Shawn Van Briesen

shawn@empusa.com

(612) 720-7164

Skills Summary

•  18+ years of professional experience including work in Entertainment, Business-to-Business, Advertising, Education, Theater, Film and Television

• Proven ability to immediately grasp ideas and effectively communicate concepts with original, compelling copy and images

• Power user mastery of all major design software including Photoshop, Quark, Illustrator, Director and Flash

• Working knowledge of HTML, CSS, XML and Non-linear editing

• Inexhaustible commitment to finding solutions that generate results

Professional Experience

Allen Interactions, St. Paul, MN

Senior Media Designer 2004-2006

I direct, design and implement computer based training modules for corporate clients. I manage teams of media and development people. I also function as the client’s main point of contact.

Duties: Duties included designing learning paradigms and interactions and the direct implementation of custom graphics.

VBI Studios, Laguna Niguel, CA

Director/Animator 1997-2004

I created over 75 animated cartoons designed for web delivery. I streamlined the creation processes, and as a result, cut production time in half while increasing revenues by fifty percent.  I also produced computer based training modules for major corporations, including State Farm, 3M and Cox Communications Inc.

Duties: Designing learning paradigms and interactions and the implementation of custom graphics.  Wrote, animated, colored, programmed and provided voice-over talent of web-based cartoons.

The Human Element, San Francisco, CA

Media Designer, 1995-1997

I was chosen by the company to create an adjunct office in San Francisco. I designed and implemented computer based training modules for corporate clients, and was also their main point of contact.

Duties: Duties included anticipating client needs, designing learning paradigms and interactions, and the implementation of custom graphics.

Area Seven, Minneapolis, MN

Art Director/Producer 1998-2001

At Area Seven, I conceptionalized, produced and art directed industrial videos, music videos, and commercials in conjunction Greatapes Media Corporation. The highlight of my time at Area Seven certainly includes the anti-gang video Gang Green, which I art directed and co-produced. Although intended for the Minneapolis school district only, Attorney General Janet Reno picked it up for distribution throughout our nation’s high schools.

Duties: Produced, production designed, and art directed on tight deadlines and shoestring budgets. Designed and implemented video and 3D graphics. 

Related Experience

Animator, Minneapolis, MN

Various Companies, 1990 – 2004

I have created traditional (hand drawn) world class animation for television spots and various animation companies including Mike Jones Film Corp., Reelworks, Gav Productions, Mercury Zeitgeist, Marvel Productions, and Warner Bros. My duties included direction, animation, assistant animation, lip syncing, timing, character design, storyboarding, and ink and paint.

Writer/ Artist, Minneapolis, MN

Various Companies, 1987 – Present

I have been instrumental in the creation of comic books, cartoons, screenplays, and commercial art for various companies since 1987, including Baytide Films, Image, Marvel and Caliber comics, as well as many other major corporations.

Art Director, Mallrats, Minneapolis, MN  1995

I assumed the role of Art Director on Kevin Smith’s 1995 film Mallrats, when the original Art Director was called away on a family emergency. I conceived and managed the backgrounds and settings for all aspects of the film. I utilized my local contacts to manage the art department’s limited assets and bring the film in on time and under budget.

User Interface Design Consultant, Minneapolis, MN 

Various Companies 1997-1999

I have created content and GUI design for various web sites in Minneapolis and Atlanta. Examples include:

E M P U S A

Portfolio

Education

Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, MN 2005

The First College that allows students to create a Bachelors degree based on life and professional experience. My focus is on instructional design, media, marketing and communications with a Minor in theater

School of Communication Arts, Minneapolis, MN  1995

3D computer animation / Multimedia Interactive Production

Minneapolis Community College, Minneapolis, MN 1988

Commercial art, advertising, and theater

Film in the Cities, Minneapolis, MN  1987

Filmmaking .

Personal Information

In 1968 I took up a drawing pencil for the first time after a particularly thrilling episode of the original Batman television series. This in effect created an ongoing interest in comic books, but more profoundly, an interest in art.

Over the years I have developed an eclectic taste in many differing art forms. But I knew early on in my life that Commercial Art was my calling. I figured if I wanted to be a fine artist, I would have become a waiter.

During my down time I enjoy surfing, biking and spending time with my family. My long-term goals include buying a 1957 Thunderbird convertible for my father, surfing Waimaia Bay at least once, and becoming a flash-in-the-pan teen idol in the tradition of Shaun Cassidy.

*References, reel and portfolio available upon request.