about me

I'm an Animation Director and Animator with over 18 years of industry experience. As proven leader in animation, I’ve led teams and delivered high-quality work on major productions. I thrive in collaborative environments as filmmaking is a team effort. I also produce my own animated comedies using Unreal Engine and AI tools, with more projects on the way. Outside of work, I enjoy photography, tinkering with classic cars, and pursuing personal creative ventures. My approach combines technical expertise with narrative instinct to craft compelling, character-driven visual stories.

Projects

A selection of standout projects I've had the privilege to contribute to. Click to explore

Animation Director

Animation Director

Writer | Director | Animator

Writer | Director | Animator

Unreal Previs Animator & Generalist

Unreal Previs Animator & Generalist

Animation Supervisor

Animation Supervisor

Facial & Mocap Animator

Facial & Mocap Animator

Animation Supervisor

Animation Supervisor

Animation Lead

Animation Lead

Animation Lead

Animation Lead

Facial & Mocap Animator

Facial & Mocap Animator

CG Visual Development

CG Visual Development

Previs Artist

Previs Artist

Previs Artist

Previs Artist

Facial & Mocap Animator

Facial & Mocap Animator

Facial & Mocap Animator

Facial & Mocap Animator

Writer | Director | Animator

Writer | Director | Animator

Animation Director

Animation Director

Mark Villagracia

Animation Director | Previs Artist | Character Animator | Unreal Engine Specialist

Los Angeles, CA | (909) 510-7006 | markvillagracia@gmail.com


EXPERIENCE 

Writer, Director & Unreal Animator – Villagracia Bros | September 2022 – Present

  • Wrote, directed, and animated an award-winning short film from concept through final delivery.

  • Led all aspects of production, including story development, cinematography, editing, and sound design.

  • Official selection at multiple international comedy festivals, with screenings in both the U.S. and abroad.

Unreal Animator – Unit 9 Films | April 2025 – May 2025

  • Animated intricate object interactions and expressive facial performances to faithfully realize the artist’s creative vision.

  • Configured and prepared Oculus headsets with AR51 for real-time playback, ensuring seamless user experience.

Unreal Previs Animator & Generalist – Nickelodeon Animation  | January 2024 – November 2024

  • Enhanced storytelling impact by producing cinematic previsualization sequences in Unreal Engine, expanding creatively beyond rough boards and scripts to elevate narrative clarity and visual engagement.

  • Applied dynamic, real-world camera techniques and compositions to elevate and reinforce the show’s grounded visual style.

  • Developed previs-optimized props, sets, and lighting rigs, sharing them with fellow artists to streamline production workflows and improve efficiency.

Senior Animator – Kevin VFX | August 2023 – September 2023

  • Created high-quality previs and realistic creature performances for cinematic television commercials.

Animation Director – DreamWorks Animation | January 2021 – August 2023

  • Directed large animation teams across flagship franchises, delivering on-time, high-quality cinematic content.

  • Visited partner studios to provide hands-on training on the show’s visual style and foster strong collaborative relationships.

  • Led workflow optimizations across the animation pipeline, eliminating bottlenecks and significantly improving production speed and delivery reliability.

  • Mentored junior animators, resulting in multiple team promotions and skill advancements.

  • Collaborated with story, lighting, compositing, and rendering departments to troubleshoot rough animatics and resolve visual and technical challenges.

  • Managed animation retake budgets and partnered with VFX and editorial teams to finalize production-ready episodes.

Animation Supervisor  – DreamWorks Animation | October 2018 – January 2021

  • Supported the Animation Director by reviewing animation shots and providing detailed creative and technical feedback.

  • Developed new previs workflows that effectively bridged storyboard concepts with 3D animation layouts.

  • Developed and shared custom acting reference materials through drawings and video demonstrations to enhance character performances.

  • Worked closely with story, lighting, compositing, and rendering teams to refine rough animatics and to address visual and technical issues.

Animation Lead – DreamWorks Animation | May 2014 – September 2018

  • Created animation cycles and crafted character pose and expression sheets to establish clear performance guidelines.

  • Supported the Animation Supervisor by reviewing animation shots and providing detailed creative and technical feedback.

  • Created comprehensive camera placement and character staging guides, enabling partner studios to efficiently construct high-quality shots and sequences.

Previous Studio Collaborations

Brand New School | Psyop | Duck Soup Studios | The Famous Group | Frame Machine | Frantic Films | Technicolor Interactive

EDUCATION

BFA Animation & Art – California State University Fullerton | Graduated May 2005

Epic Games Unreal Engine Certification – CG Pro  | Certified October 2022

CORE COMPETENCIES 

- Unreal Engine Previs & Cinematics
- Animation Direction & Narrative Storytelling
- Character & Creature Animation
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Workflow & Pipeline Optimization
- Motion Capture Animation

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Unreal Engine | Autodesk Maya | 3DsMax | Golaem Crowd | Plastic SCM | GitHub | Flow/Shotgrid | Adobe Premiere Pro | Photoshop | Procreate | AR51 | ChatGPT | Pinokio Ai | Kling Ai|  Wan Ai