RESUME
RESUME
As Animation Director:
A strategic and collaborative Animation Director with 18 years of experience crafting impactful visuals for industry-leading clients including Target, 3M, General Mills, The History Channel, New Balance, Minnesota Twins, Ferrara, Starkey, BASF, and Cummins. Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, manage budgets and schedules, and deliver high-quality computer graphics content across advertising, experiential, and visualization projects. Proficiently utilizes a wide range of industry software such as Maya, Blender, V-Ray, Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Unreal Engine ensuring a streamlined production process.
As IT Systems Administrator:
CompTIA A+ Certified IT professional with 18 years of experience managing high-performance technology architecture and providing advanced technical support within fast-paced production environments. Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, manage IT budgets, and proactively resolve complex tech problems, maximizing uptime and successful project delivery for industry-leading clients including Target, 3M, General Mills, The History Channel, BASF, and Cummins. Dedicated to operational efficiency, user support, infrastructure resilience, ecosystem adaptability, and continuous technical evolution.
As Animation Director:
Animation Direction, Computer Graphics, 3D Design, 3D Visualization, Product Rendering, Character Animation, Motion Design, Motion Graphics, Visual Effects, Digital Content, Multimedia, Project Management, Budget Oversight, Client Communication, Pipeline Development, Storyboarding, Previsualization, 3D Modeling, Look Development, Rigging, Animation, Lighting, Rendering, Rotoscoping, Compositing, Image Editing, Video Editing, Color Grading, Final Delivery, Maya, V-Ray, Mudbox, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator, Phoenix FD, Substance Painter, Marvelous Designer, SketchUp, Blender, DaVinci Resolve, Unreal Engine
As IT Systems Administrator:
Systems Administration, IT Infrastructure, Networking (LAN/WLAN/WAN), Cybersecurity, Technical Support, Windows 10/11 Pro, macOS, Linux, Active Directory, Identity & Access Management (IAM), Okta (SSO), Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Vulnerability Management, Patch Manager Plus, Sophos Endpoint (EDR), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), FortiToken, IPv4, DNS, DHCP, VPN, FortiClient, Windows Remote Desktop (RDP), Virtualization (Hyper-V), Network-Attached Storage (NAS), RAID, Backup & Recovery, Hardware Lifecycle Management, Asset Inventory, Software License Management, Hardware Diagnostics & Repair, Log Analysis & Troubleshooting, Ticketing Systems, SOP Documentation, CLI, Cloud Computing
NEIGHBOR Animation | A boutique motion design and animation studio known for compelling advertising.
June 2012 - May 2025 | Full-time | Minneapolis, MN
Successfully directed multi-disciplined animation teams while also managing budgets and schedules, resulting in effective project delivery for industry-leading clients including Target, 3M, KeyBank, The Hoover Institution, Ferrara, Starkey, BASF, Cummins, and Cox Communications.
Collaborated with creative leads to craft high-quality computer graphics content across all aspects of production including previsualization, 3D modeling, look development, rigging, animation, lighting, rendering, compositing, image editing, video editing, color grading, and final delivery.
Increased project efficiency and team productivity by streamlining computer graphics production pipelines, managing technology, providing technical support, and contributing to IT architecture.
Spearheaded a 3D visualization account for Target for five years, consistently meeting tight deadlines, creating an extensive asset library, delivering over 500 interior architectural renders and multiple flythrough animations that supported key marketing initiatives.
Led IT Systems Administration responsibilities in addition to primary Animation Director duties.
Successfully managed technology architecture and provided comprehensive technical support for a multi-disciplined animation team, resulting in effective project delivery for industry-leading clients including Target, 3M, KeyBank, Starkey, BASF, Cummins, and Cox Communications.
Administered company information and operations by managing Google Workspace and user accounts, managing budgets and procurement for hardware and software, maintaining an asset inventory, configuring software licenses, and documenting SOPs.
Implemented effective networking and security by maintaining IPv4 addressing for NAS connectivity, deploying FortiClient VPN and Remote Desktop for secure remote access, and utilizing Patch Manager Plus and Sophos Endpoint to ensure enterprise-level security compliance.
Increased project efficiency, team productivity, and streamlined computer graphics production pipelines by building and maintaining high-performance custom workstations, troubleshooting and resolving software crashes and performance bottlenecks, escalating specialized technical problems to developers and IT partners, performing data backup, and maintaining a mid-sized render farm to meet project deadlines.
Pixel Farm | A leading multidisciplinary creative studio known for excellence in advertising.
January 2007 - May 2012 | Full-time | Minneapolis, MN
Collaborated with creative leads and team members to craft high-quality 3D art and animation content for major clients including General Mills, Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, The History Channel, New Balance Athletics, and Pioneer Hi-Bred International.
Managed computer graphics software installations, updates, and technical support for team members in addition to primary animation responsibilities, contributing to successful project outcomes for major clients including General Mills, Milwaukee Brewers, and The History Channel.
The Art Institutes International Minnesota | July 2005 - June 2008 | Minneapolis, MN
Certified April 2026 | www.credly.com/users/joerusso