Robin Richesson

Freelance Storyboard Artist/Illlustrator at Robin Richesson

May 19, 2014, Robin managed Jon directly

 

• Jon is a dedicated instructor who works well with others and cares about his students. He makes a valuable contribution to our Animation Program at CSULB, and has vast industry experience that he brings to the classroom.

 

 

 

Victor Corbera

Creative Director at Corbera Creative

December 9, 2010, Victor was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon is an excellent 3D artist and I always appreciated the ease of working with him. He was an integral part of our team and in helping to make the Bionicle Series a success.

 

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Billy Jones

EDITOR "THE VOICE"​ - Season 12 at NBC

September 5, 2008, Billy managed Jon directly

 

 

I have worked with Jon on and off for almost 10 years now. I have hired him first as a CG artist and then Technical Director while working for the Krislin Company. During this time we worked very closely on the Universal television series Sitting Ducks and development of multiple other properties. Since then I have worked together with Jon numerous times on multiple projects as the owner of 310 Studios. Jon's skill set is very deep and he is an incredible asset to have on any team. Jon's experience with pipelines ranging from very small to the very large and complex make him a first choice for us when looking for talent. I have nothing but the highest regard for Jon both as person and an artist.

 

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Seth Hurwitz, MFA

Owner at Music Scribe

June 12, 2007, Seth was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon is incredibly talented CG artist, easy to work with and completely reliable. The work he did on our feature project exceeded our expectations. I look forward to working with him again.

 

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Richard Barsby

Managing Director, Skyline IFE

June 7, 2007, Richard was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon worked as part of a small team producing a 3D animated safety video as a td/rigger and texture artist. He was a hard working multiskilled team member, developing character rigs in association with the animator and texturing the props/aircraft interior. Jon has that rare quality of staying patient when faced with mounting delays and unexpected technical difficulties on a project - he stays calm, goes that extra mile and thinks up a solution. The client was very pleased with the final video.

 

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Craig Russo

Flame Artist / Creative Editor

February 23, 2007, Craig was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon is an all around super talent. From modeling to texturing to lighting to rigging. He knows it al,l does it all, and consitently blows me away with just how talented he is. On top of that he is very easy to get along with and a very hard worker, always meeting deadlines. 

The last project I hired him for was to create an animated character that needed to live in a live action world and he did, seemlessly. I always look foward to working with him again.

Craig Russo
Vfx Supervisor
310 Studios

 

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Frank Lama

Senior Instructional Design Consultant/Video Producer

February 23, 2007, Frank was a client of Jon’s

 

 

We first hired Jon when we were developing Maya Animation Model for my feature film, SWARM of the SNAKEHEAD, a 16mm Creature Comedy. He supervised the digitizing of our practical 3D model to fantastic results then brilliantly created all the assets required for a fully rigged, multifaceted, superb 3D model of our practical.

The results were fantastic.

Once he created out "monster" he was asked to create several animation scenerios based on storyboards and his consultations. Not only is he technically superior he has a fine sense of characterization for his creations, comedy and the ability to make his characters "act" he is timely, collaborative and commited to a stellar job.

He essentially breathed life and a personality into his creation.

Without Jon's creative and technical artistry our film would not have had the professional "hollywood" touch in it's animation sequences it now has thanks to him.

I would recommend Jon for any Maya based character creation and animation work and value his skills and integrity and commitment to the project immensely.

I honestly can't recommend him highly enough.

Cheers,

Frank A. Lama
Producer
Ten Pound Films
443-362-0130

 

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Bernie Wempe

Owner at Repliscans

February 23, 2007, Bernie managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon was a great help to us for the short time we worked together.
Highly recommendable!

 

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DUANE LOOSE

Creative Leadership | Product + Process Innovation | Design Visualization

February 22, 2007, DUANE was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon worked with Creative Capers on a pre-production video for Electronic Arts' Command and Conquer franchise. One of the many things that I enjoyed about Jon is that I could trust him completely. His work was always polished to an excellent level. Basically, whatever the assignment was he "nailed" it on the first try. Great personality and a very warm sense of humor. I recommend Jon for great all around CG work.

Duane Loose

 

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Paul McIntyre

Martial Arts Teacher

January 10, 2007, Paul was a client of Jon’s

 

 

Jon helped me design my company logo and to put it into a graphical format I use for all my media. It is one of the most critical aspects of any business and his creativity and professionalism showed in delivering exactly what I had asked for and then some. I would highly recommend him.

 

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Aron Halil

Director - Experiential Marketing

February 24, 2017, Aron managed Jon directly

 

 

It's hard to articulate how invaluable Jon was to the evolution of DAQRI, but I'll try! I had the pleasure of working with Jon for three years, creating interactive Augmented Reality (AR) content for mobile, desktop and DAQRI's proprietary hardware applications. 

Jon brings an extensive and rare knowledge to any creative project or
group, having worked in 2D, 3D and 4D design and expanding his skill set as technologies and approaches to storytelling evolve. 

It is because of Jon’s 3D modeling and creative expertise that some of the most coveted IP from our client and partner companies, including but not limited to Activision, Crayola, Disney, Mattel and Illumination Entertainment have been brought to life in AR, in many cases for the very first time. Jon was also intimately involved in the creation of branded content for DAQRI’s marketing and product pursuits for the Smart Helmet, Smart Glasses and Holographic HUD.

In addition to his talents as an artist Jon is dedicated, dependable and just plain fun to work with! His artistic instincts and passion for emerging technology make him an exceptional addition to any creative project or team.

 

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Jack Cheng

Animation Technician at Pixar Animation Studios

February 19, 2017, Jon worked with Jack in the same group

 

 

I have had the pleasure of working closely with Jon at Daqri. For rigging, it's always a pleasure when you receive models with topologies that are carefully thought out, with articulation targets that blends seamlessly. When you start with clean topologies, it really saves everyone times, money, and frustration. Jon is one of the best modelers I've worked with. He clearly understands anatomy, topology flow, and rigging. Because we were dealing with scanned meshes, Jon's ability to quickly make sense out of utter chaos (triangulated meshes) was absolutely critical to getting the projects done on time, and on budget. The meshes that Jon provided were not only highly efficient, but most importantly, retained each actors and actresses key facial features. Not a single quad wasted! Absolutely A+!

 

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Justin Miller

Engineering Manager, Data Science at Clicktripz

February 17, 2017, Justin managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon is always a pleasure to work with, as easy as they come. He is team-focused, takes instruction and feedback well, and helps everyone feel good about they work they are doing. When the need came to scale up and bring on a few extra workers, Jon had the connections and leadership skills to grow and run the team with ease. I never had to worry about work being on-time and of excellent quality. Thanks Jon!

 

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Edwin Fong

Visual Development Artist

February 15, 2017, Jon worked with Edwin in the same group

 

 

Jon and I worked together on the production team at Daqri. As senior modeler Jon brought to the table not just expert 3D modeling, but he also contributed his artistic vision, and technical direction for all the projects we worked on. On top of being a great guy and team player, I could always count on my concept designs to look even better when Jon brings them to life in 3D. I would recommend Jon for any team that is interested in his vast array of services.

 

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Sei Nakashima

Creative Director at Mattel, Inc.

May 22, 2014, Jon worked with Sei in the same group

 

 

Jon is a highly skilled and experienced modeler who takes directions very well and can solve problems of any size. His knowledge expands well into other areas of CG and IT.

 

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Brad Hendricks

CEO at Blind Squirrel Entertainment Inc.

February 16, 2017, Brad managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon was instrumental in helping Blind Squirrel Games finish our project. He is super talented and extremely ambidextrous as an Artist. He would be a great addition to any team.

 

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Mark Krentz

Senior VFX Artist on Star Trek Discovery

December 19, 2010, Mark managed Jon directly

 

 

I had the pleasure of supervising Jon at SPI on Hotel Transylvania. His can-do attitude, flexibility, and knowledge of the craft made him a very valuable asset to our team. He understands the needs of production making him an artist that needed very little supervision. I could always trust his judgement. I highly recommend Jon and look forward to working with him in the future.

 

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Luis Villanueva

Production Data Manager at DreamWorks Animation

December 14, 2010, Luis managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon is a strong modeler and was a great help on "Hotel Transylvania". He came on the movie halfway through production to assist the modeling team in outputting the inventory the backend departments so desperately needed, both characters and environments. He is professional, mindful of production goals/deadline, and easy to manage, which is always appreciated. Thus, I would definitely recommend him.

 

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Joe DiLallo

Senior Rigger at Riot Games

December 8, 2010, Joe worked with Jon in different groups

 

 

Jon was a great modeler to work with on Hotel T... he was one of the few people that actually took the time to stop by and talk out problems in person, which helped get issues sorted out very quickly. Of course when rigging it is key to have clean models to work with, and Jon definitely delivered. He also was very open to any suggestions or changes that other departments required and didn't take things too personally. Overall I enjoyed working with Jon very much!

 

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Peter Nofz

VFX Supervisor

November 15, 2010, Peter was senior to Jon but didn’t manage directly

 

 

Jon did a great job for us on Hotel Transylvania, modeling environments, props and characters, with very tight deadlines.

 

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John Park

Maker at Adafruit Industries

December 14, 2010, John managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon is a very good modeler, and a great guy to work with. He's reliable, hard-working, and would make a great member of any modeling department.

 

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Henry Darnell

Artist

February 13, 2011, Henry managed Jon directly

 

 

I met Jon when he joined the PEPFAR modeling team at Warner Bros..
He brings an artistic eye, technical know-how and a positive attitude to everything he does.
Jon is professional, collaborative and a pleasure to work with. I look forward to working with him again.
Your project will benefit from his experience, creativity and ability.

 

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Graham D. Clark

Producer. Consultant freelance as: Stereo Supervisor, Stereographer / CG VFX Supervisor

December 20, 2010, Graham D. managed Jon directly

 

 

Jon brought a wealth of modeling techniques to the project and adapted with ease to our special requirements given the alternative artistic direction and abstract look dev. He was great to have around, I confidently recommend Jon to any studio.

 

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Jennifer Williams

3d Modeling

December 9, 2008, Jon worked with Jennifer in the same group

 

 

Jon is not only a great modeler but he exemplifies what a team player
is. He is a dedicated to his craft and he has a good attitude. I enjoyed working with him.

 

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Samuel Michlap

CONCEPT DESIGNER AT CBS STUDIOS

August 16, 2008, Samuel managed Jon directly

 

 

I would like to recommend Jon Finch as one of the most talented and professional Artists I have had the great fortune to work with.
Jon was one of our Visual Development artists within the Art Department on Imagi's second Feature Animated Film, "Astro Boy." He was one of our lead designers using both CG and traditional means and I was constantly amazed at how varied Jon's skills are. He is extremely proficient in CG but can also create very strong Traditional sketches to help realize designs. Jon was always self motivating and very thorough with every assignment. 
On Astro Boy, we had the opportunity to truly combine both Traditional 2D art and CG art into one and Jon helped make this new process a huge success. As a person Jon was a pleasure to be around and he was a source of inspiration for myself and others.
I can't speak highly enough of Jon and it is my sincere belief that he would be a valuable asset to any studio. I know hundreds of artists within the Animation Industry and Jon Finch is among the best I know. I consider myself very lucky to have worked with him.

Sam Michlap

Production Designer.

 

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Jake Rowell

Director / Art Director

August 9, 2008, Jake was a client of Jon’s

 

 

When the Production Designer and I first sat down to put together a team of artist for a hybrid art department, Jon was one of the first people I thought of for the CG-design aspect of the team. I worked with him in the past and remembered him to be a multi-faceted artist. Jon is very self-motivated and enthusiastic about his profession, and possesses many strengths, both artistic and technical. His position on "Astro Boy" was special in that we came to consider him our "X-Factor" guy because we had many look development technical assets that needed the kind of attention that Jon's expertise provided. With Jon I knew I could assign him a project and it would be done to the highest level within the time allowed. Jon also helped with RnD for early hair and cloth designs and could always be counted on to give fresh perspective on any artwork/designs. I look forward to working with him again on future projects.

 

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Josh Book

Art Director / Animation Director

July 21, 2008, Josh was senior to Jon but didn’t manage directly

 

 

Jon is a highly skilled character TD, and he’s a joy to work with. He’s got a great attitude and years of varied experience to draw from. He did some really complicated character setup when he was with my department and had great ideas. I hired Jon at Nickelodeon and I’d be happy to work with him in the future.

 

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Steven Melchiorre

VFX Producer at Zoic Studios

August 11, 2008, Steven managed Jon directly

 

 

While I only worked with Jon for a short time, his positive attitude towards the project and solid 3D skills were a refreshing change on an otherwise tense production.

 

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Woody Yocum

Director / Animator

December 8, 2010, Jon worked with Woody in the same group

 

 

Jon Finch mentored me in 3D and I will always appreciate all that he taught me. To clearly see the production priorities and to intuitively what problems must be solved first to to keep a production operating smoothly is abilities very few artist possess.Jon marries this with a wonderful aesthetic to make the most of every design element. I use many things that I learned from Jon every day in supervising two 3D series here at GIMC, 'Pom Pom and Friends' and 'Cloud Bread' (which just received an ANNIE nomination for Best Childrens Programme). I will always be gratefully for the education and guidance he has given me.
Best Wishes! 
Woody

 

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Gary Selvaggio

Executive Producer

August 2, 2008, Gary managed Jon directly

 

Great designer & production guy. Jon had a knack for anticipating what I wanted and yet gave it all a wonderful spin of his own. I'd love to work with him again.