Experience

• Animation Lead at MERLYN LABS

  Remote, US

  November 2024 - Present

  • Oversee the production and quality of gameplay animations, ensuring consistency across the board.
  
  • Craft dynamic in-game and cinematic animations for characters, props, and cameras, enhancing the overall player experience.
  
  • Integrate and test art assets into Unreal Engine 4/5 ensuring full functionality and seamless gameplay integration.
  
  • Collaborate with design and engineering to ensure smooth implementation of animations into the game engine.
  
  • Create and maintain animation blueprints, state machines, blendspaces, and montages within Unreal 4/5
  
  • Construct and maintain rigs for unique characters through the development process
  
  • Support and implement animation content, and fine tune parameters for gameplay animation
  
  • Investigate, identify, and improve pipeline, optimize workflows and tools, setting best practices/standards streamlining the animation process

• Sr Animator at Blind Squirrel Games

  Irvine, CA, US

  May 2022 - August 2024

  • Lead by example, guiding a team of animators to seamlessly implement high-quality in-game animations within Unreal Engine.
  
  • Oversaw the production and quality of gameplay animations, ensuring consistency across the board.
  
  • Crafted dynamic in-game and cinematic animations for characters, props, and cameras, enhancing the overall player experience.
  
  • Captured, cleaned, and refined motion capture data for cinematic and in-game features, maintaining high standards of animation quality.
  
  • Executed pre-visualization and scene assembly for in-game cinematics and cutscenes, contributing to narrative impact.
  
  • Integrated and tested art assets into Unreal Engine 4/5 and Lumberyard ensuring full functionality and seamless gameplay integration.
  
  • Developed complex state machines, animation Blueprints, and blend spaces to enhance gameplay fluidity and responsiveness.
  
  • Collaborate with the design and programming teams to ensure smooth implementation of animations into the game engine.
  
  • Partnered with designers and animation teams to develop detailed motion capture shot lists and schedules, streamlining production.
  

• Instructor at Century College

  White Bear Lake, MN, US

  September 2017 - May 2022

  • Re-designed and implemented the 3D Animation Program to increase student enrollment, retention and placement within the local community and abroad.
  
  • Optimized departmental budgeting, scheduling, and resource management, ensuring the allocation and efficiency of resources.
  
  • Managed resource allocation across multiple departments, optimizing productivity and workflow.
  
  • Challenged, engaged and mentored students to encourage participation and personal growth.
  
  • Directed programmatic evaluations, crafting and executing strategies that drove continuous improvement and development across the department.

• Product Visualization Artist at Janus Razors

  Woodbury, MN, US

  January 2019 - December 2019

  • Crafted high quality rendering and animations for product promotion
  
  • Created vector and raster graphics for web and mobile deployment.
  
  • Developed animations style guides for use in gameplay and cinematics.
  
  • Created designs, concepts, and sample layouts for user manual and brochures
  

• Lead Character Animator at Sunstone Games

  Fridley, MN, US

  June 2013 - March 2014

  • Developed and managed project asset lists, timelines, and resources, ensuring timely and successful final deliverables.
  
  • Crafted dynamic in-game animations for characters, props, and cameras, enhancing the overall player experience.
  
  • Integrated and tested art assets into proprietary, ensuring full functionality and seamless gameplay integration.
  
  • Participate in conceptualizing characters and settings, contributing your expertise to the early stages of game development.
  
  • Worked closely with design and engineering to implement and improve overall functionality and playability of game.

• Lead Animator at Bobiam Digital

  Fridley, MN, US

  March 2013 - April 2013

  • Developed and managed animation asset list and appropriate timelines for final deliverables.
  
  • Lead animation department in the creation of assets including characters, cameras and props for final deliverable.
  
  • Integrated and tested art assets into Unity game engine ensuring full functionality and seamless gameplay integration.
  
  • Partnered with designers and animation teams to develop detailed animation lists and schedules, streamlining production.
  

• Program Chair at Minneapolis Media Institute

  Edina, MN, US

  September 2011 - August 2017

  • Optimized departmental budgeting, scheduling, and resource management, ensuring the allocation and efficiency of resources.
  
  • Developed and managed project plans, including objectives, technologies, schedules, funding, and staffing.
  
  • Managed resource allocation across multiple departments, optimizing productivity and workflow.
  
  • Guided professional development within the department, significantly boosting employee retention and enhancing skill competency.
  
  • Directed programmatic evaluations, crafting and executing strategies that drove continuous improvement and development across the department.
  
  • Prepared and maintained multiple departmental budgets, scheduling and resources.
  
  • Built new relationships with industry contacts to improve company standing within the community.
  
  • Conferred with project personnel to identify and resolve problems and developed clear communication processes.

• Contract Artist at Atomic Games

  Plymouth, MN, US

  March 2010 - June 2011

  • Created animations, screenshots, user interface layouts and other art assets for use in promotional marketing material.
  
  • Designed art layouts for material to be used on websites for product promotion.
  
  • Designed mockups and pre-production layouts whenever necessary.
  
  • Reviewed and assembled final designs for publication and web release.

• Animator at Atomic Games

  Plymouth, MN

  September 2006 - August 2009

  • Crafted dynamic in-game and cinematic animations for characters, props, and cameras, enhancing the overall player experience.
  
  • Captured, cleaned, and refined motion capture data for cinematic and in-game features, maintaining high standards of animation quality.
  
  • Executed pre-visualization and scene assembly for in-game cinematics and cutscenes, contributing to narrative impact.
  
  • Integrated and tested art assets into [insert game engine here], ensuring full functionality and seamless gameplay integration.
  
  • Worked closely with design and engineering to implement and improve overall functionality and playability of game.
  
  • Worked in small SCRUM teams alongside level and audio designers to meet and exceed milestone delivery goals.
  
  • Collaborated with the core-tech team to develop innovative animation tools, systems, and pipelines, improving production efficiency.