PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Art Director and creative leader who builds, scales, and optimizes multidisciplinary art organizations that ship and operate globally-scaled games. Has led teams of 25 to 60+ full-time staff plus 100+ external contributors, spanning concept, illustration, 3D, animation, VFX, lighting, tech art, UI/UX, and audio with Art Directors and department leads as direct reports. Brings hands-on depth across concept art, UI/UX, and visual development: not as a production resource, but as the creative foundation that sharpens direction, accelerates feedback cycles, and raises the bar for every discipline in the org. Partners with development, product, and marketing to translate high-level business needs into shipped, measurable results across the full product lifecycle. Pairs creative ambition with operational rigor, review pipelines, accountability frameworks, and data-informed design. Built AI production pipelines, LLM / diffusion / agentic workflows integrated into live concept art and asset production, not as an experiment but as a permanent operational shift.

EXPERIENCE

Art Director – Prodigy Education, Remote, Toronto ON, December 2023 – January 2026

  • Directed the Art and UI/UX departments for a global edtech platform serving 100M+ students across 150+ countries; conceived and shipped Prodigy Math Facts, a new gamified fluency product, in March 2026 – the year Prodigy won Best Game for Learning at the EdTech Cool Tool Awards.
  • Owned visual design and UI/UX direction for Math Facts, partnering with a small core art, design, animation and engineering team from concept through launch-ready delivery.
  • Built AI production pipelines – LLM, diffusion, and agentic workflows – into live concept and asset cycles; scripted and produced a custom ElevenLabs voice for the Math Facts product mascot.
  • Managed outsource partnerships end to end – vetting, contracts, budgeting, and payout – while mentoring artists, animators, and UI/UX designers across live ops and new product development.

Art Director – Marvel Strike Force, Scopely, Remote, Culver City, CA, March 2021 – March 2023

  • Directed the art department for live operations of a top-grossing Marvel mobile RPG that surpassed $1B in lifetime player spending.
  • Owned mobile visual design, style and performance guidelines, and asset production across in-game and marketing pipelines.
  • Managed and supported internal Art, Animation, VFX, and Tech Art departments; directed individual contractors and external partners.

Art Director – Gods Unchained, Immutable, Remote, Sydney Australia, October 2019 – May 2021

  • Directed the internal and external art department for live operations of a blockchain-based PC/mobile title, producing 270+ original card illustrations per quarter to a consistent, high-fidelity standard (publisher raised a $15M Series A during tenure).
  • Owned 2D and 3D visual design, style, and performance guidelines across PC and mobile, including a full rebrand from early prototype to international visual standard; supported internal Art, VFX, Audio, and Tech Art departments.
  • Built and ran the full outsource lifecycle from vendor sourcing through delivery – individual contractors, an agency, and international studios.

Art Director / Consultant – Self-Employed, Sarasota, FL, May 2018 – October 2019

  • Led art direction and production for clients across mobile, console, and PC; partnered with clients and art leads to define per-project visual strategy.
  • Contributed hands-on across visual development, concept art, and UI/UX design.

Studio Art Director – Paddington Run, Gameloft, New Orleans, LA, March 2016 – February 2018

  • Directed visual direction, brand identity, style guidelines, and asset production for the high-profile licensed mobile title Paddington Run – from conception through launch and live operations across iOS / Android / Windows.
  • Hired and structured the studio art team across Concept, UI/UX, 3D Art, VFX, Lighting, Tech Art, and Animation; owned career growth, performance management, and workforce decisions.
  • Established studio tooling and processes for production, asset review, artist accountability, and corporate visibility; contracted and directed concurrent outsourcing groups.
  • Contributed hands-on to visual development, concept art, and pre-production art direction across production cycles.

Studio Art Director – JamCity / Kiwi, Palo Alto, CA, April 2014 – March 2016

  • Built the studio art organization from the ground up, originally joining as Kiwi, Inc. prior to JamCity’s acquisition, and continued through integration, scaling, and contraction.
  • Directed visual direction, brand identity, and asset production across concurrent iOS / Android titles – conception through launch and live operations.
  • Hired and structured 2D/3D Art, Tech Art, and Animation departments through fast startup growth, acquisition, and contraction (career growth, performance management, and reductions in force); built and directed concurrent outsource pipelines.
  • Contributed hands-on to visual development, concept art, and UI/UX across production cycles.

Art Director / Designer – Self-Employed, San Francisco, CA, September 2013 – March 2014

  • Led art direction, mobile app design, and concept art for independent clients during a transitional period between studio roles.

Studio Art Director – GREE International, San Francisco, CA, July 2011 – September 2013

  • Built the art organization from the ground up across multiple studios – visual direction, brand identity, production quality, and asset production across concurrent titles including the action-RPG Knights & Dragons – with Art Directors, a lead animator, and a tech-art lead as direct reports.
  • Structured 2D/3D Art, Tech Art, and Animation departments; designed internal tools for asset review, artist accountability, and corporate visibility.
  • Led team-building to merge two distinct studio cultures following acquisition; staffed and launched the GREE Vancouver studio; built direct relationships with Japanese counterparts and presented technique, approach, and style to GREE Japan’s 250+ art org and executives.

SKILLS

  • Creative Leadership: Art direction and visual strategy; team building, hiring, mentoring, performance management; outsource pipelines (vetting, contracts, budgets, payout); cross-functional delivery with product, engineering and marketing; full product lifecycle (pre-production, launch, UA, live-ops).
  • Craft & Disciplines: Concept art, illustration, 3D art, animation, VFX, lighting and rendering, technical art, UI/UX design, audio/sound design, marketing and brand art – hands-on execution depth rooted in an AAA console concept-art foundation.
  • Data-Informed Design: Analytics, A/B testing, user surveys, and player research applied to creative decisions.
  • Engines, Software & Pipeline: Unity, Unreal, Roblox Studio; Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Substance, Marmoset, V-Ray; Jira, Confluence, Perforce, ShotGrid, Asana.
  • AI Production: Custom AI pipelines for concept, asset, and workflow acceleration – LLM / diffusion / agentic, API and MCP tool-stacking – including Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, Manus, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, Nano Banana, Sora, Runway, Kling, Scenario, Leonardo, and ElevenLabs.

SELECT EARLIER CREDITS

  • Adjunct Instructor, Digital Painting / Concept Art – Gemini School of Visual Arts, Austin, TX.
  • Senior Concept Artist – Edge of Reality, Austin, TX, collaborating with Sega on Cipher Complex (Xbox 360, PS3).

Feature-film and animation experience underpinning game development career.

  • Senior Concept Artist & Sculptor: Rise of the Guardians and Mischievians, developed directly with director/writer William Joyce (Feature Film).
  • Senior Concept Artist, Sculptor & Matte Painter: Boz the Green Bear (direct-to-DVD series).
  • Art Director – Action Man: Ultimate X and G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom animated features (Hasbro).
  • Senior Artist – Spy Kids 2 and Spy Troops the Movie (Hasbro).

EDUCATION & HONORS

  • Bachelor of Fine Arts — Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL
  • Pre-College Program — Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Illustration workshop under instructor Alan Cober, Ringling School of Art and Design; studio visits and artist demonstrations, American Illustration Conference
  • Best of Ringling • Four-Year Ringling Scholarship • Don Abraham Scholarship • Scholastic Art Award • Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Advertising Award