Mark A. Walsh
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FOUNDER / CEO Motional Ai
- Character Intelligence startup that turns animated characters into empathetic virtual assistants
CREATIVE DIRECTOR StoryTime for Facebook
- Conceived, directed, and launched Facebook Portal's most popular app.
- Directed the first AR stories, Itsy Bitsy, Professor Right, Patty Pig, Cold Snap, & Trouble Bubble, Pete the Cat, & Llama Llama Red Pajama
- Directed multiple in-house & external teams including The Mill & Studio AKA
DIRECTOR / WRITER Partysaurus Rex (2012)
- Created and voiced Pixar's theatrically released Toy Story Toon
- Directing remote crews: Pixar Canada (Vancouver) & Pixar (Emeryville)
- Musical collaboration with artist, BT
- Worked closely with actors Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Wallace Shawn, Don Rickles, Joan Cussack, Tony Cox, Timothy Dalton, & Kristen Schaal
- Posted with legendary Gary Summers at Skywalker Sound
CREATIVE ADVISOR Allumette (2016)
- Collaboration with director Eugene Chung on animation and story.
BOARD ADVISOR Nimble Collective
- A new platform for creating & sharing animated content.
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Pixar Promotions (2009)
- Wrote & directed ad campaigns for Pixar Features Toy Story 3, Up, Toy Story of Terror & Toy Story that Time Forgot
- Animated & Hybrid Live-Action shoots
- Coordinating with agencies like TBWA/Chiat/Day & Wieden + Kennedy
- Partners include Visa, Sky Broadband, Aflac, Target, Dolby, USPS, Kellogg's, Disney Channel, Peugeot, and NASA.
SUPERVISING ANIMATOR Ratatouille (2007) IMDB
- Lead Pixar's Animation Department for 5 years from pre-production through finish of the Academy Award winning film.
- Partnered closely with director Brad Bird
- Supervised team of over 80 animators, working with Art, Rigging, Sim, Lighting, and Production departments to manage bids, casting, and schedule while maintaining quality.
DIRECTING ANIMATOR Finding Nemo (2003)
- Creatively Lead animation from pre-production to post.
- Mentored & managed over 70 animators, maintaining quality & quota.
- Partnered closely with directors Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich to achieve their vision.
- Established visual performance for Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. Created expression library to maintain consistency across scenes and sequels.
- Animated key scenes to set tone and character.
CHARACTER DEVELOPER Monsters Inc (2001)
- Collaborated with Art and Technical departments to establish rig, movement, and characterization for characters of Mike, Randall, and Boo.
STORY ARTIST The Good Dinosaur (2016) IMDB, Cars 3 (2017) IMDB, PartySaurus Rex (2012) Toy Story 2 (1999) IMDB
- Developed and boarded multiple sequences in collaboration with Writer, Director, and Story team.
ANIMATOR A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999), Monsters Inc (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004), Ratatouille (2007), Presto (2008), Up (2009), Luxo 3d logo (2008), Luxo Animatronic (2009)
- Under Academy Award-winning directors Andrew Stanton, Pete Doctor, & Brad Bird
OTHER
SPEAKER: SFsiggraph, Anima Mundi, CalArts, Animex UK, Disney Animation, UC Berkeley, Taiwan Animation Fest, Athens Film Fest, Cinekid, View, Efteling, Red Stick, Pixar Animation Internship, Academy of Art in San Francisco, & Laguna College of Art & Design
STORYBOARD TRAINING: Pixar (Joe Ranft, 1998) Dreamworks (Lorna Cook, 1996)
CHARACTER DESIGN: Film Roman (The Critic, 1998)
INTERN: Dream Quest Images (Hook, Hot Shots, Grand Canyon, 1992)
EDUCATION:
- California Institute of the Arts - BFA, Character Animation (1993-1997)
- CSSSA - Animation (1992)
SKILLS
Creative Direction - Animation Production - Interface Design - Chatbot Flow - Augmented Reality - Story & Character Development - Creative Culture - Team leadership - International Production - Software Development - Voice Acting - Software Proficiency: Photoshop, FinalCut Pro, After Effects, Cinesync, Spark AR
HOBBIES
Disneyland, Tropical bars, Ragtime Piano, Ukulele, & People.