Animation Faculty

From work on well-known animation films like Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius and television shows like King of the Hill and Sesame Street, to work for non-profit organizations and the US government, our Animation instructors have an in-depth understanding of the broad range of work available to professional animators.

Department Chairs

Sean Burns
MBA from University of Phoenix; BFA, Emerson College in Boston, MA in Mass Communications with a concentration in Film Production.

Mr. Burns is a 25-year veteran in the animation industry being involved in various high-profile projects, including: MTV promo spots, stop-motion animator on Disney’s James and the Giant Peach, Character Animator and Previsualization artist on Walt Disney’s The Wild, Director/Animator on the M&Ms Guys for Will Vinton Studios, and episode director on a primetime animated TV show called The PJs starring Eddie Murphy. Mr. Burns’s work utilizes different animation and special effect techniques including stop-motion, Claymation, traditional drawn, Flash and Maya computer 3D. He has worked freelance running his own home-based animation production company creating animation for video games, PBS programs, TV commercials and educational video productions, as well as teaching adjunct college-level computer animation, portfolio design and industry business practices.

Sam Fleming
BFA, Painting and Drawing, University of North Texas; graduate of Sheridan College International School of Animation, Toronto.

Mr. Fleming is skilled in 2D and 3D animation, direction and production, including professional film, television, and commercial credits that span more than 20 years in the animation industry. Feature film project credits include: Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, 3D character animator, Anastasia, Space Jam, Studio Producer/Texas Unit. Television credits include: King of the Hill, directed the original test pilot for Fox; The Proud Family, animation and layout for first episodes; Ren and Stimpy, assistant animator on the pilot episode. He has been a 2D character animator for games and new media including SpongeBob SquarePants and Disney’s Villain’s Revenge. He is an active member of ASIFA-Colorado.

Core Faculty

Jeff Jurich
BFA, Animation, California Institute of the Arts.

Mr. Jurich has over 26 years of experience as an animator and director, creating animation for more than 200 regional, national and international television commercials.

Chance Dodd
BFA, 3D Animation, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.

While still in college at RMCAD, Chance worked in the TechBar, before it was called the TechBar and was involved in many areas that required Technical Support and problem solving. Since graduating in 2004 Chance has worked for various production studios, including: Pixel Kitchen in Boulder, Post Modern in Denver, Bloom Animation Studios (formerly Yucca Studios) in Denver, Little Wolf Pictures in Lakewood, and Cedric Hohnstadt Animation Studio in Minneapolis, MN. Chance’s experience ranges from working on television commercials, interactive website animation, short subject films and other special projects. In addition to being an Associate Professor for the Animation Dept, with specialties in Character Rigging, Character Animation with experience in 2D, 3D and 2D digital methods, Character Modeling, and complex Dynamics systems including particles, hair and cloth, Chance also functions as Technical Support for the Animation Department being technically savvy with most animation software.

Shari Fleming
MA, Writing, Film, Women’s Studies, Vermont College; BA, Literature, Writing, Women’s Studies, Vermont College in progress.

Ms. Fleming is an owner and art director at Little Wolf Pictures, a company that produces feature film sequences, short form and television specials, commercials, and award-winning game animation. She has been an art director for national print publications, and is currently in preproduction of an independent, nontraditional animated film short based on her original short story.

Mark Hubley
BFA Fine Art, University of Colorado at Boulder.

A second generation animator, Mr. Hubley has 25 years of experience in the field. He has designed, directed, animated and/or produced countless commercials and industrial spots for various production companies and clients nationwide. His short films have been selected for screening by the Olympiad of Animation and the 3rd Animation Celebration in Los Angeles. Mr. Hubley has produced several educational spots for Sesame Workshop. In addition to commercial work, he is always busy developing ongoing independent projects that deal with personal, social, environmental, or just plain weird topics.

Barry Kooser
BFA, Illustration, Kansas City Art Institute.

Mr. Kooser focuses on classic character animation. As a student, he interned with Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios, then was subsequently hired as a background artist for The Lion King, Pocahontas, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and as a background supervisor for Brother Bear. He now pursues an independent fine art career in Colorado, painting full-time.

Adjunct Faculty

Jared Caruso
BA, Media Arts and Animation, Art Institute of Colorado.

Mr. Caruso specializes in working with creative applications in a technological environment, focusing on character design. He has worked as an animator and character designer at Crude Games in Denver and as a production artist at DirecTV Advanced Services.

Sarah Gentry
BFA, 3-D Animation, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design

Chris Pearce
MFA, Electronic Inter-Media, University of Florida; BFA, Film Production, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Mr. Pearce is an animator and artist whose filmography includes 16mm films and digital videos. He is the recipient of a Boulder Arts Commission Mini Grant in 2007 and an award for Excellence in Writing in 2001 for Momposition from the Damah Film Festival in Seattle. He has worked professionally as an animator and digital compositor for the last 10 years in the Boulder/Denver area. His work deals primarily with the film illusion, the nature of spirit and material in film, and documentary objectivity. He is currently working on several projects including an animated documentary about children raised by wild animals.

Troy Whitmer
3D Animation, Vancouver Film School.