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 at Prodigy — LLM/diffusion/agentic workflows integrated into live concept art and asset production, not as an experiment but as a permanent operational shift — and has stayed technology-forward since directing mobile in 2010.

EXPERIENCE

Art Director — Prodigy Education Dec 2023 – Jan 2026

Toronto ON, – Remote

  • Directed the Art Department and UI/UX orgs (art, animation, UI/UX), including the creation and operation of an outsource pipeline, for a global edtech platform serving 100M+ registered students across 150+ countries.
  • Set visual design strategy across live operations and new product development; mentored artists, animators, technical artists, and UI/UX designers for creative alignment and production efficiency.
  • Built and managed outsource partnerships end to end — vetting, contracts, budgeting, and payout cycles — for quality and sustainability.
  • Built and deployed AI production pipelines — LLM, diffusion, and agentic workflows integrated into live concept art and asset production cycles — delivering measurable acceleration while maintaining legal and ethical compliance.
  • Optimized studio tools, pipelines, and workflows through structured reviews and performance accountability; owned scoping, scheduling, and delivery of art, animation, UI, and marketing assets.

Art Director — Marvel Strike Force, Scopely Mar 2021 – Mar 2023

Culver City, CA – Remote

  • Directed the art department for live operations of a top-grossing Marvel mobile RPG that surpassed $1B in lifetime player spending — the highest-revenue title of my career.
  • 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 / Outsource Manager — Gods Unchained, Immutable Oct 2019 – May 2021

Sydney Australia – Remote

  • 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; 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 May 2018 – Oct 2019

Sarasota, FL

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

Studio Art Director / Manager — Gameloft Mar 2016 – Feb 2018

New Orleans, LA

  • 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

Studio Art Director / Manager — JamCity / Kiwi Apr 2014 – Mar 2016

Palo Alto, CA

  • Originally joined as Kiwi, Inc. prior to JamCity’s acquisition; built the studio art organization from the ground up 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.

Studio Art Director / Manager — GREE International Jul 2011 – Sep 2013

San Francisco, CA

  • 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 & DISCIPLINES

Creative Leadership: Art direction & visual strategy; team building, hiring, mentoring, performance management; outsource pipelines (vetting, contracts, budgets, payout); cross-functional delivery with product, engineering & marketing; full product lifecycle (pre-production → launch → UA → live-ops).

Disciplines Directed: Concept art, illustration, 3D art, animation, VFX, lighting & rendering, technical art, UI/UX design, audio/sound design, marketing & brand art.

Hands-On Depth: Concept art, visual development, and UI/UX — active craft execution depth across the disciplines directed; the foundation that sharpens feedback and raises the bar across every discipline in the org.

Data-Informed Design: Analytics, A/B testing, user surveys, and player research applied to creative decisions.

AI Production: Custom AI pipelines for concept, asset & workflow acceleration — LLM / diffusion / agentic with API & MCP tool-stacking. Claude / Claude Code, Cursor, Manus, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, Sora, Runway, Scenario, Leonardo, and more.

Engines & Software: Unity, Unreal, Roblox Studio & proprietary engines; Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, Substance, Marmoset, 3D-Coat, V-Ray.

Pipeline & Production: Jira, Confluence, GitHub, Perforce, ShotGrid, Miro, Smartsheet, Asana, Basecamp.

SELECT EARLIER CREDITS

Art Director — G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom and Action Man: Ultimate X animated features (Hasbro).

Senior Concept Artist & Sculptor — Rise of the Guardians, Spy Kids 2.

Feature-film and animation pedigree underpinning a games art-direction career.

EDUCATION & HONORS

Bachelor of Fine Arts — Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, FL

Best of Ringling • Four-year Ringling Scholarship • Don Abraham Scholarship