John Dessler
Instructor
John is a creative director, programmer, writer, entrepreneur, musician, performer, and digital/fine artist. He is currently special faculty at the ETC, Carnegie Mellon University teaching Visual Story/Communication, VR Story and Sound, Location-Based Entertainment, UI/UX Design, digital art and design. He has been contracted by, and freelances for companies such as GE, NBC, Tyco, Heinz, and various museums and productions – specializing in visual communication and digital training. In 1996 he founded The Outlet for Creativity, Inc. (a non-profit 501c3) in Rochester, PA, to foster and support the Arts. He served as president for 9 years. He has been on numerous boards of economic and cultural development and has worked with many organizations including the American Cancer Society, Bridge to Recovery, Adult Literacy Action, Lending Hearts, and The Humane Society. He was a featured speaker, performer, and on jury at numerous conferences including SIGGRAPH, GDC, and SXSW. He was the creative director for Creative Services at the ETC where he designed and produced virtual interviews, games, exhibits, and interactions for clients such as Duquesne University, National Civil War Museum, and VERC. He is a published playwright, winner of the Keystone Press and Telly awards, and is an accomplished studio and performing musician regularly showcased at the famous Blue Bird Café in Nashville, TN.
Ruth Comley
Instructor
Ruth Comley is an educator that has been teaching undergrad and graduate classes for 24 years in the areas of digital art, experience design and project management. She has a Specialized Associates degree in Industrial Design, a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Computer Science and a Masters of Entertainment degree in Entertainment Technology. Currently Ruth is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Carnegie Mellon University where she teaches classes in Project Production, Digital Art and Experience Design. She is also a Founding Member of Stage and Steel Productions and an active Board member of Striplight Community Theater. There she designs and produces seasonal festivals and events while also writing, producing, and directing theatrical plays.
Ryan Yuan
Producer, Environment Artist
Ryan is a passionate and driven artist with solid and diversified experience. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Interactive Media Arts from New York University Shanghai, along with interdisciplinary skills in games, and music. Ryan is well-recognized for his passion for his skills and his supportive attitude toward teammates. He found his interest and passion in environment art here and decided to pursue his career in the entertainment industry, either game or film.
Stefani Wang
Producer, Character Artist
Stefani is an artist with a multidisciplinary background who aims to build an aesthetically-driven virtual world as a 3D generalist. She has a sound understanding of creating ambiance through visuals and audio to fit into specific gameplay in the game context. With a solid grasp of the contemporary media landscape and hands-on experience in social media management, she can capitalize on user psychology to boost traffic and exposure to these productions.
Mia Zhang
Narrative Designer, VFX Artist
Mia is a director and 3D environment artist. Mia studied Interactive Media Arts and Computer Science at NYU Shanghai with minor in Psychology Studies.
Zee Wu
Environment Artist
Zezhong Wu is an experienced 3D artist. Driven by his passion for gaming, his goal is to continue his studies at CMU ETC about VFX and Tech artists. He loves making games and providing players with an outstanding visual experience.
Airan Xu
Environment Artist
Airan Xu is a general 3D artist interested in environment design. With a background in architecture and design, Airan possesses a wide-ranging skill set ranging from 2D concept design to 3D modeling. She aims to work for game/film virtual production in the future.
Ayaka Morito
Concept Artist, UI/UX
Ayaka is a concept artist with multiple backgrounds who was born in China and grew up in Japan. Inspired by Japanese animation culture, she chose art and design as her future career and is interested in a wide range of entertainment fields, loving digital games and illustrations.
Jiaxin Li
Character Artist, Sound Designer
Jiaxin is a concept artist with a solid fine art background. She endeavors to bring the guest multiple experiences visually through her art.