Entertainment Design

Artist/Animator Mike Dietz has extensive experience as an animation director, animator, illustrator, and art director in film, television, games, and location-based entertainment, with proficiency in a variety of animation techniques including CG, stop motion, hand-drawn (both digital and pencil-on-paper), and motion graphics. Early in his career, Mike pioneered innovative animation processes that allowed hand-drawn animation to be successfully incorporated into video games and has since been a driving force on numerous projects integrating hand-drawn and hand-crafted elements into games and other interactive media. Using these techniques in conjunction with his passion for animation, Dietz set benchmarks for animation quality on such highly successful video game titles as Disney’s Aladdin, Earthworm Jim, and the stop motion animated cult classics The Neverhood, SkullMonkeys, and Armikrog. Additionally, Dietz served as director for several episodes of the award-winning stop motion animated sitcom The PJs, co-directed the short Squirly Town for Nickelodeon’s Random Cartoon Show, and animated on the stop motion productions of SpongeBob, The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom, It’s a SpongeBob Christmas! and SpongeBob and Sandy’s Country Christmas. In 2008, Mike was the animation director of the Annie Award-winning Pixar’s Ratatouille video game and was nominated for another Annie Award in 2016 for his animation on Armikrog.

Mike is currently working on a variety of projects through his company Slappy Pictures, including serving as a senior animator at Dlala Studios, contributing to the development of an as-of-yet unannounced multiple platform next-generation game project. Mike is also the co-owner and animation director of Pencil Test Studios, an independent animation production and game development studio founded in 2009 by Dietz and game industry veteran Ed Schofield. Located in Orange County, CA., the studio specializes in content creation, development, and production services for games, film, and television, capitalizing on their experience working within a wide variety of game production pipelines. The studio has collaborated on numerous successful video game franchises with high-profile clients such as Disney, Pixar, and Microsoft.

Douglas R. Rogers is a creative designer with a wide range of experience spanning multiple disciplines of visual, graphic and entertainment design. A career that started in graphic design evolved when Doug became fascinated by the power of design in storytelling. That interest led him to an MFA in Scenic Design from the Yale University School of Drama. Since that time, Doug has worked extensively in theatrical design, animation,
television, film and location-based entertainment and on Broadway and at regional theaters.
Most recently, he has been working as a Concept Design Principal for Walt Disney Imagineering, reconceptualizing and expanding The Castle of Magical Dreams for the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Prior to that, he completed several Imagineering projects and attractions for the Thea Award winning Shanghai Disneyland Resort, most notably concept designing the center showpiece of the park, The Enchanted Storybook Castle,
the largest Disney castle in the world.
Doug was the Production Designer for Disney Animation’s 50th feature film the beloved classic Tangled, and Visual Development Set Designer for The Princess and the Frog. Prior to Disney he worked on six films at DreamWorks Animation and was nominated for an Annie Award in Production Design for his work as Art Director for the Academy Award winning film Shrek. His work has been exhibited at leading museum shows and publications around the world including : The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Library of Congress, The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, The Grammy Foundation, Hard Rock Resort and Casino Las Vegas, The Wallace Collection-London New Orleans Museum of Art, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Beijing National Art Museum, Singapore Museum of Art and Technology, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, AIGA, DSVC, ITA.
Currently he is working on a live action period film for the History Channel and consulting on a project for Netflix. Doug is a proud native of Paris, Tennessee (home of the Worlds’ Biggest Fish Fry!)

My career has focused on developing and refining my skills for creating highly detailed models and textures for medical 3D illustrations and animations. I have built my skill set as an artist from a traditional foundation into a network of mentors embedded in the entertainment industry. The education I receive from them is celebrated daily within the work that I do. My ability to grow with industry standards continues to be one of my most valued assets.

With 18+ years of work experience in the medical device industry creating a variety of medical-based visuals, I have a passion for maintaining and learning industry standard workflows for 3D development. I enjoy the process and development of 3D animation, illustrations and building XR optimized for the Oculus Quest. I’m proficient in figurative and scientific anatomy as well as traditional and digital execution. I have experience leading a team with building XR (Extended Reality) pipelines and scaling resources to support and service corporate XR deliverables.

Now with the opportunity LCAD is giving me to come back and teach again, I look forward to doing my part to help the students continue to grow into the dawn of their professional careers.

Maria Ferreira Kercher is a visual development artist specialized in material behavior and cultural stylization for animation. She is a professional Costume Designer and an adjunct professor for LCAD Game Art and Entertainment Design programs.

Her expertise is featured in the book, “Talking Threads: Costume Design for Animation, Games, and Illustration”, through Design Studio Press.

Maria has also worked as character designer for indie games as well as illustrator for live-action films and brings specialized experience helping connect foreign cultures with an American audience through well researched costume design.

Born and raised in Brazil, she fell in love with the idea of breathing life into a fictional world and came to the U.S. to study animation. Now based in Seattle, Maria is focused on expanding her knowledge of materials and world cultures to better connect audiences to each other.

Marty Kline has been in the business of creating what no one has ever seen before since pixels were this big. As the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award for Illustration from his own Local 800, the Art Directors Guild, he has worked in motion pictures, television, video games and themed entertainment for over 40 years. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon and a recipient of an MS in Materials Science, he is also a graduate of Otis College of Art and Design. He is a founding member of the Visual Effects Society as well as recipient of a Ford Foundation Fellowship for the study of Fine Art Lithography.

As Senior Visual Effects Art Director for Sony Pictures Imageworks, he supervised the art of effects on Contact, Stuart Little, Spider-Man, and Beowulf. Other credits include concept illustration for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Dune, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, Parts II and III, The Flintstones, Batman Returns, Jurassic Park and Forrest Gump. He has done video game Art Direction for THQ Games and created user interface designs for Microsoft.

He was born in Brooklyn, NY. That’s significant.

He participated in EPCOT design and Fantasyland redevelopment at Walt Disney’s design group, WED Enterprises.

Published in Perspective Magazine, The Journal of the Art Directors Guild, March April 2018; Stuart Little, The Art, The Artists, and the Story Behind the Amazing Movie, 2000, Edited by Linda Sunshine, Marty Kline on Matte Painting, pp. 84-85; and https://www.awn.com/vfxworld/concept-art-and-vfx-managed-collaboration.

John Lam is an alumnus of Laguna College of Art and Design where he found his passion for game art and began his roots in 3D sculpting. With a passion for creating creatures and characters, he specializes in high fidelity 3D sculpting for a variety of industry pipelines from: toys, 3D scan and game. After an internship with Blizzard Entertainment, John has gone off to do work for Toyota, Dreamworks, Funko and more.

Bernard Lee was born and raised in Southern California, graduated with a BFA in Illustration from Syracuse University and worked for a time in New York City. As a former Art Director, he has had the privilege of collaborating with countless talented illustrators on award-winning projects. He now spends his days creating illustrations for the publishing, editorial and entertainment industries, and teaching as an instructor in California. His work has been seen in annuals and shows around the world.

Brett Mitchell is an accomplished artist and designer, specializing in character design and
illustration. He is currently an Art Director in the mobile game market and an adjunct professor
in the Entertainment and Game Design programs at LCAD. Brett obtained his Bachelor of Arts
degree at LCAD in 2009 and has been a part of LCAD’s faculty for 8 years. His professional roles include concept artist and illustrator for tabletop games, trading card games, mobile apps and video game studios. He has also worked in many other facets of the game industry and uses that experience to help his students find their path as professionals.

Michael Overman is an accomplished Creative Director, Art Director and Show Designer with 15 years of experience in Themed Entertainment. As a graduate of Art Center College of Design with a BFA in Illustration with emphasis in Entertainment Design. I demonstrate a passion to create astounding attractions, places and experiences. I strive to lead design and champion creative – all while providing quality art direction from concept through production to installation. I’ve collaborated, designed, worked and installed many multi-million dollar experiences, attractions, lands and parks both domestically and internationally.

I’ve worked for both Fortune 500 companies (Walt Disney Imagineering/Universal Creative/20th Century Fox: FoxNext) as well as smaller design firms. I have an understanding of what it takes to complete the job whether it be from the perspective of the client or client service representative. I understand what it takes to be effective when working within the various constraints of the project. Whether the scope is large or small, I have provided the quality that is expected at every level.

Andrew Pena is a Background Designer at Warner Brothers by day and a plein air painter the rest of the time. He paints because it keeps him sane and it’s his form of meditation. Whether it is a landscape, cityscape, or interior painting, he loves to focus on the light and shapes that give each location its feeling.

Joseph Sanabria is a Senior Concept Artist and educator working in the entertainment industry. He has worked on numerous noteworthy projects including Skullmonkeys, Fallout New Vegas, and most recently Ashes of Creation.

Joseph’s career spans over two decades and he has worked with a number of studios: Rockstar Games, Obsidian Entertainment, Nexon, theMill NY and Intrepid Studios. His personal work focuses on landscapes that he paints from life, aka plein air, preferably captured in traditional media, usually oil or gouache.

Andrew Dat Tran is a Laguna College of Art + Design Entertainment Design alum and works in games, film, and television. He has contributed to clients including Marvel, 343 Industries, Turtle Rock Studios, AMC Networks, Comedy Central, Adult Swim, and more. Andrew currently works as a Background Painter at Titmouse Inc., as an adjunct professor at LCAD, and as a Freelance Concept Artist and Illustrator. He loves working in Blender and Virtual Reality and is always on the lookout for new fun tools to create and play with. Andrew is passionate about technology, education, and storytelling, and is a perpetual student who’s always learning.

Renae Wang is a California-based artist working in oil. Her subject matter focuses on nocturnal landscapes and non-places like gas stations, diners, and airports. Her work is characterized by exaggerated colors, vibrant artificial lights, and immersive compositions with first-person point of view. These nocturnal paintings explore the universal human condition of isolation, as well as its relationship with public spaces of transience. The viewer either becomes the one observing a solitary figure or the one being isolated.

Renae started receiving professional art training at an early age. She recently received her master’s degree in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design. Prior to that, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and had built her traditional art skills at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the oldest art institution in the United States. During her graduate and undergraduate studies, Renae was granted multiple awards for her figure painting skills, which includes the Earl T. Donelson Figure Painting Award, the Susan MacDowell Eakins Figure Painting Award, the Taft Award, and the Campbell Scholarship. Her work in the Annual Student Exhibition at the Academy is collected by art connoisseurs in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Bryant Koshu is a Senior Concept Artist with a rich and diverse background in the field of concept art and design. Currently, he is applying his expertise at Deviation Games, where he has served since April 2023. Prior to this, he had the privilege of instructing as a Hard Surface instructor at Laguna College of Art and Design, beginning in September 2019.

His journey in the industry began at Yellow Tracksuit Entertainment in July 2010 as a Concept Artist, and continued into 2D/3D artistry at Konami Digital Entertainment until August 2015. He then worked as a Concept Artist at Skydance Interactive from September 2016 to December 2021, followed by a role as Senior Hard Surface Concept Artist at Imagendary Studios from December 2021 to January 2023.

Bryant’s educational journey began at Laguna College of Art and Design in 2007, where he completed his Bachelor’s degree in Concept Art in 2010. He furthered his studies at the Concept Design Academy in 2009.

Mark has been working professionally for the past 15 years, primarily in game development, with projects in film, theme park design, and illustration. He has a thorough understanding of each phase of a professional concept artist’s design process, from initial thumbnail sketching to final delivery. He aims to share and leverage his extensive experience to provide students with an incredible opportunity to achieve their goals.

His career has been driven by a deep passion for image making, immersive world-building, creative problem-solving, and collaborating with talented teams to create unforgettable player experiences that resonate with audiences worldwide.

Mark thrives in collaborative environments, working closely with art directors, level designers, engineers, and 3D artists to iterate on concepts that not only look breathtaking but also support intuitive navigation and memorable moments. His approach emphasizes promoting a seamless visual experience through strong visual communication, form follows function, efficient workflows, a strong and inclusive culture, and ensuring concepts translate effectively into production while inspiring the team.

Mark’s most notable contributions include environment concept work on the award winning God of War (2018) and God of War Ragnarök series at Santa Monica Studio, where he helped shape iconic realms such as the Lake of Nine vistas, Mountain summits, Jotunheim interiors, and various Svartalfheim and Vanaheim locations. These projects honed his ability to design visually stunning, narrative-driven environments that seamlessly integrate gameplay, lore, and emotional impact. Prior roles, including at Crystal Dynamics on Rise of the Tomb Raider, further strengthened his expertise in crafting diverse, atmospheric worlds from icy Byzantine caves to sprawling Russian hubs.