Motive is a special place. Not only do we get to work on amazing games, but we also get to work with some amazing people, who recently came together for the second annual Motivate conference. As a day of learning and connection filled with inspiring talks, roundtables, and guest speakers, this event is part of an initiative at Motive called the “12 Days of Development”, which encourages everyone to take periodic breaks from their day-to-day work to focus on personal and professional growth. 

Motivate is the brainchild of our Culture and Development team, and represents more than just an educational exercise. “Growth and inclusion are some of our core values,” says Director of Talent & Culture Chantal Castonguay, “and we wanted to create a moment where that value was actually felt. That’s why we decided to organize a day when everything stops; we breathe in, we breathe out, and we learn together.”

BUILDING SOMETHING GREAT

This year, the theme for the day was “Unleash your creativity, celebrate humanity,” and the day involved both learning how creativity works and putting it to work.  

“We’re part of a creative industry, so I think creativity comes easily,” says Operations and Culture Manager Jean-François Bérubé. “And to celebrate humanity means that  we have to remember behind every game, there are human imaginations at work.” 

These themes were displayed throughout the day. Following a group breakfast in the sunny atrium of the Maison Alcan in the heart of Montréal, Deanna Marsigliese, Art Director at Pixar Animation Studios, took the stage. As the designer of memorable characters from Luca, Inside Out 2, and more, Deanna had a lot to share with the team about her creative process. She followed up her keynote with a workshop that helped everyone relive some childhood nostalgia through a collage exercise. 

After lunch, professional coach, trainer, and facilitator Jean-Philippe Bouchard shared his insight into the fundamentals of collaboration and led everyone through group activities to exercise their collective creativity. 

“So, the morning was focused on individual inspirational work, while the afternoon was more of a collective endeavor, where people engaged with each other,” says Operations and Culture Program Manager Julie Champagne. “It’s not just about listening and learning, but also about experimenting, experiencing and putting new skills into practice.”

Chantal agrees. ”Of course, it’s about growth,” she says, “but the connections people make that day are almost as important. I think people are thankful for this—they appreciate the fact that we’re making a time investment to learn and grow, and I appreciate that!”

Chantal Castonguay, Julie Champagne, Myriam Trinh Quang, Jean-Philippe Bouchard, Patrick Klaus, Deanna Marsigliese, Jean-François Bérubé

FINDING OUR ANCHOR

With the industry having gone through some challenging times over the past couple of years, the lessons we learn and connections we make at an event like Motivate are more important than ever.

“In times of change, you need to find an anchor,” Julie says. “You need to root yourself in something that lasts, in which you feel secure. And this is what we’re aiming for at Motive with events like these. ”

“And honestly, if you want to keep your employees, you need to make sure they’re growing,” says Chantal, “that they feel that it’s about more than just shipping a game. You’re shipping a game and becoming a better developer. You’re shipping a game and becoming a better collaborator. I think that, as an industry, that’s what we need to be better at.”

“We’re very grateful that our team believes in what we do,” Julie says. “They come to our events and trust that we’re going to have a great day together and that we’ll learn and experience something new. I think it really defines the whole idea of Motive: People being at the center.”

“And also having leadership that believes in this,” Jean-François says. “Our leaders are willing to give us the time it takes to build this kind of experience. And they’re willing to protect time for everyone to participate, to make sure the event is not overwhelming people. That, for me, is really rewarding.”

“That’s right,” says Chantal. “To believe in growth means to agree, as a studio, that it’s important enough to step away from our desks together. It’s something we agree to do regularly, and something I feel is very unique here.”

To learn more about Motive’s commitment to development and special je-ne-sais-quoi, check out our conversation with Chantal from last year. And if all this makes Motive sound like a place you’d enjoy working at, you’re in luck—we’re in the process of hiring more than a hundred new team members! Have a look at our Careers page to see if any of the open positions are a fit for your own creative muscles.