Discover Top Animators / Visual Effects Artists in Oakland, California, USA

I’m a visual journalist in San Francisco. Before moving to news and documentary I worked for a decade as a commercial producer creating content for agencies like Leo Burnett, design studios like IDEO, and big brands like Google and Apple. I’ve also produced for CNN, The Washington Post, and Público, Portugal’s largest newspaper, as well. In 2022, I completed my master’s at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism after working for a decade as a commercial producer. My thesis documentary Hasta la última gota, following the fight for water and a new constitution in Chile, was published in The Intercept. The film also screened at the Mill Valley and Banff Mountain Film Festivals. I work in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

• Video Editor - Documentary
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Reporter / Journalist
• Field Producer
• TV News Producer

Owner and founder of Active Alliance creative, Jason Charles Smith got into film by sneaking his parents video camera out of the house and filming his friends and him doing stupid stunts on skateboards, bikes and the like. He started his production career in 2004 working for NBC helping with the Olympic profiles of some of America’s top athletes. From there his career took off working with the likes of NFL Films, ESPN, and The Discovery Channel to name just a few. During his years he made it a point to learn every aspect of production and post-production to make sure his talents were well-rounded. Today he loves working on documentaries telling stories of those that the world would otherwise pass by, as well as working with entities that are making the world a better place for all of us.

• Documentary DP
• Drone Operator
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Senior Editor
• Corporate Videographer

For over 10 years I have learned the ins and outs of both large and small scale video production through hard work and hands-on experience. I have built a television studio from scratch, created an entire video department from the ground up, acted as company-wide video quality control, and have seen through the creation of shows from start to finish. I have worked for startups, large corporations and for myself as a freelancer. I know what it takes to get a video production completed with the highest standards while not going overboard with budget and concept. Most importantly, I know how to delegate and use an individual’s strengths to the group’s advantage.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Creative Director
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Commercial DP
• Reporter / Journalist
• Fixer
• Production Assistant
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Documentary DP
• Production Company
• Full-Service Live Production
• Corporate Videographer

10-28-2023 was a prep day for me for SoFi Stadium shoot where I put together the VFX onset package which contained Lighting spheres, Canon Camera with 8mm fisheye lens, Nija nodal mount, tripod, base plate for lighting spheres, grip bag that had tape measures, digital level, binder with plate information sheets to be filled out for SoFi Shoot. 11-05-2023 on Set VFX Supervisor for Belmont High School Football field plate shoot for TED foreground and football player running across camera

• Animator / Visual Effects Artist

I’m Maki. I am a commercial/animation art director who currently bases in Bay Area, California. I have been working in the motion industry for over 13 years for projects: including commercials, music videos, TV packages, events, and branding for businesses that locate the US, Canada, Japan, and Taiwan.

• Motion Graphics Designer
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Video Editor - Commercial

I am a British-born motion graphics designer, video journalist, and reporter. I have credits at numerous outlets, from the New York Times, to The Guardian, to Stat News. My reporting interests center on health, the environment, and immigration.

• Motion Graphics Designer
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Video Editor - News
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• On-Air Reporter / Host
• Production Assistant
• Reporter / Journalist
• Copy Editor

• Animator / Visual Effects Artist

Chinwe Oniah is a writer, journalist and visual storyteller based in the Bay Area who has written for Pigeons and Planes, California Magazine, Blavity and others. She's currently a video producer at KQED.

• Documentary DP
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Sound Mixer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Reporter / Journalist
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Corporate Videographer
• Creative Director
• Production Assistant
• Video Editor - News
• Fixer
• Commercial DP

Hi! I’m a video producer and writer on a quest to tell new stories and to examine the accuracy and implications of established narratives. My videos, articles and audio stories have been published by Business Insider, Insider, Slate Magazine, the Orlando Sentinel, VII Foundation, The Chautauquan Daily and Dublin South FM in Ireland. Before joining Storyhunter, I worked as a video editor, producer and animator for Business Insider, where my videos received over 15 million views across YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. Some of my most recent documentary and video essay projects trace the battle surrounding a Confederate statue in a small Florida town, and the way 'Parasite' director Bong Joon-ho recycles and perfects moments from film to film. SKILLS • Adobe: Premiere, After Effects, Audition, Lightroom, Illustrator, Photoshop, Media Encoder, Prelude • Video: Pitching, research, pre-production, shooting B-roll, interviewing (reporting, audio, lighting, framing), sourcing imagery, organizing footage, scripting, narration, editing, animation, refining audio, color correction, subtitling, using CMS and Xchange, launching and growing online video series, setting and achieving views goals 
• Journalism: Video and podcast production, news and culture reporting and writing, still photography and editing, writing captions, leading and organizing production teams
 RECOGNITION • 2020 NPR Kroc Finalist for “The Statue That Won’t Go Away”
 • Official Selection 2019, SPLICE Film Fest in the Short Documentary category for “What We Used to Be"

• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - News
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Reporter / Journalist
• Audio Storyteller
• Copywriter
• Fixer
• Field Producer
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Sound Designer
• Colorist

Jonathan Smith is a Director of Photography and editor from Pontiac, MI. He moved to Oakland, CA, in the summer of 2017, after graduating from Eastern Michigan University with his B.S. in Electronic Media and Film Studies. Jonathan uses his passions for photography, videography, and storytelling as conduits for others to share their stories. From 2014-2017 in Michigan, Jonathan worked as an ESPN cameraman and radio host for WEMU 89.1. Since 2017 in California, Jonathan formally served as Control Room Operator for KTOP TV-10, Oakland's government television station, as Social Media and Graphic Design Director for Oakland-based nonprofit Safe Passages, and as Visual Media Director for Berkeley Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Berkeley, CA. Jonathan currently serves as the Worship Projection Operator at the historic Allen Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. Additionally, he is working in collaboration with acclaimed documentary filmmaker Cheryl Fabio as Director of Photography for her upcoming film Baseline.

• Documentary DP
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Portrait Photographer
• Fashion Photographer
• Corporate Videographer

With over 20 years of experience in video production, I’m an accomplished DP, camera op, editor, and post-production specialist. My goal is to be the best at what I do, always striving for perfection and delivering it. I’m a dedicated and hardworking team player that always tries to keep it fun. I pride myself on being equally technical, creative, and resourceful. I have experience in documentary, commercial, corporate, and event production among others. My combined talents provide a full stack video production offering. As an editor and post specialist, I offer full-service post-production services. I can take a project from ingest to finishing and delivery. Color grading, motion graphics, compositing and cleanup, mixing/mastering, pretty much all of it. Additionally, this crosses over into production as a DIT. Behind the camera I have worked ENG, docu-style, events, fitness, action sports, and commercial to name a few. My recent work has been on Sony's FX line, Blackmagic and Canon cinema cameras. I am also a seasoned gimbal operator, with rigging and operating knowledge of the entire Freefly and DJI ecosystem.

• Corporate Videographer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - News
• Colorist
• Senior Editor
• Drone Operator
• Post-Production Manager
• Commercial DP
• Sound Designer
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist

Brian Storm is founder and executive producer of MediaStorm. MediaStorm publishes diverse narratives, offers advanced storytelling training and collaborates with a diverse group of clients. MediaStorm’s stories and interactive applications have received numerous honors, including 30 Webby nominations (6 time winner), 17 Emmy Award nominations (4 time winner), two duPont Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award. Prior to launching MediaStorm in 2005, Storm spent two years in New York as vice president of News, Multimedia & Assignment Services for Corbis, a digital media agency founded and owned by Bill Gates. From 1995 to 2002 he was director of multimedia at MSNBC.com. Storm received his master's degree in photojournalism in 1995 from the University of Missouri. He lives in Los Gatos, CA and can be reached via x.

• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Documentary DP
• Production Company
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Content Strategist
• Executive Producer
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Podcast Producer

I am an Oakland-based shooter/editor. Before moving to video in the mid-00's, I worked as a photo assistant and photographer for advertising and editorial where honed my lighting skills and technical camera knowledge. I have worked on projects ranging from independent feature films to short documentary series to corporate explainers. I was born in Singapore, transported to the Mid-Atlantic and grew up Chinese Minnesotan. Moved to the Bay Area as a lot of folks were heading the other direction. Fast friends, but not really much of a hugger. When not working (but not malfunctioning), you can sometimes find me playing music or riding my bike, but you're just as likely to find me on the couch reading or napping.

• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Field Producer
• Commercial DP
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Colorist

Bay Area Director/Editor Directing clients include: Levi's Denizen, Wild Turkey, Deerhoof, Chicano Batman, HXXS, Try The Pie, and Eve's Peach Editing Clients include Apple, Google, Masterclass, AirBnb, Vox Media, Epic Digital, Pinterest, Levi's, Instagram, and more. Selected Experience: Freelance Commercial Editor, Director: 7 Years Experience. Directing Credits: Commercials Levi's Denizen "Fall Up", "Happy Halloween" Wild Turkey "Turkey is Served" Music Video: Deerhoof "Damaged Eyes Squinting into the Beautiful Overhot Sun" Chicano Batman "Dark Star" Chicano Batman "Pastel Sunrise" Eve's Peach "Waiting On the Sun" HXXS: "Seppuku" and "It's Calling"

• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• Video Editor - News
• Editorial Photographer / Photojournalist
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Creative Director

Justin McAleece is a multi-talented director and cinematographer of narrative and documentary projects both personal and commercial. He has been dedicated to filmmaking since 1999 and has won dozens of awards and directed hundreds of hours of content and lensed even more. He has conducted hundreds of interviews in a variety of spaces and is equally comfortable directing a team of 50 in a corporate setting or shooting solo on the Serengeti. Justin also wrote, produced, directed, and edited the feature comedy Brick MADNESS and often returns to his comedy roots.

• Non-Fiction Film Director
• Senior Editor
• Commercial DP
• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Colorist
• Sound Designer
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist

As a versatile creative professional, I am passionate about telling engaging stories through creative videos and captivating photography. With comprehensive skills as a Video Producer, Director, Shooter, and Video Editor, I bring a holistic approach to every project. Over the past eight years, I have had the privilege of traveling the world, crafting award-winning editorial films, and capturing stunning images. My expertise lies in creating visually captivating content that sparks interest and inspires the imagination.

• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - News
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Corporate Videographer
• News Shooter / Video Journalist
• Portrait Photographer
• Product Photographer
• Documentary DP
• Sound Mixer
• Creative Director
• Reporter / Journalist
• On-Camera Talent
• Drone Operator

Freelance Motion Graphics Designer and Video Editor based in Oakland, CA. Developing a body of work in commercial, environmental, documentary, and animated entertainment spaces. Adobe Premiere and After Effects friendly. Experience with vector animation, 2D character rigging, surface tracking and replacement, and mapping with GeoLayers. All around artist with further background in visual arts, performance, and audio/music production.

• Motion Graphics Designer
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Series Producer / Show Runner
• Audio Storyteller

I'm a storyteller, photographer and filmmaker with a background in conservation and education. With over a decade of professional filmmaking experience, I focus on keeping things simple for my clients while producing quality work at reasonable rates. I'm a licensed commercial drone pilot, professional nature guide, and dedicated surfer so I'm capable of shooting from the sea, land and air. I look forward to collaborating with you to illuminate your message and engage your audience.

• Drone Operator
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Event Photographer
• Landscape Photographer
• Audio Storyteller
• Documentary DP
• Creative Director
• Field Producer

Explainly creates animated and live action videos that bring your brand’s vision to life through research, strategy, copywriting, and custom visuals. Our personalized and collaborative approach ensures that your video is truly one of a kind.

• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Sound Designer
• Copywriter
• Storyboard Artist
• Art Director
• Sound Mixer

From VHS to HD to 4K and beyond, we’ve been there. Since 2001, FCM has worked with some of the most respected companies in sports, entertainment, healthcare, retail, fitness, technology and more.

• Art Director
• Storyboard Artist
• Animator / Visual Effects Artist
• Graphic Designer
• Illustrator
• Creative Director
• Senior Editor
• Video Editor - Commercial
• Video Editor - Documentary
• Video Editor - News
• Full-Service Live Production
• Executive Producer
• Production Company
• Field Producer
• Line Producer / On-Location
• Production Assistant
• Post-Production Manager
• Content Strategist
• Copywriter
• Corporate Videographer
• Documentary DP
• Drone Operator
• Sound Mixer
• Music Composer
• Sound Designer
• Colorist
• Digital Content Creator
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Production Coordinator / Crewing