Career Journey

My Career Journey Through the Game Industry

“A Career in Frames”

Early 1980s – The Spark

I began as a self-employed artist, sketching on lunch breaks in a cold wood cabin, while apprenticing as an electrician. By night, I was making games on a Sinclair ZX80—back when every pixel had to be earned. These early years laid the groundwork: design, curiosity, and grit.

Eventually, I left home to chase art full-time in Cardiff—freelancing on architectural models, showroom illustrations, and industrial design. One job had me designing for what was then the largest pencil factory in Wales. Ironically fitting—since I was sharpening my tools too.

The recession sent me back home—but at ICI Darwen, I touched my first professional computer. Everything changed.

1990s – Entering the Grid

I stepped into the industry with a startup called Digital Creations (later EA Manchester), just as 3D was being born. At Origin Systems, I worked alongside Paul Steed, helping craft some of the first in-game 3D assets using early EOR tools.

These were formative years—where I forged skills in modeling, environment art, and animation. More importantly, I began learning how to build worlds, not just assets.

Early 2000s – Into the Frame

Joining LucasArts and Lucasfilm via Totally Games was a personal milestone. There, I collaborated with visionaries like Doug Chiang, Dennis Muren, and Lou Dallarosa, contributing to cinematic storytelling at the highest level.

I deepened my fluency in technical art and cinematic language—understanding not just how to render a shot, but how to direct one. These projects taught me that great visuals are about emotion, not just pixels.

2005–2010 – Leading the Charge

This was my leadership crucible. I began directing teams across continents, navigating cultural workflows while maintaining visual integrity at scale. I took on major AAA projects, including a pivotal role in Microsoft Starlancer.

Here, I shifted from artist to art director—balancing vision, communication, and production velocity.

2010–2015 – Giving Back

I turned toward education, becoming a Senior Lecturer at DigiPen (Richmond & Singapore) and later, Head of Game Art at SAE. I authored curricula, developed pipelines, and mentored artists entering a changing industry.

Teaching reminded me: a good artist knows the tools. A great one knows why to use them.

2016–2020 – Scaling the Studio

At Virtuos, I led 300+ artists across 19 AAA productions. From outsourcing to art reviews, I became a keystone in managing quality across complex pipelines.

It was the era of balancing precision with people—where leadership meant setting standards while empowering teams to surpass them.

2021–2024 – Global Vision

Operating out of China, I wove technical direction into film, audio, and photogrammetry across seven countries. These years deepened my global network and honed my hybrid lens—part artist, part technologist, always a storyteller.

Today, I’m focused on what’s next: real-time cinematic pipelines, immersive XR experiences, and building teams that can take creativity further than ever before.