Andrew Wilson
Animator
919-619-6755
andrew@awgraphics.com

JOB OBJECTIVE
To help shape the next great animation team with a passion to create responsive and visually arresting animation for interactive media.

EDUCATION
2007 The School of Communication Arts Raleigh, NC
Associates Degree in Digital Animation
Graduated Salutatorian

2004 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art

SOFTWARE KNOWLEDGE
Proficient with all major 3D, animation and post software packages, including 3D Studio Max, Maya, Motionbuilder, After Effects, and Photoshop. Very proficient with Unreal engine, as well as custom proprietary engines.

INDUSTRY SKILLS
Led strike teams with scheduling and workload management, in addition to maintaining standards and quality across all deliverable assets. Proficient with bipedal and quadruped animation, mocap performance and cleanup, character performance, weight and timing; character modeling, texturing, rigging, and skinning.

EXPERIENCE
2019-2021 31st Union (2K Silicon Valley)
Lead Animator
Responsible for establishing, maintaining and setting the style and direction of both cinematic and gameplay animation for a new IP focused on hand-keyed animation.

• Setting animation style guidelines through reference and work
  examples, getting the animation team on-boarded with artistic direction as well as evangelizing that direction across the team and project through meetings, presentations and work examples.
•  Acting technical animation director, working directly with our gameplay programmers to request, vet, ideate and implement engine side animation features
•  Hire, train, mentor and oversee a team of 5 animators, set to triple in growth over the next year.
•  Work directly with creative, design and engineering to set technical and artistic guidelines for the project
•  Prototype tools and tech to create efficient pipelines so animators can focus on creation.
•  Responsible for scheduling and communication between animation and other departments.

2011-2019 Naughty Dog Santa Monica CA
Gameplay Animator
Animated scenes for gameplay and in-game cinematics. Responsible for motion capture direction. Assist with design and implementation.

• Uncharted 3 (2011, PS3)
  Directed, animated and implemented motion capture for player           and in game cinematics for both single and multiplayer assets
• The Last of Us (2013, PS3, PS4)
  Animated player movesets and weapon upgrade animations (fire, reload, weapon swap, etc.)
• Uncharted 4 (2016, PS4)
  Choreographed, directed, animated and implemented core melee gameplay. Worked with design to create a pipeline for melee animations that is still in use today. Assisted in script implementation and maintaining animation quality and performance across a strike team of animators (3-5 people)
• Uncharted 4: The Lost Legacy (2017, PS4)
  Integrate Uncharted 4 player animations into a new scaled player rig, and adjust performance as necessary for female character. Animated gameplay boss fight with Asav and finale.
• The Last of Us Part 2 (2020, PS4)
  Worked with design and programming to create a new system of NPC melee attack and reactions. Working with NPC melee combat animations and player crafting/upgrade systems.

2007-2010 TimeGate Studios Houston TX
Animator/ Lead Character TD
Animated scenes for gameplay and cinematics. Heavily involved in story and animation direction.

• Aliens: Colonial Marines (2011, Xbox360, PS3, PC)
• Section 8: Prejudice (2011, Xbox360, PS3, PC)
• Section 8 (2009, Xbox360, PS3, PC)

2007 How Machines Work Evanston IL
Lead Animator/ Lead Character TD
Animated gameplay and cinematics for a web-based game production.  This was a contract position.

• Animate cycles for in-game characters using Maya and 3d Studio Max for Unity engine
• Rig, bind and weight character models for use in game and custcenes
• Animate characters in cutscenes