Meet Our Directors
Creative Visionaries
At Scholar, our directors serve as creative visionaries, leading the charge in crafting bold, boundary-pushing work. They are the architects of ideas, shaping the creative direction with their unique perspective, artistic intuition, and storytelling expertise. Behind them stands the full force of Scholar’s infrastructure—a powerhouse of world-class designers, animators, producers, and technologists—ensuring that every vision is executed seamlessly. With a finely tuned balance of creative freedom and technical precision, our directors are empowered to dream big, knowing they have the support, resources, and collaborative energy to bring their ideas to life at the highest level.
Meet your Director.
CHRIS FINN / CRISTINA BARNA / LIAM ELIAS / MACAULEY JOHNSON / MADISON ELLIS / MICHAEL TAVAREZ / SEAN MARTIN / VIN KIM / WILLIAM CAMPBELL / WILL JOHNSON
CHRIS FINN
"Spectacle has power. Bold visuals, rich contrast, and stylized worlds don’t just grab attention—they pull people in, make them feel, and offer a moment of escape from the hustle of the real world."
LIVE ACTION / CG / ANIMATION / DESIGN / CHOREOGRAPHY / COLOR / VFX / SPATIAL DESIGN / EXPERIENTIAL / CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
CRISTINA BARNA
"Techniques and mediums are just languages, and everyone has a story worth telling."
DESIGN / CEL ANIMATION / CG / PRODUCT / STORY / STYLE AGNOSTIC / CLIENT RELATIONS / CONCEPT & STRATEGY / KARAOKE / BLACK CATS
LIAM ELIAS
"I love performances that ring true, that feel alive, where the character’s soul radiates so close you can almost reach and touch it."
3D ANIMATION / CHARACTER / EMOTION / HONESTY / CONCEPT / WORLD BUILDING / CG / PIXAR / DISNEY ANIMATION / 3D RENDER / CGI / VFX / CHARACTER DESIGN / ENVIRONMENT DESIGN / INTERIOR DESIGN
MACAULEY JOHNSON
"I see every aspect of directing as an opportunity to fuse story with metaphor and break expectation, from developing creative concepts to crafting mind-bending transitions."
LIVE ACTION / MOGRAPH / MIXED MEDIA / CEL ANIMATION / AUTOMOTIVE / CHARACTER / TYPOGRAPHY / CONCEPT & STRATEGY / SURREAL / MIND-ALTERING / IMPACTFUL NARRATIVE / EXPLOSIVE ACTION
MADISON ELLIS
“Storytelling is more than the medium you work in.”
DESIGN / 2D ANIMATION / CEL ANIMATION / CHARACTER / COMEDY / WITTY / MIXED MEDIA / LIVE ACTION / EXPERIENTIAL / CG / COLLAGE / HANDMADE / WEIRD / TYPOGRAPHY / COLOR / FUN
MICHAEL TAVAREZ
"Crafting an experience is not just for the audience but for everyone involved in bringing a project to life. When the process is engaging, collaborative, and creatively fulfilling, it leads to stronger, more inspired work."
PLAYFUL PRECISION / SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS / HIGH-CONCEPT STORYTELLING / METAPHORICAL VISUALS / VIBRANT / EXPRESSIVE / CINEMATIC / DAD JOKES
SEAN MARTIN
"My favorite definition of creativity is 'relating the unrelated.' That’s where my creativity lives: in making those unexpected connections feel inevitable."
LIVE ACTION / NARRATIVE / COMEDY / 3D ANIMATION / POOL HUSTLING / FILM NERDERY
VIN KIM
"I specialize in crafting high-end 3D animations that blend technical mastery with a strong sense of rhythm and flow—elevating visuals to a level that feels both refined and cutting-edge."
CG / Surrealism / Automotive / Design / Experiential / Experimental / Mixed media / Photoreal / VFX / Product
WILLIAM CAMPBELL
"Creativity thrives in the questions we dare to ask, the tones we shape with care, the boundaries we break, and the bridges we build between bold voices and resonant truths."
CONCEPT / STRATEGY / LIVE ACTION / CG / MIXED MEDIA / NARRATIVE / PRODUCT / COMEDY / FOOD & BEVERAGE
WILL JOHNSON
“There is a comfort in the positivity of collaboration. That moment when the ideas become supercharged. When it’s ok to be a little weird and bring ideas to the table with confidence, no matter how bat sh*t they are. This is the type of creative space I cultivate.”
STORYTELLING / LIVE ACTION / 2D ANIMATION / 3D ANIMATION / ALL THINGS SOCCER / AUTOMOTIVE / CHARACTER / PRODUCT / ROSÉ / CONCEPT & STRATEGY / DESIGN / COMPOSITION / PROBLEM SOLVING / PORTLAND, OR / MIXED MEDIA / GOOD COMPANY
