JOSEPH SHOOPACK
DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT
jshoopack@gmail.com
I’m an Art Manager and Director with extensive experience in development of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (Virtual Worlds) and live content creation. My field of experience is diverse and includes: Artist management, Art Direction, creating training and mentoring programs, building successful teams, enhancing player/user experience, managing outsource relationships, and cross department communication.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Pixelmage Games, ART DIRECTOR, 2015- present
Art Director for Hero’s Song, overseeing art development and creating 2d game assets for rogue-like fantasy action RPG.
The Art Institutes, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, 2015-Present
Adjunct Professor of Game Art and Design; Teaching game prototyping and team production.
Working with student teams to guide their creation and development of original playable game demos in commercial game engines.
Advising and mentoring students preparing to enter the profession of video games
Sony Online Entertainment, DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT, 1999-2015
Work with our Art Directors and art staff of 100 plus creating Massively Multiplayer Online Games. Responsible for the development and growth of artists. Oversee art development, facilitate pipeline solutions, and maintain high art quality and user experience across all titles. Manage relationships and workflow with outsource partners. Develop company art initiatives.
- Developed and oversee an internal training program for artists to improve and broaden skill sets, shape career growth paths, and foster mentoring.
- Developed the SOE Mentor program which provides professional game development mentoring to students and uses SOE game titles as course curriculum.
- Worked with our e-Commerce team to develop the SOE Player Studio program allowing players to create and submit User Generated Content for SOE game titles.
- Establish and manage academic partnerships. I serve on the Curriculum Advisory Committee for the Art Institute of California San Diego, Laguna College of Art and Design, Platt College, and speak frequently at colleges and game conferences.
- Managed relationships and workflow with multiple outsource partners for 3d assets, animation, and other assets across various titles.
- Responsible for titles developed at multiple SOE Studios on several platforms: PC, PlayStation 3 and 4, Facebook, and PSP. Our most recent titles are: EverQuest Next, Landmark, H1Z1, PlanetSide 2; and expansion content for DC Universe Online, EverQuest, and EverQuest II.
- Recruited new talent from Senior to entry level.
- Participated in building our gaming communities through company events and online engagement.
- Previously with SOE, Served as Studio Art Director – San Diego; Art Director for EverQuest II and its expansion content, and Associate Art Director for Star Wars Galaxies.
Sony Interactive / 989 Studios, SENIOR ARTIST, 1997-1999
Responsibilities included: creation and editing of models, motion capture animation, and collaborating on game design for the online title GameDay ’99 PC.
Blue Sky Software / SEGA of America, LEAD ARTIST / GAME DEVELOPER, 1989-1997
Managed the art team, responsible for the creation of game and level designs, tile-based backgrounds, animation, and other art assets.
Titles included: Ariel “The Little Mermaid”, Jurassic Park, Shadowrun, Technoclash, Ren and Stimpy: Stimpy’s Invention, Looney Tunes: Desert Demolition, College Football’s National Championship I and II, World Series Baseball titles, and Total Control Football. Also worked as artist on several Atari 7800 titles.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Josten’s Learning Corporation, LEAD ARTIST
Managed art team. Created character designs, illustration, and animation. Participated in production of a variety of educational software curriculum including Dragon Tales, and Compton’s Encyclopedia.
Freelance, ARTIST / ILLUSTRATOR
Editorial illustrations for various newspapers, and magazine articles and covers
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
IGDA
ACM Siggraph
EDUCATION
Brigham Young University: Bachelor of Fine Arts – Illustration
Joe Shoopack 
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