Review Fix chats with Travis Sluss, CEO & Founder MakeInspires, who discusses the brand and their involvement in the Maker Faire Coney Island.
Review Fix: What do you make?
Travis Sluss: Crafting excellence in education, MakeInspires delivers renowned STEAM programs spanning K-12 and adults, centered around our innovative Makerspaces. These collaborative havens brim with cutting-edge resources, including computers, robots, electronics, 3D printers, woodworking tools and more.
Review Fix: Why do you make it?
Sluss: At MakeInspires, we guide students into the vanguard of future technologies and industries, nurturing computational reasoning, critical thinking, and boundless creativity. Our mission resonates in fostering lifelong learning through STEAM education, tailored to every level of experience.
Review Fix: What are your goals with it?
Sluss: Established in 2011, our inception as MacInspires was a nod to the transformative potential of technology, particularly Apple products, which empower us in diverse ways. This name pays homage to Apple’s historical role in enabling everyday individuals to craft graphic art, music, video, and beyond. In 2022, we evolved into MakeInspires, a name that precisely captures our essence. We cultivate makers, individuals who shape society by crafting impactful creations that impact many facets of life.
Review Fix: What do you plan on doing at this year’s Maker Faire?
Sluss: Join MakeInspires to try out robotics and create your own electric circuit to take home!
Sluss: We just opened a makerspace on the Upper East Side! Our third makerspace.
About Maker Faire Coney Island:
Maker Faire Coney Island is a one-of-a-kind interactive event that celebrates the ingenuity and passion of makers across diverse disciplines. With a rich lineup of exhibits, workshops, and demonstrations, the event promises to inspire, educate, and entertain attendees of all ages. The event is set to take place from October 6-8, 2023, at various iconic venues within Coney Island.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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