Nyack Business Spotlight: CGMuse

NYACK, NY — Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. And that’s the belief behind this ongoing series on Patch — to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

Business: CGMuse
Owners: C.A. MacFinn, Clare Kohavi, Deirdre MacCallan
Website: http://CGMuse.com/home.html
Address: You can reach us at info(at)cgmuse.com or at 845-358-3506 – or by mail at PO Box 874, Nyack, NY.

How did you come up with the name?

We're a computer animation shop – the shorthand for that in the industry is cg, or computer graphics. The Muses were nine Greek and Roman goddess who each presided over and inspired a different area of the arts and sciences. And our mission is to create and inspire terrific work in the field of cg – hence "CGMuse".

Why start a business in this town?
We're all from Nyack, and two of us grew up here. We wanted to stay here and be part of the incredible, diverse mix in our town, and contribute to the creative vibe from the artists, writers, theater and film folks, musicians, scientists, teachers, chefs and others that we've been shaped by. We think the Hudson Valley, and Nyack in particular, is a fantastic, inspirational place to have a creative company.

What business are you in?
We create 3D and 2D animation, visual effects, motion graphics and interactive media for film, video, and the web and mobile space. In addition to work for clients, our original ip includes fouranimated shorts which have won awards and been selected for over 27 film festivals in the U.S. and internationally, and two animated iTunes apps, Pete and The Orange Fox for young readers and the science resource Real World Dinosaurs, both of which have been honored as SIGGRAPH selections.

What’s the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as business owner?
Getting folks to understand what animation can do for their businesses. They say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, a moving picture can tell potential customers more about your business – in less amount of time – than the best copy in the world.

What’s been your proudest achievement since opening?
Our proudest moment so far was being asked to have our movies, Glooscap and The Baby and The No Face Doll shown as part of the curriculum for The Water Protector's School at the anti-DAPL protest camp at Standing Rock.

How does your business give back to the community?
Our internship program provides real training for aspiring animators. We're always eager to have applicants from the community participate, and we've had several successful local candidates complete the summer program.

Would you like to see your small business showcased in this series? Email lanning.taliaferro@patch.com