People

Tod spent several years in Fort Lauderdale, FL where he operated his design studio “Voodoo Designs” and taught at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He later become the Director of Marketing and Web Design at Steeda Auto Sports while continuing to teach part time. Missing the world of gaming and 3D, Tod went back to teaching full time at the Art Institute in the Game Design department as the Game Engine Technology Expert. Working with the leading 3D game engine and 3D modeling software, he successfully lead graduating classes into successful gaming positions across the country. After a short stay at South East Missouri State University as a multi-media instructor, he is now helping to guide the gaming and interaction program at ETSU in new and exciting gaming areas including new work flows in the 3D pipeline, online interaction, effects for gaming, hud development, mobile gaming and 3D gaming production just to mention a few.

Corey Reece is an assistant professor in Digital Media at East Tennessee State University, where he teaches courses covering animation, rigging, and performance. He obtained an MFA in VFX and Animation at Academy of Art University. He brings industry experience to his classrooms, having worked as a character animator on two episodic TV series for children. He actively pursues grant funding and real world clients to ensure student’s get hands on experience before graduating to the field.

Jonathan has been teaching at ETSU since 2007, but his industry journey began in 1996 and included experience in graphic design and advertising with cultural non-profits such as Barter Theatre, Old Salem Living History Town and the National Storytelling Foundation. His agency work also included regional food service favorites like Pal’s Sudden Service and a little dash of Texas Pete. His professional work centers on print media and brand identity but has included the occasional foray into web design and television advertising. Jonathan holds two degrees in fine art and graphic design from Virginia Intermont (1996) and an M.F.A in Studio Art from ETSU (2004). His new media art continues to explore themes of human memory and movements on the backdrops of history and locale. This work has been exhibited regionally and as far as New York, Boston, Miami and Los Angeles. Jonathan loves travelling around the U.S. and abroad. A bucket list item for him is to take his wife and two sons to all of our National Parks. As a volunteer for the BSA, his free time is full of teaching merit badges and leading adventures in nature. A four-day hiking trek in Peru to ancient Machu Picchu has been a definite highlight of his work with the Scouts.

Since 2008, James Livingston has been teaching at East Tennessee State University and is currently an Associate Professor. He teaches a variety of classes that include techniques in video capturing, visual effects compositing, motion graphics, 2D and 3D animation and effects animation, and digital image manipulation. James’ past experience was 19 years in broadcast television. He held positions from production assistant, production manager, to senior graphic designer. James has considerable freelance experience in digital art and design, live action sporting events and motor sports production. In addition to classroom instruction at ETSU, James has taught courses at Milligan College and Northeast State Community College in Graphic Design, Digital Imaging and Advertising Graphics.

Jacy Richardson received a degree in Digital Media at ETSU in 2016 and went on to get a Master of Technology in 2018. She then moved to the Washington D.C. area to work as a VFX and 3D Artist for Cortina Productions, which focuses on films and interactive experiences for museums. The work she does can take many forms such as VR/AR, films, interactive screens, and projections. Her work can be seen at places like the Georgia Aquarium, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, International Spy Museum, NASCAR Museum, Tennessee State Museum, and the Soccer Hall of Fame. She continues to do freelance 3D work with various forms of new technology.

Deborah keeps our students on track in our four concentrations and sets them up for success from their freshman year to graduation day.

Reedena is so excited to be a part of supporting the Digital Media Center work family of faculty, staff, and students. She has gained a plethora of interesting experiences that should hopefully carry over well. Some of those major experiences include serving in student service areas such as Campus Activities, Campus Ministry, and Country Dancers all while obtaining a BA degree at Berea College. And then also serving in student service roles at UNC Charlotte’s Colleges of Business and then Arts and Architecture, and then more recently at ETSU’s Office of Assessment and Department of Engineering. Reedena is at heart a counselor, crafty, detail-oriented, etc. She gets pretty excited about everything, and counts relationships at work and of course with family, friends (even the furry kind), and nature to be what makes life worthwhile!

Madison E. James is a digital designer and educator who specializes in student experience.

As Coordinator of First Year Experience for Digital Media, she supports students in their transition to college and the professional world by creating curated, academic opportunities, as well as leading global study abroad programs to connect students internationally.

She is passionate about mentorship, serving as a bridge for students between industry leaders, and the communities they impact.

Through her volunteer work with Lightbox Expo and her background in large-scale event orchestration, Madison brings authenticity, drive, and vision to every project she touches while shaping the next generation of creative talent.

Gregory Marlow holds two degrees from East Tennessee State University, a Bachelor of Science, obtained in 2003, and a Master of Science, obtained in 2006. He also received a Certification in Advanced Character Animation from Animation Mentor in 2008 and an MFA in Writing from Lindenwood University in 2018. He has worked in the animation and video game industry for ten years. He spent nearly five years at Firaxis Games (2K) in Baltimore, MD, working as a Character Animator for the Civilization and XCOM franchises. Some of his published titles include Civilization V; Gods and Kings; Brave New World; XCOM: Enemy Unknown Slingshot DLC; XCOM: Enemy Within; Bioshock Infinite; and Civilization VI. In his free time, he continues to work as a contract animator for various animation and game studios.

Saritdikhun Somasa (Sarit) has three degrees in Art Education, a BFA In Visual Design, and an MFA in Multimedia Design. He taught digital arts focusing on 3D digital form and animation at Bowling Green State University for 14 years since 2004. In 1998, during his bachelor’s degree at the University of Oregon, he worked part-time at game developer company, Dynamix, Inc. and published by Sierra On-Line, Inc.in Eugene, Oregon. He worked on texturing and modeling on Starsiege: Tribes (Dec 23, 1998) and Field & Stream: Trophy Bass 3D (Jun 16, 1999) game. Since 2011, he has been working with 3D animation, digital sculpting and 3D printing along with woodworking, metalsmithing, photography, painting, drawing, and video as part of his creative practice. In his research practice, he combines virtual and physical art forms, along with Buddhist philosophy and psychology (Freud, Jung, hidden personality, dreams). The Thai culture in which he was raised is a major influence on his work. His interests are in kinematic arts and 3D zoetrope, and his future works will focus on using both virtual and physical hi-tech interactions such as robotics, holographic, stop motion, and digital animation.

Prior to joining ETSU, Chris worked for 12 years as a visual effects artist in the film and television industry. After graduating in 2009 from Savannah College of Art & Design, he moved to Emeryville, CA to join Pixar Animation Studios, where he worked on the films Toy Story 3 and Brave. He then worked for 3 years at Psyop in New York City on commercials for clients including Coca-Cola, FedEx, Michelin, AIG, Gillette, and TED Talks. His next move was to Vancouver, Canada, where he spent 7 years at studios such as Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Method Studios, and MPC. Some of his film credits include Spectre, Deepwater Horizon, Suicide Squad, Justice League, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ford v Ferrari and Space Jam: A New Legacy. Chris’s areas of focus include lighting and rendering, effects simulation, and compositing. Outside of work, he enjoys rock climbing and spending time with his wife and sons.