/Technology discipline.
- The first, Game Mechanics, will explore the questions: How do you motivate the player to get to the end of the game? How do you keep them focused on staying with the game even when they should be focused on doing something else? And how can these mechanics play a role in your game?
- The second workshop will focus on game design, introducing 3D animation and engaging participants with the software they can use as a tool to explore their creativity.
- HATCH Design/Technology is excited to match groundbreakers in the field with at least four mentors this year, including:
- CEO of Curious Sense and interactive media designer Adam Blumenthal, whose work has been acknowledged for its innovation by publications such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Billboard and others.
- Digital Environment Artist Nick Hiatt, whose work includes projects such as Tim Burton’s ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ ‘Star Wars,’ ‘2012,’ ‘The Mummy,’ and ‘The Fast and the Furious’.
- Chris Wirth, the Executive Vice President Creative Director of Universal Images, who as a premier graphic artist and animator in the Midwest Marketbeen has been featured in an animated commercial and has won many prestigious awards in the field.
- Lorne Landing, co-founder and creative director of Oddworld Games, a company which has sold nearly 6 million copies and garnered dozens of awards not only in the gaming industry, but also from the music, television and film industries.
HATCH will shed light on how old-fashioned storytelling can survive in a high-tech world. HATCH Journalism hopes to explore reporting standards in the digital age through panel discussions and workshops. Fast Company’s philanthropy and urban affairs coverage leader Jeff Chu will lead a workshop about modern reporting on sensitive social issues. He’ll talk about how he’s pulled together award-winning stories on topics like religion, sexuality, education, poverty and race.
The public is also invited to attend a special reception on an evening during HATCH for the mentors and groundbreakers, which will be hosted by Castell Photography. Wine and light hors d'oeuvres will be served, and all mentors and groundbreakers will be in attendance.
Tickets
HATCH PACKS with a value of over $125 will be sold for a limted time at $55. The HATCH Pack includes 6 film tickets, 2 networking party tickets and 1 all-access presentation/panel pass. HATCH PANEL PASSES with a value of over $50 will be sold for a limited time at $25. The HATCH Panel Pass provides unlimited access pass to all panels and presentations at the Innovators Lounge. Quantities and seating are limited. First come first serve basis. Tickets may be purchased at www,hatchexperience.com/tickets. ABOUT—HATCH is a four-day innovation incubator for creative professionals who are serious about transforming their ideas and talents into bold action.
