Dave Tully   

Character Animation \ Cinematic Storytelling \ Realtime Entertainment              

dtullyanimation.com                                                                                                             

dtullyanimation@gmail.com                                                                                                                                  

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Summary

Character animator with a passion for cinematic storytelling through immersive character and creature performances. Proven leader and collaborator in animation direction through supporting agile teams in bridging technology with dynamic animation engagement across cinematic, games, realtime and interactive media experiences for a wide range of styles.

 

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Skills / Tools / Workflows

• Extensive experience in keyframe animation for cinematic engagement and real-time gameplay:

  • Character emote and VO acting, shot setup and layout, gameplay cycles, action performances, shot staging, blockouts and cinematic camera flow

• State machine, blend tree systems and character visual scripting for cinematic, gameplay interactive animation for both with and without root translation:

  • Unreal Engine (Control Rig, Sequencer, Animation Blueprints, Blendspaces) , Unity (Mechanim, Timeline, Cinemachine), Maya (Control Rig, Anim Layers, Time Editor) Live Link, Perforce

• Rigging and setup for hand keyed, motion capture retargeting for full-body, hand and facial performance and game content scalability:

  • Motion editing via Maya HIK, mGear Framework, Movella Xcens, Manus, Move AI, Live Link real-time workflows

• Adept in industry standard character content design and development tools:

  • Maya, Metahumans workflows, Substance Painter, ZBrush, Adobe Creative Suite

• Pre-production for concept, storyboarding, character design, pre-viz and rapid prototyping 

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Experience​​

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Animation Lead

Studio Gerrard – Remote Global Team | May 2025 – Present

• Direct all animation and character development for gameplay and in-game cinematic cut scenes for an unannounced title

• Establish scalable character content pipelines and conceptual previs for gameplay animation and cinematics

• Collaborate with directorship in conceptualizing character designs, stylization and narrative story

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Animation Director, Creative Lead                                                                                                                                     

The Motion Shop – San Diego, CA | Feb 2018 – Present

• Provide animation direction, hand keyed, motion capture integration, rapid prototyping, feature previz and character workflow across gameplay, real-time cinematic, and interactive projects for a broad range of clients including : Zynga, Sketchy, Wild Life

• Guide preproduction through to final implementation with a focus on emotionally driven character performances in a wide range of styles and experiences

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Lead Animator

Eyes Out – Remote Global Team | Nov 2021 – December 2024                                                                                                                 

• Animation lead for Sleep Awake, upcoming survival horror game focused on narrative, atmosphere and emotional tension

• Developed animation pipelines to support real-time storytelling and character engagement

 

Lead Animator, Technical Animator​

Jam City - Carlsbad, CA | Apr 2019 – Jun 2021                                                                                                                                                             

• Animation direction on gameplay, cinematics and character content development for all games

• Developed prototype for HDTV meta game

• Helped refactor and scale Unity-based pipelines for evolving IP

• Shipped:

  • ​Cookie Jam 

  • ​Cookie Jam Blast 

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Lead Animator, 3D / 2D Artist​

Zynga - Carlsbad, CA | January 2012 – April 2019                                                                                                                                                                  

• Led cinematic and in-game animation across multiple high-profile franchises

• Key contributor to rapid prototyping, playable demos and new IP incubation​​

• Shipped:

  • Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

  • Game of Thrones: Slots 

  • Wonka’s World of Candy

  • Wizard of Oz: Magic Match

  • Farmville: Harvest Swap

  • Ninja Kingdom

  • Bubble Safari and others

  • Bubble Safari Ocean​

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3D Shot Animator (Contract)

Motion Logic Studios - Los Angeles, CA | October 2011 – December 2011                                                                                                                                                         

• Staging, pre-viz and animation shot polish to character animations on a feature release for Warner Bros

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Lead Animator, 3D Artist, Game Designer​

Limbic Software - Palo Alto, CA | July 2010 – January 2012                                                                                                                                                                    

• Led animation and co-designed two top-selling mobile titles

• Directed animation across gameplay, UI, trailers, and promotional media

• Developed visual identity and animation systems to support long-term live service

• Shipped:

  • Zombie Gunship

  • Nuts!​​​

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Lead Animator, Prototype Lead Artist, Co-inventor

Wowwee International - Carlsbad, CA | April 2008 – July 2011                                                                                                                                                             ​

• Art and animation lead on conceptual product development and AR applications

• Co-inventor on multiple interactive toy lines, combining physical play with digital features

• Created previsualization, 2D concepts, and promotional content for launches

• Shipped:

  • Paper Jamz / Paper Jamz Pro (Toy of the Year 2010)​

  • AppGear AR Mobile App Series: Alien Jailbreak, Zombie Burbz

  • Roborover RX line

  • Lightstrike Laser Tag line

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Senior Animator,  3D Artist

​​​​Concrete Games / THQ - Carlsbad, CA | November 2005 – February 2008                                                                                                                                                   

• In-game and cinematic character animator on flagship product Revolución

• Character animation support for HUD select on Saints Row II (Volition, THQ)

• Character animation gameplay prototyping and vertical slice development​

• Shipped:

  • Saints Row II

  • Homefront (from Revolución prototype)

 

​Senior Animator, Senior Artist​​​

Midway Home Entertainment – San Diego, CA | April 2005 – November 2005

• In-game and cinematic character animation for Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows (PS2, Xbox, GameCube)

• Managed character setup, modeling, and rigging for multiple platforms

• Shipped:

  • Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows​

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Lead Cinematic Animator

High Moon Studios - Carlsbad, CA | July 2003 – March 2005   

• Cinematic animation lead

• In-game and cinematic character animation, character setup, rigging direction

• Shipped:​

  • Darkwatch

  • Invasion LA (Unreleased Demo)

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Senior Animator \ 2D \ 3D Artist​​

Rockstar San Diego\ Angel Studios - Carlsbad, CA | February 2000 – July 2003                                                                                                                                   

• Character animation, modeling, and conceptual art for multiple titles

• Contributed to both gameplay systems and cinematic sequences

• Shipped:​

  • Red Dead Revolver

  • Transworld Surf

  • Rebirth: Oni II (Unreleased demo)​​​

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Featured Launched And Upcoming Game Links:                             

                                                                                                 🎮 Sleep Awake   

               🎮 Darkwatch                                                     🎮 Red Dead Revolver                              🎮 Saints Row 2

            🎮 Zombie Gunship                                      🎮 Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells             🎮 Game of Thrones: Slots 🎮                        🎮Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows                                 🎮 Wonka's World Of Candy                         🎮 Ninja Kingdom

                                                                                                 🎮 Transworld Surf                   

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​Early Career / 2D Animation Experience 

2D Character Animator / Storyboard Artist / Background Artist

Wild Brain, Inc. – San Francisco, CA | 1996 – 1998

• Created expressive hand-drawn animation for commercial and television projects, integrating traditional and digital workflows

• Focused on character performance, gesture, and visual storytelling across short-form narrative content

• Worked closely with directors and storyboard teams to shape tone, pacing, and emotion

2D Animator / Assistant Animator

Colossal Pictures – San Francisco, CA | 1994 – 1996

• Contributed to broadcast IDs, music videos, and high-profile advertising campaigns as an assistant animator and clean-up artist

• Developed a strong foundation in animation timing, appeal, and stylized movement

• Exposure to early multimedia formats and hybrid production pipelines

 

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