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Senior Animator with 8+ years of experience delivering high-fidelity gameplay and cinematic animation for acclaimed AAA and VR/AR titles. Expert in Maya and Unreal Engine with a proven ability to enhance player immersion and streamline production pipelines. Contributed key animations to the Clio Award-winning VR experience Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab.

Professional Experience

PlayStation – Bend Studio | Animator | March 2022 – June 2025
  • Animated a wide range of characters, creatures, and complex mechanical assets for an unannounced AAA title, focusing on immersive gameplay and cinematic sequences using Maya.

  • Pitched and documented animation systems, providing a clear blueprint for engineering and design that was adopted for the pre-production phase.

  • Created basic rigs and Python/MEL scripts to accelerate animation testing and system iteration, improving workflow efficiency for the animation team.

 

First Contact Entertainment | Senior Animator | January 2019 – February 2022
  • Delivered high-fidelity, hand-keyed and motion capture animations for VR first-person shooters, specializing in weapon handling and immersive view model interactions.

  • Spearheaded the creation of the animation department’s best-practices documentation, ensuring visual consistency across the team.

  • Projects: Firewall: Zero Hour, Solaris: Offworld Combat

 

Magnopus | Animator | Apr 2017 – January 2019
  • Contributed key narrative animations to the Clie Award-winning VR experience Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab.

  • Spearheaded previsualization of core gameplay sequences and implemented rigged characters into the Unreal Engine pipeline for rapid prototyping.

  • Projects: Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab (Clio Award), CNN VR

 

Section Studios | Animator | May 2016 – February 2017
  • Developed game-ready keyframe animations for a diverse range of assets including quadruped creatures, humanoid characters, and UI elements for mobile titles.

  • Partnered directly with clients and art directors to establish visual style and deliver high-quality assets under tight, milestone-driven deadlines.

  • Projects: Eclipse, House Flip w/ Chip & Jo, Awake VR

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SKILLS AND SOFTWARE

Core Competencies

Gameplay Animation, Cinematic Animation, Motion Capture, Keyframe Animation, Previsualization, Animation Systems Design

 

Software

Maya, Unreal Engine, MotionBuilder, Blender, Adobe Creative Suite

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Technical Skills

Rigging, Mel/Python Tool Scripting (Basic), Perforce

Education

Gnomon School of Visual Effects | Digital Production for Entertainment | Apr 2014 – Mar 2016
  • Focused on traditional and computer animation techniques, acting fundamentals, and animation principles.

  • Co-founded animation club to promote peer feedback, interpersonal communication, and guest mentorships.

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Second City | Improv Acting for Animators workshop | June 2018​
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Awards

Clio Award | Theatrical: Digital/Mobile | Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab (Lead Animator)
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© 2019-2021 by James Salter.

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