Resume « Ted Gordon: 3D Animator, Artist, Educator

Resume

Ted Gordon

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Character Animation, Setup/Rigging, Both Hand-Keyed and Motion Captured, Models, Textures
Applications: 3ds Max, Character Studio, Maya, Photoshop, Premiere, Speed Razor, Perforce, Vault, SourceSafe, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Blackboard Academic Suite
Traditional Art Background
Game Engines/Tools: Unreal, Gamebryo, Infernal, Granny 3D
Operating Systems: Windows, Macintosh, Some Unix/Irix experience
Problem-Solving: Capable of identifying and addressing concerns within fast-paced game development and start-up environments

Lead Animator, Raw Thrills, Inc, Skokie, IL, Sept 2011 – Present

Created realistic, hand-keyed animation for extreme sports arcade title, paying attention to detail and accuracy
Created MaxScripts for animation export, to reduce export errors and save time. Reduced saving 12 files to one menu operation, saving roughly 10 minutes per export, per animation
Collaborated with programmers and artists to solve technical and aesthetic problems

Associate Chair: Game & Interactive Media Department, Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy, Chicago, IL, Feb 2008 – Aug 2011

Promoted to Associate Chair within 2 years of full-time service: Taught as Adjunct Faculty Fall 2007, Accepted Full-time Faculty position Feb 2008, Became Associate Chair July 2010
Facilitated our department’s ACICS accreditation process, employing collaborative software and automating processes to increase departmental efficiency; institution earned longer-than-normal period of accreditation before our next scheduled review

Art-Direction and management of a small team of artists for a mobile game for Microsoft. Critique and direction for multiple student projects.
Designed department’s entire Art curriculum; taught classes in 2d and 3d Art
To raise the quality of students’ art work, Added Life Drawing: Developed the plan, Campaigned for the Space, Funding, and Equipment, Ran the Workshop. Students work improved, showed improvements in Before and After samples in all areas of game art
Exceeded the ACICS-mandated placement rate, surpassing all other departments at TFMAA
Met with students to help them with a multitude of problems academic and non-academic, documenting formal Advising Meetings, improving the student experience and student retention.
Networked with group leaders to bring Autodesk User Group and CG Society events to TFMAA, negotiating for resources with the institution, creating additional learning and networking opportunities for students

Contract Character Animator, Oak Park, IL, Feb 2005 – Present

Created Handkeyed and Mocap character animation for projects including: Upcoming Extreme Sports Title (Arcade), Disney Guilty Party (Wii), Hail To The Chimp (PS3/Xbox360), Stubbs the Zombie (Xbox), Zoo Tycoon 2 – expansions (PC), Tony Hawk: Ride (PS3/Xbox360/Wii), Empire Earth 3 (PC), Aliens: Extermination (Arcade), Pulse (Serious Games project for PC)
Created MaxScripts to automate tasks and batch process my files which saved time reexporting: Hail To The Chimp
Critiqued and Communicated Technical Requirements to animators from offsite: Breakaway Games
Conducted an on-site training for animation and art staff: Breakaway Games TX

Character Animator, Studio Gigante, Chicago, IL, March 2004 – Feb 2005

Character Animator, Volition Inc, Champaign, IL, March 2002 – July 2003

Animated and Rigged characters: Red Faction 2 (PS2) [FPS], Summoner 2 (PS2) [Action/RPG], and unreleased stealth action title
Setup, exported, and tested animations in game using custom tools and debug station

Computer Artist / Animator, Inland Productions, Carol Stream, IL, June 1999 – June 2001

Modeled, Textured, Lit, Rigged for Dynamics, and Keyed Animation for Objects: vehicular combat project
Animated characters, hand keyed and motion captured: outdoors, fighting and sports game demo projects

Freelance Digital Imaging, January 1994 – Present

Clients/Projects included: Lewis & Clark Trail Heritage Foundation: Illini Chapter, Children’s Memorial Foundation MRIC, Encyclopædia Britannica, Kimberly-Clark, Grupo Modelo, Goble & Associates, Larry Lubeck & Associates, Sandbox Digital Playground, Pre Magazine
Modeled, Textured, Lit, Rendered, Digitally Photo Retouched Images Using Alias Animator, Eclipse, Creator, on SGI Irix; Created illustrations in Photoshop on Macintosh and PC

B.A. Columbia College, Chicago, IL, Graduation 1994

Self-designed liberal arts major including course work in Animation, Film, Figure Drawing, Anatomy, Illustration
Cumulative GPA: 3.8 (out of 4.0)
Dean’s List, Semester GPA 4.0, Columbia College, Chicago

Rockford College, Rockford, IL