{"id":29539,"date":"2023-01-30T11:22:26","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T16:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=29539"},"modified":"2023-01-30T11:22:30","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T16:22:30","slug":"fsc-is-involved-in-the-next-evolution-of-downtown-lakeland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2023\/01\/30\/fsc-is-involved-in-the-next-evolution-of-downtown-lakeland\/","title":{"rendered":"FSC IS INVOLVED IN THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF DOWNTOWN LAKELAND"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A couple of current Florida Southern College students recently got to work on a project that could shape the future of downtown Lakeland thanks to an opportunity provided by a recent FSC graduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maggie Briggs \u201914 joined The Apiary Studios in Lakeland two years ago. While she graduated from Florida Southern with a degree in mass communications,<\/a> it was her minor in graphic design<\/a> that has led to her success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In two short years since starting her business, Briggs has built a team of 11 employees and has been at the forefront of planning some of Lakeland\u2019s biggest projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of the Team<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Interactive and Game Design<\/a> majors Raven Whitehurst \u201823 and Isaac Garay \u201823 were looking to capitalize on Florida Southern\u2019s promise of a guaranteed internship in their field of study, Briggs was more than happy to bring the pair into the fold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Whitehurst and Garay started internships in early 2022, and both will finish interning when they graduate this May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briggs touted both students as key parts to helping with Catalyst 2.0, which was used to visually conceptualize the future of downtown Lakeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth Isaac and Raven were an integral part of the Catalyst team,\u201d Briggs said. \u201cBoth bring skillsets and knowledge to our team that help us learn just as much from them as they are learning from us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garay, who is double majoring in Computer Science<\/a> and Interactive Game Design, worked on the functionality of the Catalyst project, while also having a hand in the user interface integration. Garay also created special tours that were curated to walk users through specific areas and projects based on interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitehurst was involved more on the graphics side of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was an amazing experience to be an intern that created the digital twins for some of the more well-known buildings in Lakeland,\u201d Whitehurst said. \u201cI think it is an amazing feeling to be part of Lakeland’s future and be part of the team that helped create that. Not including everything I learned in my time there, it has been a wonderful experience overall, and I can’t wait to see all the upcoming projects come into reality in the next couple of years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garay echoed those sentiments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is super exciting to know that a program that we were there to develop and launch in around a year will have an impact on the future of Lakeland\u2019s downtown area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The FSC Connection<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Briggs, Whitehurst and Garay all having Florida Southern ties, it is a credit to the experiential education provided by the College\u2019s faculty and administration that they are enjoying their successes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briggs did not have the opportunity to work in the newly completed Carole and Marcus Weinstein Center for Computer Science, but that did not stop her from pursuing a career in graphic design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I would say prepared me best was the extracurriculars and internships I was able to participate in,\u201d said Briggs, who was editor in chief of The Southern and staff designer for the College\u2019s yearbook. \u201cThose required me to get outside of the college occasionally and showed me some of Lakeland\u2019s many assets. My internships provided me with great work experience and exposure to many different aspects of the industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI always say a communications degree is one of the most valuable degrees a college grad can have. It provides opportunities to explore a variety of industries, forces collaboration, and is really limitless in terms of application.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whitehurst\u2019s internship helped Florida Southern add a course to its curriculum that will help future students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFSC game design courses helped prepare me with the use of Unreal Engine, and created a confident sense of design,\u201d she said. \u201cMy internship and self-taught skills played an important role in helping me get the internship. This internship has led to a 3D modeling class being created in the department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garay also said his work with Unreal Engine at Florida Southern was a big boost to him getting the internship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFlorida Southern got me to work more with Unreal and have more overall practice with coding that I could apply to my work at Apiary Studios,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Studio Work<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Briggs, Apiary Studios has done work on motion graphics for marketing and music videos, conceptual designs for theme parks, sports facilities, and is now currently focused on virtual environments for videos, sound stages, live entertainment venues, and location-based entertainment clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the work her team has been able to do with the city of Lakeland that has made her most proud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Briggs\u2019 squad helped complete the modeling for the recently opened Bonnet Springs Park during its conceptual phase. Briggs\u2019 team hand-modeled more than 200 species-specific flora and fauna into the 168-acre park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a matter of weeks we were able to deliver more than five minutes of animated walkthroughs of the property,\u201d Briggs said. \u201cUltimately the video helped the park close the remainder of its fundraising goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing Downtown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apiary Studios\u2019 work on Catalyst 2.0 was a main reason why it has been well received.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fresh off the success of Catalyst 1.0, which saw more than $150 million in development around Lakeland\u2019s Lake Mirror, city commissioners were eager to implement changes for all of downtown Lakeland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This idea was the impetus behind Catalyst 2.0, and that\u2019s where Briggs\u2019 Apiary Studios team comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lakeland Economic Development Council hired Apiary Studios to design a presentation that would allow users to see what had been developed in the downtown core over the past three years, see what is currently under construction, and look at what has been designed, permitted, and is anticipated to be developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is why we have partnered with The Apiary<\/a>, a Lakeland-based animation studio, and their team to create a platform that provides the community with access to development information like never before,\u201d Lakeland Economic Development Council President Steve Scruggs said during a 2022 planning retreat. \u201cIt also helps to identify needed infrastructure and connectivity to support future development. It gives developers more certainty and helps elected officials make more informed decisions about the future of downtown Lakeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catalyst 2.0 has also created a virtual design studio for users to imagine what could be in downtown Lakeland by creating 3D architectural conceptualizations and visualizations of potential redevelopment areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis project is very special to me,\u201d said Briggs, who interned with the LEDC for two years before graduating. \u201cI fell in love with the city and economic development (during those years.) Being able to work with them in this capacity brought it full circle for me. Lakeland is so rich with opportunity for young, ambitious, outgoing professionals. I\u2019m amazed by how much it has grown in the past 12 years since I moved here \u2013 and it\u2019s only getting better. Catalyst is just one tool that helps communicate this message outward by informing not only stakeholders about future and ongoing development, but allows community members to engage in the conversation, too. This project is the first of its kind that is available to anyone with internet access \u2013 there are other digital twins, but nothing with this level of accessibility. The best part is we\u2019re doing it with people who live, work, and play in Lakeland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See the Apiary’s Catalyst 2.0 project here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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