Ben Guastella

Ben Guastella has a diverse and extensive work experience in the field of CG, VFX, and technical art. Ben currently works as the Head of CG at Synthesis AI since September 2020. Previously, they have worked as a Freelance CG, VFX, and Technical Artist since 2009, undertaking various projects including fluid/smoke simulation for Thomas the Train App.

Before that, Ben has also worked as a Freelance Photographer since 2005, handling projects ranging from weddings to fashion, real estate, food, and fine art landscapes.

In terms of their employment in industry-leading companies, Ben has worked as a Senior Character FX Artist at Animal Logic from May 2020 to September 2020. Prior to that, they held the role of Lead Character FX Artist at Animal Logic from August 2019 to February 2020, where they oversaw a team of 10 artists and was involved in artistic supervision, performance reviews, scheduling, pipeline troubleshooting, developing simulation templates, and creating new tools.

Additionally, Ben served as a Character Simulation Technical Director at Blue Sky Studios from October 2018 to July 2019, and as a CG Lighting Artist at Hogarth Worldwide from May 2018 to September 2018. At MZ, they worked as a Sr. CG Generalist focusing on cloth and hair simulations from July 2017 to April 2018, contributing to the development of the 3D pipeline.

Ben also has experience as a Senior 3D Motion Designer at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development and as a Freelance Character FX (Cloth Simulation) Artist at Nimble Collective.

Overall, Ben's work experience demonstrates their strong technical skills and expertise in various aspects of CG, VFX, and technical art, with a proven track record in both freelance and corporate settings.

Ben Guastella attended Chico High School and completed their secondary education in 2003. Ben then pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Computer Graphics at California State University, Chico, where they studied from 2003 to 2007.