Disney's Magic Bench
Magic Bench is a platform that supports multi-sensory immersive experiences in which people can interact directly with an animated characters. It does not involve wearing a head-mounted display or using a handheld device; instead the surroundings are instrumented rather than the individual, allowing people to share the magical experience as a group.
Role
Asset Creation,
Concept/Story Development
Where
SIGGRAPH 2017
Grace Hopper 2017
Google SPAN 2017
Disney's Polynesian Resort
Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
Data and Learning
Throughout my artist and designer my work has always been intertwined with the application of data, machine learning, and A.I. to push creative and technological boundaries. As such, I spent the first decade of my career creatively supporting researchers, scientists and engineers who exposed me to technical challenges of a variety of technologies, especially computer vision, machine learning and 3D printing. I was an creative contributor but everyday I was observing and learning from professionals at the top of many other fields.
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Over the last 7 years I've transitioned to product management by way of experience design. I've learned product methodology and daily I've leaned on what gleaned from my previous career.
This page is a brief summary of those efforts
Carmax: Platform Product Managment
Played a lead role the design and implementation of the modernization of the key data platforms.
Toyota Research Institute: Synthetic Data for Assistive Robotics
Collaborated with robotics and software engineers to deliver valuable synthetic training data and support files for ML. I worked remotely with three separate teams to create 3D datasets for machine learning used in cutting edge robotics and computer vision research. Each group has unique needs and challenges, effective communication is essential during the fast-paced and highly iterative development process.
Project Maven: Synthetic Data for Computer Vision
Lead a small team of technical artists to create synthetic aerial footage for advanced computer vision applications. Led a creative team that worked with researchers and data scientists to create synthetic data for machine learning applications. We utilized motion capture and 3D animation to imitate real-world video footage and create dozens of highly customizable behavioral scenarios. Conducted in-person research and interviews with users and stakeholders to maximize the accuracy and utility of our manufactured data. Frequently, presented my results to stakeholders.
Disney Research: Deep Exposure to Intelligent Tech
As an Imagineer and member of the Creative Technology Team at Disney Research Pittsburgh, I worked hand in hand with elite research scientists from around the world to develop and utilize emerging technologies across the Walt Disney Company. Often collaborating on several projects at a time, I was responsible for understanding the core value of complex innovations and then prioritizing the narratives, features, and creative/technical deliverables to best demonstrate how the research could enrich internal business needs and/or guest experiences.
3DPlusMe: Photogrammetry, Sculpture and 3D printing
Led the creative team responsible for designing licensed 3D printed figurines for our custom product pipeline. Interfaced directly with representatives from major product partners such as Marvel and Ubisoft during creative development. Personally assisted our CTO and engineering team during the development of our core technology pipeline, bringing to bear my creative expertise and knowledge of related 3D printing technology. Traveled the east coast to aid in marketing and sales at live customer-facing events as well as technology repair/debugging during initial retail deployments at Walmart.