Breandan McGrath | National Program Manager | Halifax
Breandan has worked extensively in the entertainment industry. He has brought his 3D animation skills to the big screen on numerous occasions working with Disney on films such as Beauty and the Beast, and Dr. Doolittle,
as well as with 20th Century Fox on Night at the Museum. He also worked with IMAX to create the first 3D stereoscopic opening title sequence in 1996 and on the stereoscopic version of Happy Feet in 1996. He has acted as Producer, Production Manager, Animation Studio Manager and 3D Animator at various studios including Salter Street Films and Wingit Productions.
Breandan started at the Centre for Arts and Technology in 2006. Not only does Breandan teach how to create 3D characters, but he is also a character himself! He brings life to the Centre for Arts and Technology campus through his witty humour and prankster attitude. He is extremely dedicated to his students and uses his industry knowledge to promote fast paced learning and produce high caliber demo reels, suited for the ever evolving 3D entertainment industry.
Sean Ridgway | Department Head | Kelowna
After graduating the Classical Animation program at Sheridan College, Sean jumped right into animating and developing CD-Rom games for a software company in Oakville. Moving west in 1994, Sean worked on many
projects, working for Delaney and Friends, Studio ‘B’ Productions and Bardel Entertainment designing on many television shows such as The Magic School Bus and Tales from the Cryptkeeper. When Disney opened a studio in Vancouver, Sean spent four years helping animate many feature-length projects including the award winning Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas.
Always looking for a challenge and a chance to broaden his skills, Sean accepted a position as a computer graphic artist on the NBA Live team at Electronic Arts Canada in Burnaby, BC. But after a year, he was lured back to the traditional world of Classical Animation, accepting a position at a burgeoning studio in Vancouver to help develop and design characters for a new series. Sean has now worked with the Centre for Arts and Technology for almost 9 years in the role of Department Head and full-time instructor.
Brad Lucas | Department Head | Fredericton
Having earned his diploma in Visual Arts – Classic Animation from Sheridan College, Brad furthered his education by specializing in Advanced Softimage at Humber College. Throughout his career, Brad has worked with several different animation studios including Phoenix Animation Ltd and Disney Animation Canada. Some of his credits include A Goofy Movie, Space Jam, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Pocahontas 2, and The Little Mermaid 2.
Brad has experience designing, animating, storyboard posing and cleaning up, and designing characters and locations.
Matthew Lambert | Instructor | Halifax
Before becoming a 3D Artist/Animator, Matt previously worked as a System Administrator, Graphic Designer, and Animator for the Pictou Tourist Association. Matt received his diploma in animation from the Centre for Arts and Technology’s Halifax campus in 2007.
After graduation Matt was employed with the Centre for Arts and Technology as a full-time student mentor/lab monitor assisting students with animating, modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering their demo reels. Since that time, Matt has worked as a freelance artist working on special effects used in commercials for the Edmonton Molson Indy, 3D Modelling work for Delicate Machines and work with Hatch Post in Halifax, which included a 30-second commercial for the Atlantic Lottery Corporation and a full animated 3D commercial for the IWK Children’s Foundation.
Simon West | Instructor | Halifax
Simon West’s passion for animation spans 2D and 3D formats, and his versatility is on display in various traditional and digital animation projects. Simon’s professional background is primarily in storyboarding for 2D animated television series, such as The Magic School Bus, Little Bear, Anatole, and Franklin the Turtle.
Simon’s focus is on modeling, rigging, texturing, animation, and rendering through Autodesk’s Maya software. The immersion in 3D has sharpened his skills in the genre, and he’s always looking for new challenges.
Greg Brown | Instructor | Halifax
Greg Brown brings more than 10 years of animation and instructional experience to the classroom every day.
After attending Sheridan College, Greg later served as animation instructor at the school before accepting a similar position at the DaVinci Institute.
Greg worked on a wide array of projects including layout, design, production coordinator, and posing artist for shows such as Babar, Anne of Green Gables, Bob and Margaret, and The New Tales of the Cryptkeeper with Wack Wack Animation as well as layouts for Funbag’s Watership Down, Undergrads, King, and Mole Sisters. Greg’s other projects include illustrations for Blizzard’s Warcraft tabletop game, White Wolf’s Exalted collectable card game, layouts for Richard Scary’s BusyTown Mysteries and Pound Puppies, and in-game artwork for Jolt’s Legend of Zork and Utopia Kingdom browser games.
Blake Anderson | Instructor | Kelowna
Blake joins us from Vancouver, where he has worked in a variety of animation jobs in the film industry for the last 10 years. His projects include work on Twilight, Loser, Stargate Atlantis, District 9, Dr. Doolittle, Muppets Go to Oz, Dungeon Siege, and 2012. Blake took his Masters in Digital Animation at the Art Institute in Vancouver, where he also taught for a few semesters.
Chris Gottgetreu | Instructor | Kelowna
Chris joins us with a wealth of animation experience spanning the globe - he has worked everywhere from Vancouver to Santa Monica, Scotland to England. Most recently, he worked as the Senior Environmental Artist for Crackdown (Xbox 360) and Crackdown DLC, followed by his role as Art Manager and Technical Art Director of Crackdown 2.
