IAMC 26 Montreal
“Uncharted Paths”
July 3–5, 2026
Centre Mont Royal
IAMAG has fostered creativity and innovation within the digital arts community for nearly two decades.
Our Master Classes in Paris have become a cornerstone for artists and industry professionals, offering unparalleled opportunities for learning, collaboration, and inspiration.
Building on this legacy, we are thrilled to expand to North America with the inaugural IAMAG Master Classes in Montreal — a dynamic, creative city renowned for its vibrant artistic scene and contributions to the entertainment industry.
By bringing our Master Classes to Montreal, we aim to unite a diverse community of artists, designers, and innovators, providing a platform to share knowledge, explore new ideas, and push the boundaries of digital art.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
SONY PICTURES ANIMATION
Patrick O'Keefe is a Production Designer at Sony Pictures Animation, where he is currently at work leading the art department on the upcoming film, "Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse."
O’Keefe most recently served as the Production Designer on “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” for which he was awarded both the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Production Design on an Animated Feature and the Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
LIGHTSTORM ENTERTAINMENT / DISNEY
Dylan Cole is the Academy Award nominated co-production designer of Avatar: Fire and Ash, Avatar: The Way of Water. He oversees design for the entire Avatar franchise, specifically for the moon of Pandora, including all its environments, creatures, characters and cultures.
An industry veteran for over 20 years, he has contributed art to over 60 films. Notable credits include Senior Matte Painter on Return of the King, Concept Art Director on Avatar, and Production Designer for Maleficent.
Artist, Writer, Filmmaker
As of 2025, McCaig has worked for 45 years in the entertainment industry. Many of his creations have become pop-culture icons, like his cover for Jethro Tull’s ‘Broadsword and the Beast’ or his Star Wars designs for Queen Amidala and Darth Maul. He has created art for games, from LucasArts ’The Secret of Monkey Island’ to Respawn’s ’Titanfall’, and for many films, among them ’Terminator 2’, ‘Interview With The Vampire’, ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’, ‘Hook’, ‘Peter Pan’, ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, ’The Avengers’, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Disney’s live-action ’The Jungle Book’, and the ongoing 'Star Wars' movies, as well as designs for the 'Star Wars: The High Republic’ graphic novels, and ’Star War: Galaxy’s Edge’ theme parks.
Concept ARTIST
Nathan Fowkes is a veteran entertainment industry artist with credits on 12 animated feature films from DreamWorks, Disney, Blue Sky, and Paramount Animation.
Additionally, Nathan has been sought after as a consultant for game studios to enhance the quality of their theatrical presentation, including Riot Games, King, Disney Interactive, Ubisoft, Rovio, Blizzard Entertainment, Supercell, and many others.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Aurélien Predal is a production designer, concept artist, and character designer with nearly 20 years’ experience in the animation industry.
He graduated from Gobelins (L'École de l'Image) in 2006, where he completed the short film Burning Safari.
He has since worked with Aardman Animations, Pixar, Sony Pictures Animation, DreamWorks, Laika, and Illumination.
ANIMATOR
PIXAR
From the Despicable Me films to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Inside Out 2, Eddy Okba has helped shape some of the most iconic animated movies of our time. With over 15 years of experience as an animator, Eddy began his journey at Illumination, where he contributed to the creation and performance of the Minions. He then brought life to Spider-Man Miles Morales’ world at Sony Pictures Animation before joining Pixar, where he continues to animate beloved characters and create new ones. His work spans a wide range of animation styles and storytelling approaches—from the cartoony chaos of Minions, to the groundbreaking visual language of Into the Spider-Verse, and the emotional depth of Pixar’s latest masterpieces: Inside Out 2, Win or Lose, and Elio.
CONCEPT ARTIST
An artist based in São Paulo, Brazil, worked with many different game companies like Riot Games, Blizzard, Valve, Supercell, Guerilla Games, and many others. Made presence in various art events around the world and created MAR Studio, an Outsourcing company also based in Brazil, with the dream of helping other south american artists reach their goals of joining the games industry, Mike is shaping the future of this industry in latin america by creating different projects and teaching art classes in portuguese for more than 10 years. With a passion to bring various mythologies to life in his colorful work, especially traditional Brazilian myths, Mike enjoys painting both traditional and digital artworks, as well as sketching alongside other artists.
CONCEPT ARTIST / ILLUSTRATOR
Aleksi Briclot is a French illustrator and concept artist who has worked across video games, comics, and films.
He co-founded the video game studio Dontnod Entertainment (Life is Strange, Vampyr) and has created art for major franchises like Magic: The Gathering, Spawn, and Halo.
Most recently, he joined Marvel Studios' visual development team, designing characters and costumes for films including Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.
CONCEPT ARTIST / ILLUSTRATOR
Lorenzo Lanfranconi is a freelance concept artist based in Como, Italy. Since 2018, he has worked with major studios including IO Interactive, Riot Games, Epic Games, Wizards of the Coast, and Skydance Animation, specializing in concept art for games and background painting for animated shorts.
His passion for landscapes began in 2015 through naturalistic photography, which led him to focus on environmental art. Influenced by classical oil landscape painters, he has embraced traditional oil painting techniques that now drive his artistic inspiration and approach to creating immersive natural environments.
VISUAL DEVELOPMENT ARTIST
Samuel Smith is a visual development artist with eight years of experience in the animation industry, specializing in color, lighting, and environments. His work centers on crafting narrative keyframes for film pitches and early visual development, helping to define the look and mood of a story in its earliest stages.
He has collaborated with studios such as SPA Studios, The Line, Netflix, Paramount Animation, Epic Games, Annapurna, and Locksmith Animation. Alongside his production work, Samuel also shares his expertise through teaching at Underpaint Academy and leading workshops internationally.
A great start, wouldn't you say?
The IAMC26 lineup will be revealed gradually.
40+ Master Classes with legendary artists, studios + workshops, portfolio reviews, recruitment sessions and special networking parties
IAMC 26 MONTREAL
"Uncharted Paths"
JULY 3-5, 2026
CENTRE MONT ROYAL
Your 3-Day Experience Includes
Full access to all premium content
Split the cost into 6 easy monthly payments.
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The IAMAG Master Classes in Montreal
Experience an immersive three-day journey of learning and inspiration with world-renowned artists and industry professionals. Building on the legacy of IAMAG Paris, Montreal continues our mission to connect, educate, and empower the global digital arts community.
Join legendary creators such as Dylan Cole, Craig Mullins, Christian Alzmann, Ian McQue, Julien Gauthier, Ash Thorp, and Aaron Limonick—artists whose work has shaped Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars, and The Batman.
The Montreal edition features exclusive workshops, portfolio reviews, and networking sessions designed to inspire collaboration and elevate creative careers.
- • Workshops & Master Classes: hands-on sessions led by industry legends.
- • Networking: connect with peers, studios, and recruiters.
- • Portfolio Reviews: actionable feedback from top artists and studios.
- • Industry Panels: trends, challenges, and the future of digital art.
FAQ & Terms
Everything you need to know about IAMC26 Montreal
1 Event Location
Venue: Centre Mont-Royal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
2 Event Duration
The IAMAG Master Classes in Montreal will take place over three full days (July 3-5, 2026), featuring a rich program of presentations, panels, and hands-on workshops inspired by the acclaimed Paris edition.
3 Access Badge & IAMAG App
Access your digital badge and start networking on the official IAMAG platform:
Open IAMAG Master Classes AppFor mobile access, download the Swapcard app from iOS or Android and log in with the same email used for your ticket purchase.
4 Access Your Invoice
To download or view your invoice, please visit:
IAMAG Billing Portal5 Replays & Online Access
Tickets grant access to the in-person event only.
Replays and online content will be available separately on the IAMAG Master Classes Online Platform.
6 Event Language
All presentations and activities will be conducted in English.
7 Ticket Terms & Conditions
All tickets are non-refundable. However, you may: