Seattle, Washington, United States
I’m an Art Director, worldbuilder, and Creative Director passionate about building emotionally resonant, visually compelling, and strategically grounded experiences. I’ve contributed to major franchises including Marvel’s Black Panther, Lord of the Rings: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War, Madden, NCAA, and Lineage, and created the award-winning IP Utherworlds — a richly layered mythic universe shaped by archetype, metaphor, and storytelling. I’ve led teams ranging from focused pre-production pods to global teams of over 100 developers, including outsourced partners. I adapt leadership and creative strategy to meet the specific needs of each product — from early prototyping to full-scale production. Regardless of team size, I prioritize clarity, collaboration, and a culture where creative teams can thrive. My strengths lie at the intersection of creative direction and production fluency. I’ve introduced scalable 3D concept workflows, helped define early product branding, and partnered closely with narrative and marketing teams to align visual storytelling with execution. I’ve built two complementary creative businesses: an illustration studio where I created artwork for global IPs including Magic the Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons, Game of Thrones, and World of Warcraft; and a separate licensing business built around original content and partnerships — resulting in multi-million dollar global merchandise sales. I’ve also illustrated over 35 children’s books and dozens of book covers, including the bestselling Maze Runner series, and served on the advisory board for Paier College of Art. In addition to games and publishing, I’ve contributed to children’s edutainment projects for companies like Disney, Fisher-Price, Mattel, and Nickelodeon — helping to craft visually engaging, age-appropriate content that educates as much as it entertains. I lead with passion, curiosity, and creative clarity — building worlds, teams, and business ventures that connect, scale, and endure.
• Experience in games, film, broadcast, children’s book and book jacket illustration, editorial, advertising, and licensing. • A partial list of clients include: Scholastic, John Wiley and Sons, Universal Studios, Fisher Price, Mattel, Utne Reader, Penguin, RJ Reynolds, National Geographic, Big Tuna Trading and Mercer Mayer, McGraw-Hill, Simon and Schuster, Harper Collins, TSR, Random House, Draft Worldwide, Ballistic Publishing, Golden Books, Harper Festival, Future Publishing, Corel, Electronic Arts, Magic the Gathering, Softmotion, Brewster Wallcoverings, Atlas Wallcoverings, Wallsauce, Hasbro, Communication Arts, American Traditional, Satchi and Satchi, Martin Design, CR Gibson, Wizards of the Coast, Little Brown, Science Fiction Book Club, David Textiles, Gander Mountain, Sci Fi Channel, Popcap Games, Synthelabo Global, Stylorouge, Gelaskins, Skinit, Murals Your Way, Endless Games, The Canadian Group, Sunsout, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Toyota, Del Rey, Delacorte, Ceaco, Heaven and Earth, Dianoche, Activision Blizzard, Magic Murals, Leanin Tree, Ravensburger, Cryptozoic,and Nickelodeon.
VISUAL DIRECTION & WORLDBUILDING • Led the development of a richly interconnected world where characters, environments, biomes, culture, and tech coexisted with narrative depth • Built world systems grounded in ecology, agriculture, and social structure • Directed visual style guides, architectural logic, and symbolic storytelling • Integrated cultural research into regional identities that felt both specific and resonant • Partnered with experts to ensure authenticity and coherence • Authored design frameworks enabling cross-discipline alignment and contribution • Maintained visual clarity through structured reviews and collaboration TEAM BUILDING & CREATIVE LEADERSHIP • Recruited and built a 27-person internal team across all visual disciplines • Designed reporting structure and leadership layers to scale clarity and ownership • Provided direction to concept, character, environment, lighting, animation, cinematics, materials, VFX, and UI • Mentored leads and cultivated a high-trust, high-performance team culture CROSS-DISCIPLINE COLLABORATION • Drove alignment of visual goals across narrative, design, and production • Led cross-discipline reviews to balance scope, clarity, and creative quality • Collaborated with design leads to amplify gameplay through visual direction PIPELINE ALIGNMENT & TECHNICAL PARTNERSHIP • Partnered with Tech Art and Engineering to align visual targets with platform needs • Guided pipeline priorities and visual benchmarks to ensure performance and quality STRATEGIC & BRAND LEADERSHIP • Co-led early brand strategy with Marvel and EA • Defined visual language and position pillars through cohesive design systems • Ensured product identity aligned with gameplay, narrative, and audience goals PRODUCT STRATEGY & DECISION-MAKING • Balanced creative vision with scope, cost, and timeline realities • Made trade-offs to protect vision while maintaining development momentum
Middle Earth: Shadow of War, Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor (XBOX 360, PS3, PC, XboxOne, PS4)
Middle Earth Shadow of Mordor, Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Guardians of Middle Earth (XBOX 360, PS3, PC, XBLA, PSN, XboxOne, PS4) • Create and foster visual objectives for AAA console title(s) through completion of art bible, visual targets, and concise Art Direction. • Oversee development of art for 50+ artists across all disciplines including: world development, character development, concept development, VFX, UI, and cinematics. • Establish review process of all art assets to increase overall quality and increase studio visibility of art production progress. • Mentor artists through hands on training and development of career objectives. • Create environment, character, VFX, and UI concept art. • Assess relevant technologies with Technical Art Director and Senior Engineer to improve workflow and increase visual quality of studio products. • Work with marketing and licensing groups on brand development. • Work with 3rd party developers in the creation of art assets.
Unity Entertainment LLC is a holding company for Utherworlds New MediaTM, UtherworldsTM Intellectual Property, and the Secret PlacesTM Intellectual Property. The Utherworlds brand encompasses a multitude of media including, publishing, mobile and online game development, film, music, merchandise, jewelry, and apparel. The Secret Places brand features licensed merchandise and publishing for the young at heart with a socially conscious message and educational component.
Azada, Mystery Case Files, and Drawn Series (PC) • Create and foster visual objectives for casual game IP through completion of art bible. • Mentor artists and junior Art Directors through hands on training and development of career objectives. • Create environment, character and UI concept art. • Create storyboards and motion graphics for prototyping purposes and for cinematic support of narrative. • Create finished in game matte paintings and characters. • Work with team on story narrative and puzzle development. • Work with engineer on developing pipeline and new particle tools to support VFX goals as defined by art bible. • Co-ordinate bi-weekly Art Director meetings including agenda, action items, and short and long term goals for studio art development. • Scope scale and size of art team and overall game to fit budgetary requirements. • Create art schedule for internal and multiple external resources. • Work with multiple 3rd party developers in the creation of art assets. • Work with marketing and licensing groups on brand development.