Resume

MARC TARO HOLMES:
Art Director, Concept Artist, Game Designer
Email: marctaro@hotmail.com

Currently: (Dec 2008 – Present)
IMAGEMOVERS DIGITAL,
CONCEPT ARTIST: Pre-visualization painting and design for characters, environments and props. Involves research, graphic and industrial design principles, artistic execution, and collaboration with project leads.

  • A Christmas Carol
  • Various Unannounced projects :

June 2007 – Nov.2008
SEGA/SECRET LEVEL,
CONCEPT ARTIST: Pre-visualization painting and design for characters, environments and props. Involves research, graphic and industrial design principles, artistic execution, and collaboration with project leads.

  • Golden Axe Beast Rider
  • Iron Man, Iron Man 2

2005 – 2007:
ENSEMBLE STUDIOS/MICROSOFT,
ART DIRECTOR

  • Pre-production Halo Wars:
  • Pre-production, Unannounced MMO project, Microsoft IP:
    Managed small (5-8 person) pre-production teams creating concept art, presentation material and playable proof-of-concept demos.

2004-2005:
OBSIDIAN ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE,
LEAD ARTIST, NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 2

  • Lead Artist, pre-production team: Participated in drafting design documents and proof-of-concept demos. Assisted with scheduling and recruiting, and worked as a concept artist, providing artistic direction with my own drawings, and working with a team of two other concept artists (one in-house and one contractor).

2002-2004:
TURBINE ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE,
PRODUCTION DESIGNER, MIDDLE-EARTH ONLINE

  • Production Designer: Represented the art department in the leads group, responsible for artistic vision , assisted with recruiting, budget and staffing plans, and milestone planning.
  • Lead Concept Artist: Established artistic direction with my own drawings, and led a team of three sketch artists (one in-house and two contractors).
  • IP Approval: Participated in an extensive research project into the written works of J.R.R Tolkien and any prior conceptual illustration. Represented Turbine in the ongoing art approval process, with the goal of establishing a unique interpretation for Vivendi/Universal. Conducted weekly asset reviews with the publisher, the license holder Tolkien Enterprises, and occasionally representatives from the Tolkien Estate.
  • Manage Contractors: Shared in the management of two external teams totaling 20-30 production artists, in both the US and overseas. Responsibilities included drafting contracts, setting milestones, and specifying/approving assets.

1998-2002:
BIOWARE CORP.,
ART DIRECTOR, NEVERWINTER NIGHTS

  • Art Director: Participated in drafting design documents for both the main game and Neverwinter’s extensive module building tools. Drafted and maintained the project schedule.
  • Game systems design: Participated in the design of a modular character generation system allowing for thousands of unique characters.
  • Interface Design: Design/layout for UI panels, radial menuing system, and skills/spell icons.
  • Promotional Illustration: Logotype, wallpaper, screenshots, character portraits, and magazine covers; also assisted Baldur’s Gate 1 & 2 with promotional artwork, cinematics, and UI elements.

1998-1998:
IDEA MACHINE INC.,
GRAPHIC DESIGNER

  • Graphic Designer: Production art, pre-press and map/diagram illustration for annual reports; generally clients in heavy industry.

1995-1997:
VIRTUAL UNIVERSE CORPORATION,
 ART DIRECTOR, Various Projects

  • Art Director: Responsible for the creation of design documents and non-interactive prototypes, with the intent to secure investment.

EDUCATION:

  • Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD) ; Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications, comprising both graphic design and illustration.
  • Carleton University; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    2 years General Studies and Biological Sciences.

GAME CREDITS

  • The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Midway Games, Inc., 2007
  • Neverwinter Nights 2, Atari, Inc., 2006
  • Age of Empires III, Microsoft Game Studios, 2005
  • Jade Empire, Microsoft Game Studios, 2005
  • Neverwinter Nights, Infogrames, Inc., 2002
  • Baldur’s Gate II: Throne of Bhaal, Interplay Entertainment Corp., 2001
  • Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Interplay Entertainment Corp., 2000
  • Baldur’s Gate, Interplay Productions, Inc., 1998

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