iD News and Blog

From Summer Film Camp to USC Film School and the Big Screen

Hello iD Nation!

From time to time, I like to highlight some of our past students, featuring them in the ”Where are they now” category of this blog.  I’m sure you’ll like this next story about our summer film camps.  We recently heard from one of our students, Christina Frenzel.  Here’s a bit of what she wrote:

“Tell Pete I say hi. I remember him as I attended summer camp when the company was just starting out in Santa Clara. He was always there watching how camp was going and I remember how nice he was.”

Well, thank YOU, Christina!  It’s nice to know you remember me, and thanks for the compliment.  Very cool!

Christina Frenzel:  Film School Phenom

“iD Tech Camps not only helped me to become a better filmmaker, but more importantly, this summer camp in the Bay Area fostered my growth into becoming a confident young adult. I will never forget the people I met there, especially the camp instructors that encouraged me to follow my dreams and supported me along the way. Almost ten years after attending camp, I still am in contact with some of the instructors, and I recently invited them to my graduation dinner celebrating my accomplishments at USC. It meant so much to me to have them there because I knew I could not have accomplished all that I have without them.”

Christina recently graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts with a double major in film production and psychology. She attended iD Tech Camps for multiple seasons as a middle school and high school student, and continued to develop her passion for film production. By the time she reached college, two of her documentaries aired on HBO. While at USC, Christina was named as a semi-finalist in the 33rd Student Academy Awards for her thesis film. After graduating, she worked as a research and production assistant for PBS’ Frontline and will soon be working in Washington D.C. as a production assistant for a political advertising firm for the 2008 presidential election. In her free time Christina loves to volunteer, backpack, and play soccer.

Christina…way to go!  We will be keeping an eye on you!

-Pete

 

Posted in Do Something Big | 2 Comments »

 

 

Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius: Los Angeles Summer Camps Protégé!

Exciting news! A former camper, Ian Cinnamon, who formerly attended our Los Angeles Summer Camps and San Francisco Bay Area Summer Camps has written his own book titled Game Programming for the Evil Genius.

I wrote a forward in the book, and we have also featured Ian in our 2008 Summer Computer Camp Catalog. Here is an excerpt from our catalog: “Ian has attended four summers at iD Tech Camps and is currently a high school sophomore. A 15-hear old phenom who got his start at iD Tech Camps, Ian has been programming for over 7 years and is certified in both Java and C++. Ian has recently written a book titled Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius (McGraw Hill). Ian provides strategies, code, and insider’s programming advice on how to build and test video games with ease.”

I want to congratulate Ian on his latest accomplishment. I know we helped Ian a little bit along the way by providing great teachers and hands-on instruction in our summer computer programming camps and summer video game design courses.

But Ian has shown that being an author of sophisticated tech topics knows no age boundaries. Way to go, Ian! We are proud of you!

-Pete

 

Posted in Do Something Big | 2 Comments »

 

 

Microsoft and Yahoo…what would it mean for a Summer Computer Camp for Teens and Kids?

I’ve been following the proposed takeover of Yahoo by Microsoft.  A lot of people are wondering what this would mean for Yahoo.  Yahoo’s stock price has shot up, Microsoft is down.  Google, of course, opposes the prospective takeover, citing concerns over the “overwhelming share of instant messaging and web e-mail accounts” that would be controlled by one entity.

But what does this mean for iD Tech Camps, other computer camps, and the summer camp industry as a whole?

Most summer camps understand that web marketing is important.  It is safe to say that most camps now rely on the web for advertising, and are incrementally spending more and more on web advertising as a share of their entire marketing budgets, cutting in some areas like print advertising.

Currently, according to ComScore, Google controls almost 60% of the U.S. search market, while Yahoo has just under 23% and Microsoft has just under 10%.  So, the combined “YahooSoft” share would be a compelling 33% of the U.S. search market, which is considerable, but still half that of Google.  But still, 90% of the U.S. search market is still controlled by just 3 companies.

My speculation is that the merger would have limited impact on a summer camp’s overall spending and spending habits.  Why?  Most camps are spending most heavily within the Google network already.  Google already competes with Yahoo and MSN.  If “YahooSoft” becomes a reality, the search reach will be the same as if the two companies were independent.  So, to me, from a search perspective, this is a big “no big deal.”  Yahoosoft and Google would have to compete, as they already do, and the best products and most relevant searches will ultimately reign.  Right now, that is why Google is winning in search.  But, as we all know, technology changes overnight and things can happen fast.

Ultimately, should Google be threatened by YahooSoft?  I don’t think so.  The biggest threat is that a “baby Google” is incubating out there.  We know it is already happening.  An when it does, it will be good for all of us.  It would be nice to have the share of the search market better split against more than just a couple of major companies.  But until this happens, I think it will be business as usual.  Maybe YahooSoft with give Google a run for its money, but don’t expect it to happen any time soon–and don’t expect to be paying less for search advertising with, or without, the deal.

 

Posted in CEO's Blog | No Comments »

 

 

World’s Best-Known Professional Gamer, Fatal1ty, partners with the #1 Summer Game Design Camp

This is a press release that is just hitting the wire.  Where do you go if you want to learn curriculum from the world’s best-known professional gamer?  Look no further!

Good Stuff!

-Pete

iD Gaming Academy Presents Camp Fatal1ty™

Learn How To Play The Fatal1ty™ Way

(February 8, 2008) iD Tech Camps announces their new limited-edition course, partnering with Johnathan “Fatal1ty™” Wendel.  Fatal1ty, the world’s best known professional gamer, is collaborating on curriculum development for this exclusive summer camp course. The announcement of this partnership is the very first in the summer computer camp industry. Teen gamers attending Camp Fatal1ty™ will learn advanced Unreal Tournament® 3 skills from athletes at the top of this sport, like world-renowned professional gamers and members of the Free Player Organization.

Dedicated gamers will be introduced to a variety of Unreal Tournament 3 tactics and strategies developed by Fatal1ty and other professional gamers, which have been honed in international competitions. Teen academy students will test their new battle skills against students in tournament play. They’ll also learn to create machinima and build highlight video reels of their best in-game moves and shots.

“We want to partner with the best!  We chose the iD Gaming Academy”, said Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, the world’s best known pro gamer.

Fatal1ty is hands down the most accomplished, professional gamer in history and is the breakthrough name and face of what has become a large scale, legitimate sport. As the world’s most famous gamer, he spreads enthusiasm wherever he goes and, in the process, has become the sport’s worldwide ambassador.  Like any other professional athlete, he trains for hours a day and analyzes his performances by watching videos of himself in action–all with the goal of being the best in the world.

Fatal1ty is a naturally gifted athlete who competed in many sports including tennis, golf and football before devoting his full time efforts to gaming. He continues to use daily physical training to maintain and hone his genetic gifts of quick reflexes and lightning fast hand/eye coordination.

“We are excited and honored to partner with Johnathan on this new initiative. With this new collaborative offering, we continue to provide cutting-edge instruction to our teen gaming students. Professional gaming is a fast growing profession”, said Pete Ingram Cauchi, president and CEO of iD Tech Camps. “We want to give them the opportunity to make their dreams possible.”

iD Tech Camps instructors, arriving to teach from as far away as Europe, will be at the cutting edge of this budding profession. iD Tech Camps is dedicated to finding the best instructors to teach their courses and this new course is no different. Dedicated gamers will be introduced to tactics and strategies developed by Fatal1ty and other professional gamers, all with international competitions under their belts.

“The cutting-edge iD curriculum, Play the Fatal1ty Way™ was co-developed by iD Tech Camps and Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel and is exclusively used as part of our program”, noted Steve Gould, President and CEO of Auravision.

Camp Fatal1ty™ is a 2-week course offered at Emory University, Stanford University, UCLA and Villanova for the summer of 2008. The tuition includes room, board and activities. Visit the iD Gaming Academy website for complete details and to register for this limited course: www.idGamingAcademy.com.

About iD Gaming Academy

iD Gaming Academy by internalDrive, Inc. immerses teens in the dynamic world of video game design. Courses include Camp Fatal1ty™, Game Modeling with Maya® and Game Programming. Each session spans two weeks and are located at Emory University, Stanford University, UCLA and Villanova University. Programs are taught by top tier instructors with demonstrated game development skills and pro gaming experience. Students use powerful, industry-standard applications like Autodesk® Maya®, Adobe® Photoshop®, and some of the latest, most popular commercial video games for instructional purposes and serious game play, like Unreal Tournament 3. A major game development studio tour will anchor each session as we learn first-hand how industry professionals create premier commercial games. Visit www.idGamingAcademy.com or call -1-888-709-TECH (8324) for more information.

About Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel
Johnathan became the world’s first full time professional video gamer in October 1999, when he placed third at the CPL’s Frag3 tournament. Two weeks later he was invited to represent the USA in an international tournament in Stockholm, where he went undefeated with a perfect performance, winning all 18 maps and losing none. He has continued to dominate competitions all over the world, competing on 6 continents during his 8-year professional career, including a Gold Medal finish for the USA at the 2000 World Cyber Games in Seoul, Korea.

Winning the 2005 CPL World Tour Finals in New York City secured his twelfth Major Championship and tenth world title, accomplished while competing in 5 different games – an unprecedented achievement. His New York City victory earned him $150,000 and brought his 2005 total winnings to $231,000. During his competitive gaming career Fatal1ty has placed 1st in 65% of all the competitions he has entered and top 3 in 90% of them.

Johnathan has joined forces with DirecTV’s Championship Gaming Series as exclusive commentator, global spokesperson and advisor to help take video gaming to the next level. For more information please visit www.fatal1ty.com.

 

Posted in iD In The News | No Comments »

 

 

New York Summer Camps and the ACA Conference

Many of you know that iD Tech Camps has been working with the American Camp Association for years. In fact, iD Tech Camps has more ACA Accredited sites than any computer camp in the country. I wanted to take this opportunity to let people know that the ACA runs a dynamite summer camp conference in the Tri-State area. Here is an excerpt from the ACA site:

“In its 26th year, The Tri-State Camp Conference continues to be the most important “off-season” event for nearly 4000 attendees each year. Camp professionals, seasonal staff, youth development professionals, and “out of school” experiential educators gather annually to participate in over 200 program sessions, visit the 300 booth exhibit hall, and network amongst a group of people dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives of children.”

iD Tech Camps offers a sizeable contingency of summer camps in New York including:

Vassar College summer camps in Poughkeepsie

Columbia University summer camps in New York City

Fordham University summer camps in the Bronx

I’ve personally attended the conference in the past, as have many of the people in my company. We ALWAYS take away many refreshing ideas to implement into our summer camp programs–Risk Management, Teambuilding, Networking, Marketing, Best Practices, Staff Management…you name it, you’ll find it at this conference.

Our summer computer camps in New York follow ACA guidelines, as do all of our locations across the country. The ACA is the definitive go-to authority for camp owners. If you have a chance, please check out the conference, and if you can attend, you’ll be glad you did. Here is a link to get you started: ACA New York Conference

 

Posted in Summer Camps | No Comments »