Program Advisory Committee
Mark Pullyblank is one of our most successful VanArts graduates and keeps in touch with us as a mentor and advisory board member. He has worked as an animator for Rainmaker Entertainment and Frantic Films in Vancouver, WETA Digital in New Zealand (as a senior layout technical director on James Cameron's Avatar), Sony Imageworks, and his current position as animation director for Goldtooth Creative. His other lead and supervisory animation credits include The Smurfs, Garfield, Dr. Dolittle 3, Stargate:Atlantis, Elektra, Night at the Museum, Blades of Glory, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Watchmen and many other projects.
Jason Dowdeswell is known for his major contributions on blockbuster hits such as Twilight, Salt and Night at the Museum. He has worked in many studios including Rainmaker, Boss Film, CIS Vancouver and has had a diverse career in the film industry. He is currently the Head of Image Engine Vancouver and actively involved in the Visual Effects community, both locally and abroad.
Koen Vroeijenstijn brings over a decade of experience and knowledge to his role as a program advisory committee member. After starting his own effects studio in Amsterdam and working on European features and shorts for 8 years, his career took him to Guerrilla Games working on the successful PS3 game Killzone 2. Next Koen moved to the US and contributed effects to Kung Fu Panda, Megamind, Monsters vs. Aliens, Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians for Dreamworks Animation. Currently he is re-located to Vancouver as Lead Technical Director at Image Engine.
Shawn Dunn, an engineer by training, is Head of Layout and Animation Technologies at WETA Digital, and has worked on Oscar-winning blockbuster feature films such as Avatar, King Kong and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Shawn also worked on the Oscar-winning short Ryan, and is the author of the best-selling book Learning Maya: MEL Fundamentals.
