
.

.

- Works as a VFX Executive Producer, supporting our many teams internationally. VFX Produces a bit, marketing, PR… et. al.
- Caretakes three (3) Akey Jr’s and a Coonhound / Staffordshire Terrier mix
- Was nicknamed the “Mad Bomber“ in high school for his baseline fadeaway 3-pointer.
- Culinary choices – Alaskan Halibut, Montepulciano Chianti, Fried Artichoke Heart and Vanilla Bean Crème brûlée.
- Community theater director, reclaimed wood connoisseur and Steve Nash fan.
- Watches: Braveheart, Shawshank, Amelie, Heat, Friday Night Lights
- Listens: Hamilton (Broadway Recording), U2, Debussy, Lecrae
- The ones he enjoyed working on the most: Man of Steel, Just Mercy and Hugo
.

.

.

.

.


.

.

.

As a VFX supervisor, he has worked on a variety of Feature Films and Episodic TV, ever expanding his understanding of this dynamic field, including productions by Marvel, Disney, AppleTV and many others. He intuitively addresses client needs with understanding, foresight and innovation, expertly implementing tried and true techniques, developing new solutions to old problems, or creating entirely new effects for the latest effect-hungry climate.
As an artist he worked on thousands of shots for more than 30 different TV shows and movies, creating highly realistic looking water effects for the show The Last Resort, killing walkers in The Walking Dead, generating thousands of spectators for stadiums of all sizes, and generally just exploding, shattering and torching evil of all creeds, as well as messing around generating terrains, clouds and oceans, nicely reflecting the creative fun and intentional innovation at Crafty Apes.
As a programmer and former lead technical director and head of pipeline development, behind the scenes he has written tools and code that created studio efficiencies and creative solutions for major VFX studios.
Hailing from Avellino, Italy, Aldo Ruggiero came to Hollywood in 1999 to study music but found his real passion in making motion pictures. Mr. Ruggiero was a movie editor, photographer, and filmographer before specializing in digital effects.
.

.

Following my passion for these masterpieces of illusion I studied at Leeds Metropolitan University earning my degree in Multimedia Technology.
Not long after, roles opened up and I’ve traveled the world from London, Los Angeles, Wellington, Montreal and back to the U.S. in Georgia spanning over 20 years in multiple Visual Effects roles.
Now the passion is as strong as ever to bring the impossible to life as well as use my extensive knowledge to have VFX be a photoreal visually supportive role of great scripts and cinematography and not be the focal point or a distraction from the story telling.
.


.

Sam began as a coordinator but found her footing and is now an VFX Producer. She has worked on such projects as: Creed III, HBO’s The Staircase, Shining Girls, and The Flight Attendant. In her free time, Sam enjoys being outside in the sun, away from the computer (as much as possible) while hanging out with her husband and two pups.
.

.

In 2017, she, along with the team at Shade VFX collaborated on HBO’s, Westworld, where they won an Emmy. Additionally, she held the title of VFX Producer at Framestore, Inc. where she worked on several commercial and TV related projects for advertisers including Geico, Capital One, Google and HBO’s, I Know This Much Is True.
Katie’s passion is filmmaking, where she has written and directed her own award-winning short film, Let’s Talk, starring Eric Michael Gillett (Netflix/Marvel series, Daredevil, Quantico, and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Allison Trujillo-Strong (Netflix film, The Week Of).
.

.

Once receiving a Bachelors of Science in Film and a Masters of Science in Entertainment Business he began working on set, and since 2012 Andrew has been directly involved with the creation of Visual Effects with credits including The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games : Mockingjay, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. II and Venom.
In his free time Andrew enjoys catching up on the latest movies or television shows, and visiting theme parks.
.

.