Supervising Mentors
On each project, gaming and animation experts to work on our projects as freelancers while mentoring our crew. With decades of experience at studios including Blue Sky, Dreamworks and Pixar, our mentors are committed to passing along their technical, artistic and professionalism to the next generation of the gaming and animation workforce.
Daniel Lima
Rigging and Modeling Supervisor.
Senior Technical Artist at Undead Labs. Previously Daniel was Senior Character TD at BlueSky Studios. His career started as a CG generalist in 2001, and has worked in many areas of character creation, such as modeling, animation, rigging, VR and software development.
Daniel was the lead developer of the ChopRig System created in 2017 at Blue Sky Studios.
Senior Technical Artist at Undead Labs. Previously Daniel was Senior Character TD at BlueSky Studios. His career started as a CG generalist in 2001, and has worked in many areas of character creation, such as modeling, animation, rigging, VR and software development.
Daniel was the lead developer of the ChopRig System created in 2017 at Blue Sky Studios.
Matt Munn
Animation Supervisor.
Animator at Blue Sky Studios.
Matt received his animation education at Savannah College of Art and Design. After college he worked at Fathom Studios, freelanced for ReelFX & Hornet studios in NYC. Since he's been an Animator at Sony,Dreamworks and now Blue Sky Studios
Animator at Blue Sky Studios.
Matt received his animation education at Savannah College of Art and Design. After college he worked at Fathom Studios, freelanced for ReelFX & Hornet studios in NYC. Since he's been an Animator at Sony,Dreamworks and now Blue Sky Studios
Patrick Worlock
Producer.
Head of Production at Moody Studios.
Patrick is an accomplished Production Executive with a deep understanding of story structure, character development and visual story telling. He has previously worked in production at House of Cool, Scholastic, Blue Sky Studios and MTV Animation.
Head of Production at Moody Studios.
Patrick is an accomplished Production Executive with a deep understanding of story structure, character development and visual story telling. He has previously worked in production at House of Cool, Scholastic, Blue Sky Studios and MTV Animation.
Daniel Shimmyo
Game Development Supervisor.
Owner of DKS Interactive LLC.
Currently developing VR experiences, sculpting, 3D modeling, and sometimes teaching. I'm using Unity and Unreal Engine.
Daniel has 15 years of experience working in computer graphics for feature film animation focusing on building models, writing procedural shaders, grooming fur and writing various tools and plug-ins to support daily workflows. Previously he was Senior Fur Technical Director at Blue Sky Studios and instructor at The Animation Project and Fashion Institute of Technology.
Owner of DKS Interactive LLC.
Currently developing VR experiences, sculpting, 3D modeling, and sometimes teaching. I'm using Unity and Unreal Engine.
Daniel has 15 years of experience working in computer graphics for feature film animation focusing on building models, writing procedural shaders, grooming fur and writing various tools and plug-ins to support daily workflows. Previously he was Senior Fur Technical Director at Blue Sky Studios and instructor at The Animation Project and Fashion Institute of Technology.
Crew
On each job, our supervisors share their expertise with emerging animation artists -- Creating opportunities for them to level up their skills on the job. Learn more about each artist by clicking their image. When not on a Mud Pie Labs job they may be available to hire for your project. Feel free to contact them directly through their websites or for a reference or referral to these or other skilled emerging artists we work with.
Daniel Grant
Modeler.Experienced 3D Animator with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Adobe Photoshop, Maya, and Dye Sublimation. Strong arts and design professional with a Associate's degree focused in Computer Graphics from Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology.
Courtney Demola
Character design and modeling.
Courtney is a Long Island based artist who strives to create art larger than herself. Her style has been influenced by a copious amount of electronic art forms such as Anime, Video games, movies and television. Her passion for electronic art has pushed her to create three dimensional art with programs such as Zbrush, and Bender. She hopes to one day see her designs and sculpts in major studios in the animation and video game industry. Courtney has interned at the The Animation Project where she learned to animate and navigate through the 3D program, Maya.
Courtney is a Long Island based artist who strives to create art larger than herself. Her style has been influenced by a copious amount of electronic art forms such as Anime, Video games, movies and television. Her passion for electronic art has pushed her to create three dimensional art with programs such as Zbrush, and Bender. She hopes to one day see her designs and sculpts in major studios in the animation and video game industry. Courtney has interned at the The Animation Project where she learned to animate and navigate through the 3D program, Maya.
Juan Duran
Illustration and animation.
Juan’s interest in animation began when he watched animated films and cartoon shows from Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and PBS Kids during his childhood. He would be captivated by the fictional world, especially the characters, story, theme, and entertainment they demonstrated. Juan attended the New York City College of Technology in Communication Design to learn about 2D and 3D animation. In addition, he found an interest in illustration, storyboard, and 3D modeling. After graduating, he continued to search more about learning animation, leading him to become an intern in The Animation Project and work on Maya and Nuke projects. Juan would imagine ideas that comes into mind, inspiring him to sketch original characters and scenes that would often transition into illustration and 2D animation projects. He aspires to become a storyteller and to convey important, yet entertaining messages, whether it relates to specific theme or spark original ideas.
https://juancduran.com/
Juan’s interest in animation began when he watched animated films and cartoon shows from Pixar, Disney, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and PBS Kids during his childhood. He would be captivated by the fictional world, especially the characters, story, theme, and entertainment they demonstrated. Juan attended the New York City College of Technology in Communication Design to learn about 2D and 3D animation. In addition, he found an interest in illustration, storyboard, and 3D modeling. After graduating, he continued to search more about learning animation, leading him to become an intern in The Animation Project and work on Maya and Nuke projects. Juan would imagine ideas that comes into mind, inspiring him to sketch original characters and scenes that would often transition into illustration and 2D animation projects. He aspires to become a storyteller and to convey important, yet entertaining messages, whether it relates to specific theme or spark original ideas.
https://juancduran.com/
Nate Tazewell
Visual development.
Nate's work displays a love of writing and design of characters in retro animation and sequential art. Working with digital and traditional mediums and a unique, charismatic style of drawing and color, his work combines elements of sequential storytelling with diverse character developments. He draws inspiration from Afrofuturism, european illustrators such as Moebius and Phillippe Druillet, and anime films from the 70s. Prior to freelancing at Mud Pie Labs, Nate interned for The Animation Project.
Nate's work displays a love of writing and design of characters in retro animation and sequential art. Working with digital and traditional mediums and a unique, charismatic style of drawing and color, his work combines elements of sequential storytelling with diverse character developments. He draws inspiration from Afrofuturism, european illustrators such as Moebius and Phillippe Druillet, and anime films from the 70s. Prior to freelancing at Mud Pie Labs, Nate interned for The Animation Project.
Tiffany Yu
Production.
Tiffany is a recent graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology school of Art & Design. She graduated in 2020 with a BFA in illustration. Currently she works as the social media manager for Richard Solomon Artists Representative. With her love for storytelling, she aspires to work in the animation industry in production. She has a special interest in stories that focus on character relationships and coming of age adventures, all with a healthy dose of comedy. She works best in collaborative environments where her leadership skills can shine. In the future she hopes to direct and write her own stories that continue to push past the boundaries of mainstream entertainment.
Tiffany is a recent graduate from the Fashion Institute of Technology school of Art & Design. She graduated in 2020 with a BFA in illustration. Currently she works as the social media manager for Richard Solomon Artists Representative. With her love for storytelling, she aspires to work in the animation industry in production. She has a special interest in stories that focus on character relationships and coming of age adventures, all with a healthy dose of comedy. She works best in collaborative environments where her leadership skills can shine. In the future she hopes to direct and write her own stories that continue to push past the boundaries of mainstream entertainment.
Ariel Esposito
Character animation.
Ariel focuses on action. Before he started animating Ariel would always imagine fight scenes in my head but did not have the power to bring them to life. Once he learned 3D, The animation train never stopped. Every day he spends all of his time in maya creating short films with fight scenes -- animating every day, no mercy. Ariel's inspiration to start animating was Monty Oum, "I have shown everyone I know all of his animated fights. I have never shut up about him."
Ariel focuses on action. Before he started animating Ariel would always imagine fight scenes in my head but did not have the power to bring them to life. Once he learned 3D, The animation train never stopped. Every day he spends all of his time in maya creating short films with fight scenes -- animating every day, no mercy. Ariel's inspiration to start animating was Monty Oum, "I have shown everyone I know all of his animated fights. I have never shut up about him."
Gianni Agard-Corazzini
3D generalist.
Gianni has a year and a half of experience in the field and hails from a small island in the caribbean: Trinidad. Gianni is self-taught with an endless desire for knowledge, scraping together whatever information he can find to produce the best of results; whether it be for a short film like Frog Legs or small commissions for detailing models. He currently lives out his days in Brooklyn, New York as a freelance texture artist.
Gianni has a year and a half of experience in the field and hails from a small island in the caribbean: Trinidad. Gianni is self-taught with an endless desire for knowledge, scraping together whatever information he can find to produce the best of results; whether it be for a short film like Frog Legs or small commissions for detailing models. He currently lives out his days in Brooklyn, New York as a freelance texture artist.
Sammi WS Chan
Character design and storyboards.
Sammi is an Asian American freelance artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She was always interested in pursuing an art career in storytelling, and became a muralist for 7 years with Groundswell to create building-size murals. It was a place where she grew and learned about the contemporary issues pertaining to her POC neighbors that she portrayed in the murals with other fellow artists. Expanding her skills in visual art, she became an intern- now apprentice- at The Animation Project to create 3D animations using Maya and Nuke. Concerned with the lack of representation, inclusivity, social justice, and environmental justice in mainstream media, she has made it her aspiration to illustrate those narratives in character design and sequential art to tell her stories. Currently, she is a participating freelancer at the Mud Pie Labs.
Sammi is an Asian American freelance artist based in Brooklyn, NY. She was always interested in pursuing an art career in storytelling, and became a muralist for 7 years with Groundswell to create building-size murals. It was a place where she grew and learned about the contemporary issues pertaining to her POC neighbors that she portrayed in the murals with other fellow artists. Expanding her skills in visual art, she became an intern- now apprentice- at The Animation Project to create 3D animations using Maya and Nuke. Concerned with the lack of representation, inclusivity, social justice, and environmental justice in mainstream media, she has made it her aspiration to illustrate those narratives in character design and sequential art to tell her stories. Currently, she is a participating freelancer at the Mud Pie Labs.
Ariyana Taylor
Character design and storyboarding.
After graduating with a BFA in Illustration from FIT, Ariyana is looking to expand her artistic knowledge by joining great animation teams. In these teams Ariyana enjoys collaborating with people using different ideas to create something memorable and unique. Being skilled in both traditional and digital mediums, she aims to bring a sense of fun, style, and color into all of my work. Ariyana would love to bring her skills as an artist to your next big project!
After graduating with a BFA in Illustration from FIT, Ariyana is looking to expand her artistic knowledge by joining great animation teams. In these teams Ariyana enjoys collaborating with people using different ideas to create something memorable and unique. Being skilled in both traditional and digital mediums, she aims to bring a sense of fun, style, and color into all of my work. Ariyana would love to bring her skills as an artist to your next big project!
Zander Krakowiak
Visual development.
Zander designs characters and worlds with an emphasis on exploring the imaginative possibilities in her favorite genres she was raised on: sci-fi and fantasy video games. While an intern at The Animation Project, Zander experimented with 3D modeling and compositing, later becoming an apprentice and expanding her artistic faculties into environment art, character design, and prop design. She has a fascination with vast environments and likes to playfully work with scale, finding inspiration in blue hues and boundless skies.
Zander designs characters and worlds with an emphasis on exploring the imaginative possibilities in her favorite genres she was raised on: sci-fi and fantasy video games. While an intern at The Animation Project, Zander experimented with 3D modeling and compositing, later becoming an apprentice and expanding her artistic faculties into environment art, character design, and prop design. She has a fascination with vast environments and likes to playfully work with scale, finding inspiration in blue hues and boundless skies.
Joseph Falzone
CG general and character design.
Joseph originally began as a self taught CG Artist. His work ethic encompasses discipline, constant learning, and to always do his best . During his internship at The Animation Project he was one of the artist that modeled and textured props for the film Frog Legs. Joseph is a passionate artist who always gives his all in everything he does. His passion has never stopped him from wanting to share his love for CG Art with others. As an apprentice and teaching assistant at The Animation Project he shared his passion for CG Art with others and new intern groups. Joseph has considerable experience with software programs such as Blender, Maya , Zbrush , Substance Painter , Topogun and 3D Coat. Because of his skill and talent he was chosen to be an intern at Avalanche Studios. During his internship at Avalanche Studios he continued to perfect his artistic skills and created high fidelity model's from a realistic style to stylized work. Joseph is also a well rounded CG generalist and familiar with character and prop design in the game and film pipeline including, modeling, sculpting , texturing , rigging and lighting.
Joseph originally began as a self taught CG Artist. His work ethic encompasses discipline, constant learning, and to always do his best . During his internship at The Animation Project he was one of the artist that modeled and textured props for the film Frog Legs. Joseph is a passionate artist who always gives his all in everything he does. His passion has never stopped him from wanting to share his love for CG Art with others. As an apprentice and teaching assistant at The Animation Project he shared his passion for CG Art with others and new intern groups. Joseph has considerable experience with software programs such as Blender, Maya , Zbrush , Substance Painter , Topogun and 3D Coat. Because of his skill and talent he was chosen to be an intern at Avalanche Studios. During his internship at Avalanche Studios he continued to perfect his artistic skills and created high fidelity model's from a realistic style to stylized work. Joseph is also a well rounded CG generalist and familiar with character and prop design in the game and film pipeline including, modeling, sculpting , texturing , rigging and lighting.