CONFLUENT: GKO 2026
THE BRIEF
Live from the Seattle Convention Center, Confluent’s 2026 Growth Kick Off (GKO) brought together their entire global team for a week of high-level strategy and culture building. Following a landmark partnership deal with the Red Bull Visa Cash App RB (VCARB) F1 team, the creative mandate for the event was singular: Full Throttle.
The objective was to translate this sense of velocity into the physical environment of the Keynote Hall, the surrounding venue space, and digital social content. Every visual element needed to reflect the literal and metaphorical speed of the company’s projected growth. This new partnership led the way creatively, influencing everything from cinematic openers to the massive, immersive Welcome Loops that set the energy for the E-Staff and leadership presentations. The goal was for every attendee to feel the momentum of the brand from the moment they stepped into the space.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
As the sole animator and motion designer for GKO 2026, I was responsible for the end-to-end execution of the primary 3D motion assets used throughout the keynote ballroom and the broader venue. My role was to help in building a cohesive visual bridge between Confluent’s GKO theme and the high-performance aesthetic of the Red Bull VCARB F1 partnership.
Key Deliverables Included:
The Welcome Loop: The centerpiece of the ballroom’s atmosphere. This consisted of seven distinct 30-second sequences featuring slow, cinematic 3D camera orbits. Each shot was engineered to transition seamlessly into the next, creating a continuous, high-fidelity loop that balanced event information with the "Full Throttle" theme.
The Registration LED Wall: Attendees' first touchpoint. I created a high-energy edit featuring aggressive text animations and custom motion graphics spliced with fast-cut footage of the VCARB car to set an immediate tone of velocity.
Keynote Motion Graphics: I designed and animated the "name bumpers" and walk-on transitions for E-Staff and guest speakers, ensuring each leader’s introduction maintained the event's kinetic energy.
Video Treatments: Beyond the live stage, I developed the opening video treatments and motion assets that anchored the various segments and presentations throughout the week.
CREATIVE PROCESS
The "Full Throttle" theme provided a unique sandbox for exploration. While the initial concept began with a custom Confluent F1 car, we pivoted toward a more atmospheric approach: a "video game loading screen" vibe that focused on the intricate details of the 2026 livery. Using Cinema 4D and Redshift, I developed a series of slow camera orbits where light revolved around the chassis, catching the interplay between raw carbon fiber, metallic blues, and high-gloss finishes.
To ensure the Welcome Loop felt like a singular, continuous journey, I engineered filmic dissolves between the seven sequences. This allowed the 3.5-minute environment to feel like one cohesive exploration of the car's architecture rather than a series of disconnected clips.
The Keynote Name Bumpers presented a unique spatial challenge due to the massive canvas width. I leaned into a graphic-heavy aesthetic to balance the high-fidelity 3D work seen elsewhere. Drawing from past experiences with live events, I built a highly modular, templatized workflow in anticipation of last-minute edits. This proved vital when eleventh-hour changes to speaker titles and photography arrived on the day of the event; because of that prep work, the updates were a seamless swap rather than a bottleneck.
Finally, the Registration LED Wall required a shift in energy. Working from a storyboard by designer Delaney, I pivoted to a high-velocity editing style. By syncing aggressive typography with F1 race footage, we created a visceral "launch" experience that set the tone the moment attendees entered the Seattle Convention Center.
The Team (from left to right):
Nick Bizzack - Motion & 3D Designer
George Barros - Art Director
Ashley Locke - Sr Designer
Marien Castaneda - Sr Creative Designer
Kris Muller - SVP, Marketing Brand & Communications
Delaney Pratt-Fitzgerald - Sr Creative Designer
Kelly Carlquist - Sr Manager, Creative Services
Lisa Varrall - Sr Creative Designer
Amelia Knight - Sr Marketing Planning Program Manager
Adam Peterson - Sr Creative Copyrighter
Rob Ashe - Sr Director, Brand & Creative Services