VIRTUAL REALITY, GAME, & MARKETING ANIMATION
Animation Lead, MZ, Palo Alto, CA (Sept 2016 - Present)
Game of War, Mobile Strike, Final Fantasy, and unreleased games
- Managed a cross-functional team to produce animation for creative ads and MZ’s game engine, continuously pushing the quality bar
- Defined the animation style for marketing art and streamlined creation flow via pipeline and rigging enhancements; provided documentation and mentorship to develop the team
- Designed and directed ad creatives, producing the highest IPM, install volume, revenue and ROAS for multiple months
- Scaled the development process by structuring a project leading system to add efficiencies to cross-team workstreams and improving output velocity
- Established collaborations across marketing, front/back-end production, artists, engineers and external vendors to define deliverables, milestones and timelines for timely execution of work
Senior Animator, Baobab Studios, Redwood Shores, CA (Nov 2015 - January 2016)
Invasion!
- Inaugural team member of VR startup’s Emmy Award winning short film
- Developed future episodic ideas that maximize the storytelling abilities of the VR medium and the unique features of the HTC Vive
- Enhanced the character animation pipeline and streamlined rigging processes, optimizing the technical integration of animation sequences into the game engine
Character Animator, Evil Eye Pictures, San Francisco, CA (Aug - Nov 2015)
Google Spotlight Stories - Pearl
- Constructed concurrent-timeline performances for multiple characters utilizing the 360° audience viewpoint of Google Cardboard for Oscar nominated and Emmy Award winning short
Senior Animator & Design Lead, DreamWorks Animation, Redwood City, CA (July - Dec 2014)
Story Producer for HP Sprout
- Developed animation and managed product design for Hewlett-Packard’s immersive computing platform
- Provided art direction to engineering teams across multiple offices, delivering artistic strategies that maximized the unique dual-display touch screen environment to recreate the delightful world of “How to Train Your Dragon”
- Defined priorities, developed feature plans/timelines and communicated vision to greater team
- Actively recruited and onboarded new team members, ensuring quick ramp-up and immediate impact
VISUAL EFFECTS ANIMATION
Senior Animator, Iloura, Sydney, Australia (Feb 2016 - Apr 2016)
Ghostbusters • Deep Water Horizon
- Led animation development for the Rock Concert Ghost storyline, capturing the intensity of the interactions with the live-action cast for the movie trailer
Senior Animator, Tippett Studios, Berkeley, CA (Dec 2014 - May 2015)
Ted 2 • Dream of Anhui
- Produced realistically detailed animation to bring title character to life within live-action sequences
- Partnered with external partners on various character visualizations and managed shared assets
Senior Animator, The Moving Picture Company, London, UK (Oct 2013 - May 2014)
Guardians of the Galaxy
- Drove public anticipation of the film by improving the movie trailer experience with concise action shots of lead characters Rocket and Groot
- Produced realistically detailed animation to bring characters to life within live-action sequences
FEATURE FILM ANIMATION
Animation Character Lead, DreamWorks Animation, Redwood City, CA (2005 - 2013)
Mr. Peabody & Sherman • Turbo • Rise of the Guardians • Madagascar 3 • Megamind • Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa • Bee Movie • Over the Hedge
- Collaborated with large cross-functional teams including directors, producers and artists to establish the style of movement and character vision best suited to tell each story
- Conducted detailed analyses to understand animal behavior for the Madagascar series, providing direction on select characters for the rest of the team
- Supported marketing and consumer product departments by creating advertising campaigns and marketing collateral, including localized materials to account for cultural norms
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Program Advisory Committee Member, AnimSchool, online (Nov 2015 - Present)
- Providing analysis and feedback on program practices to shape future curriculum
Instructor, AnimSchool, online (Oct 2013 - Dec 2014)
- Developed 11 week sessions on Character Performance, distilling complex theories and technical concepts to students from all-levels of experience
- Provided hands-on mentorship and guidance for over 35 students over 5 terms, advocating for their best interests and helping graduating students procure positions at top companies worldwide
EDUCATION
Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL
- B.F.A. Computer Animation (May 2005)
- President’s List (2001-2005)
SKILLS
Software: Maya, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, Bohemian Coding Sketch, Jira, Perforce
Creative: 2D & 3D Illustration, Design, Painting, Caricature, Sculpture