Miami Dade College’s Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex Celebrates 10 Years of Creativity and Innovation

Miami, October 2, 2025 – The Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) at Miami Dade College (MDC) is celebrating a decade of shaping Miami into a worldwide hub for digital arts, immersive media, and artistic know-how. To mark this particular milestone, MAGIC will host a reception on Tuesday, Oct. 14, that includes a screening of movies and video games produced by college students, recognition of alumni and {industry} companions, and the launch of the MAGIC Student Scholarship Fund to develop entry for future innovators.

“Over the past decade, MAGIC has become a space where ideas turn into worlds,” stated Mauricio Ferrazza, Founder and Chairperson of MAGIC. “Watching students bring their characters, stories, and games to life—often in collaboration with industry legends—has been one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences of my career.”

Launched in 2015 as the primary facility of its variety at a public establishment in Florida, MAGIC has grown from simply 65 college students to greater than 800 as we speak. Housed at MDC Wolfson Campus in downtown Miami, MAGIC has graduated over 600 college students, many whom now work at main studios corresponding to Nickelodeon, Ubisoft, Bungie Games, TelevisaUnivision, NBC, and Telemundo.

“Creativity is the most notable strength I’ve observed among students,” stated Drew Tolman, Producer at Walt Disney Television Animation. “Their approach to design and storytelling is imaginative, and their ability to translate ideas into technically polished work is impressive. MAGIC students always inspire me with their energy, curiosity, and fresh perspective on our industry. They know they’re entering a competitive, challenging field and yet are open to all those challenges with a smile on their face.”

Students and alumni have additionally created award-winning movies, groundbreaking VR simulations, and video games which have reached audiences worldwide. For a lot of them, the expertise has been transformative in different methods too.

“MAGIC taught me how to be a leader. In the past I was very shy and avoided speaking. I went from someone who tried to stay hidden to someone who rarely hesitated to share my ideas and opinions,” stated Arin Taylor, a MAGIC pupil who had a lead function on the capstone challenge Astro’s Adventures at Frost Science.

MAGIC’s impression goes far past the classroom. With over $1 million secured in grants and institutional help, this system has constructed accessible pathways into one of many fastest-growing industries on this planet. Partnerships with main firms and entities—together with Disney Jr., TelevisaUnivision, Warner Bros. Animation, AMD and the Phillip & Patricia Frost Science Museum—have established MAGIC as a acknowledged pipeline for industry-ready expertise.

 In addition to bolstering Miami’s repute as a inventive tech hub, MAGIC is a catalyst for financial growth, guaranteeing that native and incoming expertise from everywhere in the world has entry to cutting-edge alternatives. Its affordability—at a fraction of the price of personal establishments—has positioned it as a nationwide mannequin for digital arts training.

“For the past decade, MAGIC at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus has been a powerful engine of creativity and opportunity—strengthening our community by opening doors for local talent to thrive in highly competitive fields,” stated Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins.

About MAGIC

Modeled after an expert manufacturing studio, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) at Miami Dade College has change into a hub for animation and gaming, uniting fans, studio executives, software program builders, artists, and different professionals from throughout the nation to collaborate on groundbreaking tasks. MAGIC presents industry-driven educational applications, together with two Associates in Arts in Animation & Game Art and Game Development & Design to organize college students for high-demand careers. It additionally pioneered one in all Florida’s first College Credit Certificates in Virtual and Augmented Reality Technologies, equipping college students to create immersive simulations for industries starting from healthcare and logistics to leisure. This 12 months, MAGIC expanded its choices with the launch of a Digital Production Studio and LED Volume Stage course, additional enhancing its animation curriculum and guaranteeing college students achieve hands-on expertise with cutting-edge instruments shaping the way forward for digital media. Learn extra at https://magic.mdc.edu.

About Miami Dade College

Miami Dade College (MDC) is essentially the most various establishment within the nation, with 167 nations and 63 languages represented in its pupil physique. The faculty’s eight campuses and outreach facilities provide over 300 distinct diploma pathways, together with affiliate and baccalaureate levels, certifications and apprenticeships. MDC is the recipient of many prime nationwide awards, together with the distinguished Aspen Prize, and has been ranked #5 amongst Top Public Institutions within the Southern Region by U.S. News & World Report. The College modifications lives via accessible, high-quality educating and studying experiences. It is dwelling to the Miami Culinary Institute, the Miami Animation & Gaming International Complex, the Miami Fashion Institute, The Idea Center, the Cybersecurity Center of the Americas, two AI Centers, the Center for Learning, Innovation and Simulation on the Medical Campus, the Business Innovation & Technology Center, the School for Advanced Studies and New World School of the Arts, amongst others. MDC has been acknowledged among the many nation’s “Great Colleges to Work For” because the program’s inception. The College serves as an financial, cultural and civic chief for the development of our various world neighborhood. MDC alumni and workers contribute greater than $5 billion yearly to the native economic system, and graduates occupy prime management positions in each main {industry}. MDC’s famend wealthy cultural programming contains the Miami Book Fair, Miami Film Festival, the National Historic Landmark Miami Freedom Tower, Koubek Center Mansion and Gardens, Live Arts Miami at MDC, the Lynn and Louis Wolfson II Florida Moving Image Archives, and the Museum of Art and Design.  MDC has admitted greater than 2.5 million college students and counting, because it opened its doorways in 1960. Approximately 125,000 college students are at the moment enrolled. For extra info, go to www.mdc.edu.

For extra info, please contact Mauricio Ferrazza, MAGIC Chairperson at 305-237-7852, mferrazz@mdc.edu.