C L I F F  G A R B U T T
310 - 2511 Quebec St., Vancouver, BC, Canada V5T 0B6.
778-680-2488 | cliffgarbutt@gmail.com
https://www.cganim8tion.com
 
Profile
Long & varied career in the CG animation Industry with experience spanning commercial and broadcast animation, cartoon series work, games as well as motion picture special effects. Entrusted to animate and direct the animation of many of Disney’s flagship characters, from Winnie the Pooh to Buzz Lightyear, Nemo, and to Snow White and the Disney Princesses. Recently returned home after 10 years abroad building a successful company in China, seeking new opportunities and challenges in the booming Vancouver market. Emmy winner; co-recipient - BDA Award. Considerable digital animation industry experience
Positions held
  • Director
  • Animation Director
  • Animation Supervisor
  • Artistic Director
  • Story Development
  • Lead Animator
  • Scene Setup
  • Technical Director
  • Special Effects Director
  • Lead Modeling
  •  Rigging 
Software
  • Maya, XSI, Z-Brush, Renderman, V-ray, Mental Ray, Arnold. Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator, Artrage, Manga Studio, After Effects, Premier, Vegas, Nuke.
Skills & Experience  
  • Storyboarding, illustration, character design
  • Directing
  • Lead animation | animation director | animation  supervisor
  • Supervision of full-scale animation productions, edits and visual effects projects
  • Writing & developing screenplays & game design documents
  • 4 years of experience with traditional animation - cel, drawn, and clay
Achievements & Awards
  • X-Box Asia: Development Prize for “The Lost Continent of Terrapin” Game design, Taiwan
  • National Emmy award for Graphic Design - Superbowl XXIV Open - CBS
  • Broadcast Designers Association award for Best Design for an Industrial Promo: Vertigo Reel
  • Selected as one of North America's Top Videographic Artists - Videography Magazine,                                     
  • Cover design for Millimeter Magazine's SIGGRAPH animation issue
  • Created Canada’s 1st digitally created postage stamp celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the CBC,
  • Fine Art Exhibition of Digital Art at the Burnaby Art Gallery 

EXPERIENCE
Digital Animator / Director - Leap Creative Group - Animation Division                                                                                                    2016 - Present
 I am currently involved in a small company on a part-time basis animating in-house episodes for Leap and directing outsourced work to Shanghai. These productions are 2D episodic character animations and motion graphics series for clients' such as the CDSBC, Merc Canada, and the COTBC.

Director, Producer, Co-Writer, Producer - Wuhan Digital Media, Wuhan, China                                                                                            2006 - 2015 
Responsible for overseeing and directing all major animation projects produced by the   company, as well as producing and directing all outsourced work​
Selected projects:
Director - Wuhan Digital Media
  • ‘Baza Baza’ - Animated sci-fi adventure children’s series for the Chinese market
  • ‘Pig Bodi’ - 24 episode 3D children’s cartoon series for the Chinese market
Director / Producer - Camp Motion Pictures, Hollywood, CA
  • FX for ‘Trippin’ - Feature film
Director - Caricature & Character Animation - So! Animation, NY
  •  ‘I Want Your Money’ - Feature film
  • ‘Time Travel Academy’ - Children’s series, 4 episodes
Producer/Director, FX & Animation - Lava Studios Miami, FL
  • ‘Green Hornet’ - commercial
  • ‘Miami Subs’ - commercial
Writer / Director - WDM, CN | Semper Entertainment, LA
  • '7 Celsius' - screenplay and movie trailer
Associate Professor  -   Hua Zhong Normal University, Wuhan, China                                                                                                                   2009 - 2015  Duties included presentations and lectures on animation and the animation industry. Also lectured at other major universities in Wuhan and throughout China.

Animation Instructor  -   College of Interactive Arts, Vancouver, BC. Canada                                                                                                        2002-2005
Duties: Taught Maya 1, Maya 2, Maya 3, modeling, character design and animation.
 
Producer | Partner  | Animator | Director - Dimension-X Entertainment, Vancouver, BC.                                                                              2002 - 2005
Responsible for managing and directing a team of modelers and animators in the production of service animation and modeling contracts for interactive computer games and interfacing with clients. My duties included:

  • Games Disney/Pixar ‘Finding Nemo’ - ‘Digimon’ -Disney’s ‘Royal Horse Show’
  • Game play character animation, polygonal modeling, digital hair setup and rigging. Clients: Inlight Entertainment - Disney Interactive -  Amaze Entertainment –
  • Developing gaming and feature film properties
 
 
Freelance Director/Editor - Client: Edward Peghin, Producer, Vancouver, BC.                                                                                                               2004
Responsible for managing and directing a remote team of 3D modelers & animators in the production of a service animation contract for an animated movie showcasing Nokia’s new ‘Rifts’ game for E3 - Maya - After Effects and gameplay for models for Atomic Betty.
 
Director/Lead Animator and Technical - Bardel Entertainment Inc., Vancouver, B.C.                                                                                  2001-2002
Worked as Director for: Disney Games: Buzz Lightyear Grades 1 and 2, and 3, and Winnie the Pooh.  Duties included:

  • Directed a team of 28 animators on a continuation of the successful Buzz Lightyear Learning Series for Disney, then Continued with Winnie the Pooh project on an hour and a half of animation in 3 months with the same crew.
  • Interactive.  Storyboarding / scene setup and animation direction, some Lead animation. Maya/After Effects
  • Lead animator and technical for ‘Zoogs’ Disney Channel characters for U.S. television,
  • Character animation utilizing Maya and a ‘Toon’ shader
  • Coordinating production workflow and direction from Disney Interactive.                        
  • Maya & ‘Toon’ shader coordinator and TD.
 
 
Prior to 2001
 
I have worked for various companies in many roles including the following:
  • Director, Artistic/Animation - Intelliscape Interactive Inc.
            Worked on Disney – ‘Buzz Lightyear Learning Grade 1, modeling and animation
  • 3D Animation Director - Sirius Animation Inc.(Series Promo)
  • Contract Animation and Consulting - Electronic Arts Canada Inc.
  • 3D Animation, Design and Consultation -Push Technologies Inc. Caricature Spoofs of the cast of ‘Seinfeld’
  • Animation / Feature Film Special FX Lead  - Motion Works Group Inc.
  • Alias Wavefront Instructor - Vancouver Film School
  • 3D Animation Dept. (Softimage / XSI) - Telepost Film and Video
  • Director of 3D Animation Dept. - Limelite Video
Limelite Duties:  Ran and developed the 3D animation department from the studio’s inception in 1987 until 1992 where I oversaw and animated national and international television commercials, opens, and events for clients included CBS NY, NBC NY, ESPN,  McCann Erickson NY, BBDO Miami, BBDO Mexico, Coke, Texaco, Pepsi, Nike, Chevrolet, Cadillac,   Exxon, Sprite, GM.
Highlite:
Emmy Award for Design -  Client CBS
 
EDUCATION:
 
Bachelor Fine Arts - Majors: Film/Video/Animation - Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, B.C. 
HIghlights:
Classical Animation 4 years; wrote, directed, animated sequences for a short independent film (‘Ronnie Goes to War’); Assistant Editor for “The Deserter” (feature film); Selected for Graduate Awards Exhibition.
 
Related Study - Majors: Graphic Design/Painting/Sculpture - Vancouver School of Art, Vancouver, BC.