Jason Schleifer

Jason Schleifer has an extensive work experience in the animation and creative industry. Jason held the position of Chief Creative Officer at Griptape, a role they started in July 2023. Previously, they were a Member of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, starting in July 2019. At Nimble Collective, Inc, they were a Co-Founder since April 2015. From October 2019 to July 2023, they were the Principal Creative Director at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and also served as the Principal Solutions Architect from May 2019 to October 2019. Prior to AWS, they were the Chief Creative Officer at Studio 4039 from April 2018 to May 2019.

Earlier in their career, Jason worked at DreamWorks Animation from 2004 to 2015. During this time, they held the roles of Head of Character Animation, Supervising Animator, and Senior Animator. Jason also contributed to notable films such as Madagascar, Penguins X-mas Caper, Over the Hedge, Shrek 3, Monsters Vs. Aliens during their tenure. Before that, from 2005 to 2008, they worked as a Mentor at AnimationMentor.com, where they guided students in animation courses and provided direction.

Jason's career began at Weta Digital in 1999, where they held the roles of Animation Lead, Senior Animator, Animator, and Character TD. Jason started their professional journey as a Product Specialist at Alias|Wavefront from 1996 to 1999.

Jason Schleifer attended UC Santa Barbara from 1991 to 1996 where they earned a B.A with High Honors in Art Studio. In 2007, they received an Honorary Doctorate in Animation from the Digital Media Arts College.