Paola Soriano
Role: Producer/3D Modeler
Paola did her undergrad in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, where she specialized in control systems, robotics and Mechatronics. Her theoretical knowledge has been reinforced by practical applications in her work at a Nuclear Power Plant, a micro-injection molding lab and the Canadian theme park: Canada’s Wonderland. Her interest in studying engineering came from her childhood dream of being a Disney Imagineer. She is a strong believer that both science and art can be brought together to create new immersive experiences that tell a story. Paola hopes to work for an entertainment company where she is able to combine her strong technical and creative skills. She also has a passion for writing and can be found carrying a journal wherever she goes for those spur-of-the-moment sparks of the imagination!!!
Kan Dong
Role: Producer/ 2D Artist
Graduated from Communication University of China, majoring in TV Editing and Directing. In those 4 years, she immersed herself in the visually communication world, while concentrated in story telling and television program directing. Her rich work experience contributes and inspires greatly to her research in entertainment media. She realized modern techniques in sound, image, text, and video create an infinite interactive maze, where art and science intertwine and interact with each other. Now that she comes to ETC, with the dream to refresh everyone’s media experiences, she will do her best to continue her passion for interactive entertainment!
Maria Tartaglia
Role: 2D Artist
Maria Tartaglia’s life revolves around finding things that hold her attention for more than 10min, or at least 2. If she had to fill out a questionnaire about her hobbies it would look something like this: She likes games where she can destroy people, music, anywhere where she can look at running water or the beach, Water Polo, being artsy and getting her creativity into something, and television that excels at being really bad. She also likes good TV, but finds that’s harder to find free on the internet. She lives right now in Pittsburgh, PA with 3 interesting roommates and her adorable dwarf hamster Griswald (don’t tell her landlord).
Chengfu Chen
Role: 3D Modeler/Animator
Chengfu is an artist and graphic researcher. He loves math, violin, visual arts and pets. His research interests are GPU computing and user interface for animation system.
www.dourabbit.com visit my website to follow my newest research.
Noah Alzayer
Role: 3D Modeler/Animator
Born in Pennsylvania and raised halfway in Saudi Arabia and Ohio, Noah has been seriously interested in the potential of the Digital Arts since he played Metal Gear Solid as a child. Growing up in an artistic family, he was exposed from an early age to theater and the arts. After playing around and dabbling in acting, programming and traditional art, he got in to 3D art and got hooked. After graduating from Vinton County High school in Ohio, he enrolled at Savannah College of Art and Design. He graduated in June 2011 with a B.F.A in Animation with a Minor in Character Technical Direction. After graduating, he hopes to go in to the Animation, Game or VSFX industry as a Rigger or Modeler.
Mohit Sadhu
Role: Web/Branding/Sound
Always loved playing video games. Therefore, decided to pursue my career in making them. Love brainstorming, finding solutions and being in the center zone of creativity. With the background in computers, looking forward to expand my horizon in game designing.
Meng Zhang
Role: 3D Modeler/Animator
I’m an artist with technical background. Completed my under-graduation in mechanical engineering from Tsinghua University. During that time, I did a lot of interesting things like designing a robot, creating energy saving vehicle,etc. I gradually found that I have special interest not only in the mechanical world but also in the virtual world. I also enjoy telling a story through the virtual skills which spurred me to learn different tools like Maya. It would be amazing if we could combine technology and art, and I found out that I’m like a crazy child who wants to explore the world. It was then I decided to learn animation and special effects. After graduation, I enrolled in Entertainment Technology Center, Carnegie Mellon University to pursue my dream. I really enjoy life here since I learnt how to cooperate with other teammates in a project.
Steven Jones
Role: Sound/ Story
Steven, a displaced Okie in the wilds of Pittsburgh, is a superior being comprised mostly of star-stuff, dreams, and H2O. He is secretly a super-hero at night that fights evil in an alternate dimension as his body sleeps in this one. He can communicate with animals, but animals think he’s an idiot and have stopped talking to him. He is a Taurus and loves long walks on nude beaches.
To learn more about Steven and view his resume visit: http://stevenwjones.wordpress.com/
