​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)
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• 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.