I helped concept and built Sarah Stroschein’s portfolio website using SvelteKit, Tailwind, Three.js, and Sanity, hosted on Vercel. Each case study on the Work page is represented as a 3D can, with unique designs mirroring the relevant project, including one for the imaginary Stroschein Brewing Co, inspired by the brew-centric origin of her name.

The site was recognized as Typewolf’s Site of the Day.

I led the development of BUCK’s website, built on Next.js with content managed through Sanity and Mux. The site features an intricate grid layout that balances the studio’s creative range with clean navigation. I also built internal systems to automate the import of project metadata, like credits, into Sanity, streamlining editor workload significantly.

I led the development of the BUCKy Wall 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 could then vote for their favorite posts. The winning posts are displayed on the iPads and “liked” by a pink pickle slapping the screen. Stepper motors controlled by an Arduino move the pickles. I built custom controller software with an interactive UI to set up sequences and timing.

BUCK became one of Instagram’s preferred AR partners in 2015. I joined the effort in 2017 and 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 pushed SparkAR’s technical limits.

This was a BUCK passion project that brought together 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 to have fun with Slapstick. Best of all, it was free, with new sticker packs announced on Instagram. The app was well-received, and it was a blast to make.

Collaborating with my skilled teammates at BUCK, we created an art film demonstrating the potential of the newly launched iMac Pro. I was involved in producing several VFX sequences using Houdini. The final product is something I’m genuinely proud of, as it showcased not only the iMac’s capabilities but also the exceptional talent of the BUCK team.

Created VFX assets for the Baltimore Ravens in-stadium graphics package with Cake Studios, using Houdini, Cinema4D, and TurbulenceFD. Also built custom tools and rigs in Cinema4D that streamlined workflows for other artists on the team.

Animated the main camera and robot characters for DirecTV Fantasy Zone’s broadcast intro with Cake Studios. The spot featured complex 3D camera work and character animation in Cinema4D.

Built real-time visual prototypes and creative tools for Apple’s Product, Design & Marketing division over a 1.5-year contract. Worked directly with designers, artists, and engineers using Metal and Swift to develop shader-driven experiences. Specific project details are under NDA.

Following the release of the first James Webb Telescope images, I saw a captivating video montage that a Redditor had made using their own astrophotography in combination with the JWST images, zooming out of the Carina Nebula to a view of the Milky Way. It showed where it was relative to Earth instead of just ‘somewhere out there.’ Which is what most astrophotography feels like. I thought it would be great to see more from this perspective, so I set out to build a platform and editor for making these ‘zooms’ easier.

As Director of Creative Technology at BUCK, I led the creation of an Instagram AR experience that uses your phone’s camera to place an interactive beat lab onto any surface, allowing users to mix on their 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 advantages in a fun, playful way. We built interactive storytelling experiences with WebAR and 8th Wall. I oversaw a small team of Creative Technologists to create an AR experience that let users explore different environments and see how 5G could improve their everyday lives.

I led the design and development of BUCK’s internal knowledge hub. The studio’s documentation was scattered across multiple platforms, so I built a centralized site using Next.js and Sanity where employees could find everything in one place. The site includes searchable documentation, team resources, and project references, with Mux for secure video hosting and a custom front end designed to match BUCK’s visual language.

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 iterated through multiple rounds of feedback under a tight deadline. It was a tight timeline, but we were able to deliver a responsive page that hit every requirement.

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. I directed the team as 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 through an interactive AR storybook.

Palm NFT was building toward 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.

Revisualizer is an in-browser audio/visual experience created at BUCK that uses custom sound design and gamified interactions to reveal an unexpected visual payoff. Users play with visuals and audio by using their keyboard like an instrument. We used WebGL and Three.js for the visuals and built out the interactive audio layer to create a unique experience. I oversaw a small team of developers and designers.

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 built the world for that party from scratch in AltVR. Seeing hundreds of people come together in VR (dancing, chatting, laughing) helped us all feel genuinely 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 at BUCK.

I built an ordering system integrating BUCK’s website with Shopify to manage 1,152 individually carved pieces.

I led the development of the World War Zero website using React, Next.js, and Sanity. The site served as the digital hub for Secretary John Kerry’s climate coalition, connecting leaders across political, military, scientific, and entertainment sectors.

Led BUCK’s creative tech team in building a cross-promotional AR experience for Oculus at the Penny Arcade Expo. Three collectible enamel pins each launched interactive Instagram filters using multiple coordinated AR targets, a first in SparkAR. The project pushed the technical limits of the platform and demonstrated a new model for physical-to-digital brand activations.

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 hundreds of carefully planned and animated scenes in SparkAR. Since SparkAR had limitations for production-quality work, we had to be creative with managing and developing this many projects. We created custom tooling that accelerated our workflows and ensured we delivered promptly and consistently. In addition, we worked closely with the design team to ensure that each scene met its high standards for quality.

I led the development of AR face filters for Refinery29’s 29 Rooms event in 2019. The event was a collection of immersive art installations, performances, and workshops. We built SparkAR filters that complemented the existing installations, giving attendees a shareable digital layer on top of the physical experience.

Apple’s 2018 holiday short follows a young woman whose art escapes into the world. I contributed VFX for the spot, creating art-directable simulations of snow using Houdini.

3M needed animation for a motion piece that introduced the launch of 3M Safety’s Pro Series line of contractor-grade safety products. The video was designed to introduce the product line through dynamic motion graphics. I used After Effects to create various motion graphics elements, including animated product shots and kinetic typography, to help launch it.

I helped create an intersection visualization for the New Mexico Department of Transportation with the team at Left Field Labs in Venice, California. The visualization 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. We used vibrant team colors extensively throughout the interstitials, while the distinctive Pac-12 shield emblem is dynamically used for transitions. My role was to create the main camera movements in Cinema4D. The package gave Pac-12 broadcasts a bold, contemporary look.

Colorado State University asked me to create a motion piece highlighting the benefits of attending CSU. I used After Effects to animate enrollment data and campus statistics.

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. We used a double exposure technique to tell the story. We executed the motion graphics with a team of animators and designers.

After hearing a call for help on the fan film project reimagining Akira, I volunteered. 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. I used After Effects to create the motion graphics for this video, which showcased how easy it was to find the right formula.

I partnered with Rikshaw Films on a motion piece promoting enrollment in the Army Reserve Public Partnership Program (P3I). The video showcased testimonial footage in a polished 3D environment.

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 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 chain of MoGraph Effectors that allowed me to control every vertex of the ribbon animation over time. This gave me 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.

I worked with the design team at Zeus Jones to create an informational video for Cheerios. We created a series of animated scenes that conveyed key points about heart health.

Fallon engaged me to create a logo animation for Travelers using VFX, motion, and 3D.

I created motion graphics for KiX Creativity Lab, working with the design team at Zeus Jones. The piece was part of a series aimed at sparking the imaginations of kids and parents, using bold, playful visuals animated in After Effects.

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 video, I used After Effects to create an animation showing five different ways kids can be creative.

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

I created motion graphics for General Mills’ Wheaties NEXT campaign, animating workout visualizations and athlete reveals using After Effects. The campaign let fans vote for their favorite athletes by logging workouts through the MapMyFitness platform. Each workout counted as a vote, and the athlete with the most points would appear on the iconic Wheaties box, with General Mills donating to their charity.

I helped Fallon create a motion piece for Starz Play that wove together scenes from their most popular content to attract new subscribers. I was responsible for the VFX work, which included rotoscoping, compositing, and 3D animation using Cinema 4D and After Effects.

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 package gave the broadcast a bold, modern look.

The team at Olson hired me to 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 initiative to Ecolab employees.

One of my first Cinema4D and After Effects projects. This 3D piece featured the Motorola E8, a device with a then-novel haptic touchpad. The video used bold colors and dynamic camera moves to showcase the phone.