Business & Professional F _, Apartmen t' homes that simplify life. Game Changer State's Pixofactor gains firm toehold in video game and intellectual property development. Al and Evelyn Jacobs' apartment home is completely free from maintenance. Instead of budgeting for costly repairs and sky-high utility bills they enjoy stable, predictable expenses and a worry-free way of life. Call 1-800-611-8948 for your free Guide to Erickson Living® at Fox Run and learn more about this affordable retirement lifestyle. "Hiring local talent and investing local money into a rapidly growing market will bring jobs and infrastructure to our local - Sean Hurwitz economy. ), Monica Luoma Special to the Jewish News T he news from Michigan's bleak economy is not all bad. Some of it is actually inspiring and optimistic. The great thing about tough times is that often it spurs creativity, tenacity and opportunity. In fact, the state's dismal economy can be credited for many people finding or creating new business opportunities, reinventing themselves in the process. That was the case for Sean Hurwitz, CEO of Royal Oak-based Pixofactor Entertainment, a full-development stu- dio specializing in video game, mobile application development, visual effects and animation. Pursuing A Niche When Hurwitz, 41, and his partners at Pixofactor launched the company, they didn't set out to produce films. Instead, they quickly learned that the digital intellectual property development indus- try included in the film tax credit, was relatively untapped in Michigan. The potential, as he saw it, was to develop and monetize entertainment content across multiple platforms — such as video game consoles, mobile phones, tablets, as well as PCs and Macs. In 2009, he opened PixoFactor Entertainment. PixoFactor employs a 25-member team of programmers, artists, develop- ers, producers and directors and plans for 20-40 additional hires this year. Last year, the company moved into a larger production studio on Sixth Street in Royal Oak. With little competition in the state, and the lucrative tax credit, Hurwitz sees tremendous growth and earning opportunity. "With the paradigm shifts in content distribution and monetization, we are in the thick of it here in Michigan',' he said. "Hiring local talent and investing local money into a rapidly growing market will bring jobs and infrastructure to our local economy" Last October, Pixofactor made history Game Changer on page 22 467, 11 - 16 - s A Gk- S I, eaning pedal s Winter Sale In Home Cleaning* Oriental 8c Area Rug Cleaning 4 Rooms 2 Rooms 7' Sofa r Chairs 50% off when you bring them to any of our drop-off centers 9 999 5 999 5 999 `Some restrictions apply The Original Since 1939 HAGOPIAN Birmingham • Oak Park • Novi • Utica • Ann Arbor www.originalhagopian.com 1 800 HAGOPIAN 424-6742L - - Keep your company top of mind with our readers. ADVERTISE WITH US! CALL 248.351.5107 Visit theJEWISHNEWS.com iN February 17 2011 21