BUCK's website is a media-rich platform for showcasing its portfolio of work. The site was built using Next.js with content coming from Sanity and Mux. It features a fairly complex grid layout system that needed to be expressive, flexible, yet predictable enough for editors to quickly create project layouts. Behind the scenes, internal systems were built to facilitate the automatic import of various project metadata (like credits) into Sanity, which saved a lot of time and effort in the long run for editors.

The BUCKy Wall was created to provide a fun new way of interacting with BUCK's Instagram followers. The wall consists of 6 iPads that show Instagram posts tagged with the #buckyouback hashtag. Employees of BUCK can then vote for their favorite posts. The winning posts are displayed on the iPads and "liked" by a pink pickle slapping it. The pickles are moved by stepper motors controlled by an Arduino. A custom controller software with an interactive UI was also built to setup sequences and timing.

BUCK became one of Instagram's preferred partners in making AR face filters back in 2015. Starting in 2017, I helped lead BUCK's Creative Technology department in this effort. We produced effects that saw hundreds of millions of impressions on the platform. We had a lot of fun coming up with creative ways to use the technology and were always trying to push the envelope when it came to what was possible with SparkAR. It was an incredible experience working on such a high visibility projects with such talented people.

This was a BUCK passion project that joined the forces of the Creative Technology, 2D and 3D departments to create a fun, whimsical AR Sticker app called Slapstick. The app allows users to 'slap' animated stickers onto the world around them and add a little edge to their social posts. Stickers could be placed on any surface and then edited post-capture with our editing feature (a mobile AR first). With themes ranging from “House Party” to NSFW “Kinky,” there was no shortage of ways you can have fun with Slapstick. Best of all, it was free, with new sticker packs announced on Instagram. The app was well-received and we had a lot of fun making it.

I had the pleasure of working with my talented colleagues at BUCK on an art film demonstrating the power of the then newly released 2017 Apple iMac Pro. I worked on several of the VFX shots using Houdini. I'm very proud of the result — it showcased not only the power of the iMac, but of the talented team at BUCK.

I had the pleasure of working with my friends at Cake Studios on the Baltimore Ravens in-stadium graphics package. I used Houdini, Cinema4D and TurbulenceFD for the creation of various VFX assets, and made several tools and rigs inside of Cinema4D to help streamline the workflows of other artists on the team.

Cake Studios asked me to help with an intro for DirecTV Fantasy Zone. I help with animation of the main camera and the various robots featured in the spot. It was great to work with such a talented team and see the end result come together so nicely.

The Creative Technology team at BUCK created an Instagram AR experience that uses your phone’s camera to place an interactive beat lab onto any surface, allowing you to mix on your own. This musical toy features fun visual surprises and a modular musical system crafted by Antfood.

Verizon wanted to bring customers into the world of 5G and show off its benefits in a fun, playful way. We cooked up some interactive storytelling with WebAR and 8th Wall. I oversaw a small team of Creative Technologists to create an AR experience that would let users explore different environments and see how 5G could benefit them in their everyday lives.

BUCK Portal was an internal website project that aimed to collect company resources in one centralized place. The project was developed in response to the scattered documentation and lack of accessible information across various other platforms. The goal was to create a space where employees could easily find what they needed, without needing to ask. The website was developed using Next.js, a React-based web framework, and Sanity, a headless CMS. Mux was also used for secure video hosting. The custom frontend was designed to match BUCK's visual language. The project was a success, and the website continues to be a valuable resource for employees.

I worked with AirBnb's design team to create a landing page that showcased all the improvements they had made to their platform and apps. We went through many evolutions and rounds of feedback in order to get the page just right. It was a tight timeline, but we were able to deliver a beautiful and responsive page that met all of AirBnb's requirements.

Adventures with Zeee Bucks is an AR app + physical piggy bank that teaches kids about financial literacy through interactive storytelling in Augmented Reality. The project was created for Ally, a leading digital banking and financial services company. We used Unity to develop the AR app, which features interactive 3D characters and environments. The goal was to create a fun and educational experience for kids that would teach them about money management in a way that was engaging and entertaining.

Palm NFT is helping lead the way to a more energy-efficient blockchain. They came to BUCK for the design of their new branding system. After learning that BUCK also did web development, they asked if we could build their landing page. We used React to create a fast and responsive website that showcased Palm's new branding in all its glory.

Revisualizer is an in-browser audio/visual experience that uses custom sound design and gamified interactions to reveal a trippy surprise in the end. Users play with a visual audioscape by using their keyboard like an instrument. We used WebGL and Three.js for the visuals, custom sound design, and gamified interactions to create a truly unique experience. I oversaw a small team of developers and designers to help bring it to life.

When it became clear that 2021 wasn't going to be the year for big in-person gatherings, BUCK decided to do something different: send 300 Oculus Quest VR headsets to all employees and organize a company-wide party in VR, complete with a live DJ, an art gallery, games, a keynote presentation, virtual cocktails, and fireworks. As the Director of Creative Technology at BUCK, my team and I were responsible for building the world for that party from scratch in AltVR. It was no small feat, but it was definitely worth it. Seeing hundreds of people come together in VR — dancing, chatting, laughing — was a great experience that helped us all feel a bit more connected.

For BUCK's 2020 holiday gift, we created and memorialized a series of custom animations into unique wood-carved art pieces. Each frame is one-of-a-kind, designed and animated by artists here at BUCK and lovingly translated into pine and paint by our friend and collaborator J Bell.

To help manage six animations, four colorways, 1,152 individually carved pieces, and an unnecessarily complicated output process, I developed an ordering system that integrated with the buck.co site and Shopify.

World War Zero is an initiative spearheaded by Secretary John Kerry that brings people from all sectors and walks of life together to address the climate crisis. This coalition of unlikely allies breaks boundaries and crosses the political aisle to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

BUCK’s creative tech team created a ground-breaking, cross-promotional experience for the Penny Arcade Expo. We collaborated with Oculus to design enamel pins and an AR gaming experience for PAX. And not just any AR gaming experience but a game with multiple-coordinated targets, a first in Spark AR. The three collectible pins launch three interactive filters available on Instagram. The result was collaborative effort between BUCK and Oculus that pushed the boundaries of what was technically possible in SparkAR.

As part of BUCK's partnership with Facebook's Portal, the Creative Tech team developed AR animations, colorful characters, and books for Portal's Storytime feature. The goal was to create a fun and interactive way for parents to read bedtime stories with their kids. We ended up creating 100s of carefully planned and animated scenes in SparkAR. Since SparkAR isn't a professional tool, we had to be creative with the management and development of this many projects. We created custom tooling that accelerated our workflows and ensured we delivered in a timely and consistent way. In addition, we worked closely with the design team to ensure that each scene met their high standards for quality. The end result was a hit with parents and kids alike.

29 Rooms is an annual event created by Refinery29, a fashion and lifestyle media company. The event is a collection of immersive art installations, performances, and workshops. We were asked to create a series of SparkAR filters to be featured at the event. The goal was to create filters that would complement the existing installations and add to the overall experience of 29 Rooms.

Apple’s 2018 holiday spot features a young woman reminiscent of Amelie who delights us with her joy and sense of wonder. However, she keeps her artistic gifts hidden away in a box until an act of fate pushes them into the world. My role in the spot involved creating art-directable simulations of snow using Houdini.

3M needed animation for a motion peice that introduced the launch of 3M Safety's Pro Series line of contractor grade safety products. The video was designed to show off the new product line in an engaging and exciting way. I used After Effects to create various motion graphics elements, including animated product shots and kinetic typography. The end result was a visually pleasing video that helped launch the new product line successfully.

I helped create an intersection visualization for the New Mexico Department of Transportation with the team at Left Field Labs in Venice, California. It showed how a new traffic pattern would improve safety and efficiency at a busy intersection.

I worked with Cake Studios to help animate their new on-air look for PAC-12 football. Vibrant team colors are used extensively throughout the family of interstitials, while the distinctive PAC-12 shield emblem is dynamically used for transitions. My role was to create main camera movements in Cinema4D. The end result was a energetic and modern look that represented the PAC-12 brand well.

Colorado State University asked me to create a motion piece highlighting the benefits of attending CSU. I used After Effects to animate various graphics and data points provided by the client. The end result was a fun and informative video that helped increase interest in CSU amongst prospective students.

I worked with the team at Left Field Labs in Venice, California to create a public safety piece for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The video needed to be impactful and engaging, so we decided to use double exposure as a way to tell the story. I helped a talented team of animators and designers bring the story to life with beautiful motion graphics.

After hearing a call for help on the fan film project reimagining the iconic anime Akira, I reached out to to see if I could be of assistance. I ended up creating a few of the shots using Cinema4D, Houdini, and After Effects. The film has over 4M views on YouTube.

View on YouTube

Purina wanted a video that helped illustrate the available customization options provided by its Just Right product. The end result was an informative and engaging video that helped Purina stand out from the competition. I used After Effects to create the motion graphics for this video, which showcased how easy it is to find the right formula for your dog.

I partnerd with Rikshaw Films on a motion piece promoting enrollment to the Army Reserve Public Partnership Program (P3I). The video showcased testimonial footage in a slick and visually interesting enviroment to help keep viewer engagement high.

I partnered with Zeus Jones to bring to life storyboards for a video inviting people to grow their own BOOMCHICKAPOP popcorn. The project was completed in After Effects and featured a combination of 2D and 3D animation. I worked closely with the client to ensure that the final product matched their vision.

I was engaged by Splice to animate a challenging aspect of VonMaur's 2014 holiday spot promoting their free gift wrap services. Cinema4D didn't have the greatest cloth simulation tools at the time, so I developed a non-simulated rig using a plethora of MoGraph Effectors that allowed us to control every vertex of the ribbon animation over time. This gave us complete control over the look and feel of the animation, while still maintaining realism.

I was responsible for the animation of this informative video for Nubian Heritage. The goal was to tell the story of how Nubian Heritage brings together cultural wisdom and indigenous ingredients to create modern wellness solutions for skin and hair. I used After Effects to create fluid animations that conveyed the message in a fun and engaging way. The end result was well-received by both the client and their audience.

I worked with the design team at Zeus Jones to create an informational video for this iconic cereal. We created a series of animated scenes that conveyed key points about heart health in a clear and concise way. The end result was a hit with viewers and helped raise awareness about the importance of taking care of your heart.

KiX believes that kids are leading us into a bigger, brighter, more amazing world. This motion piece was part of a series created to help spark the imaginations of kids and parents alike. I worked with the design team at Zeus Jones to bring their vision to life through fun, attention-grabbing visuals. The goal was to create an exciting video that would inspire people to think outside of the box.

This motion piece was the second installment in a series of videos for the KiX Creativity Lab. The objective of the series was to help spark the imaginations of kids and parents alike. In this particular video, we used After Effects to create an animation that showed 5 different ways kids can be creative. The end result was playful and inspiring.

Several areas in my animation process inside After Effects were so slow and tedious that I decided to learn how to make scripts to automate as much the process as possible. After learning that they could also help other animators, I decided to share them with fellow animators on aescripts.com.

The Wheaties NEXT Challenge offered fans the opportunity to select the next athlete to be featured on the iconic Wheaties box. Fans voted for their favorite athlete by logging workouts through the MapMyFitness platform—each workout counted as a vote for their athlete, and that athlete’s selected charity. The athlete with the most points at the end of the competition would appear on the box, and their charity would receive a donation from General Mills.

I helped Fallon create a motion piece for Starz Play that wove together scenes from their most popular content to help drive their user growth. I was responsible for the VFX work, which included rotoscoping, compositing, and 3d animation.

I helped Impossible in Denver, Colorado create a graphics package for NBC Sports Network College Football. I was responsible for the VFX and developed a pipeline tool to help with the creation of other package assets. The end result was an exciting and modern graphics package that helped NBC Sports Network College Football stand out.

The team at Olson reached out to have me create a motion and 3D piece for Ecolab's Performance Planning + Development initiative. The goal was to create an engaging and informative video that would explain the concept of performance planning and development to employees of Ecolab. The end result was a fun and concise video that helped employees understand the importance of this initiative.

One of my first Cinema4D and After Effects projects. This 3D piece featured the Motorola E8. A new device with innovative input methods. The video featured fun, colorful visuals that brought the phone to life in a new way.