Daniel Rucinski Email & Phone Number

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

• Conceptualize & design immersive attractions for Chimelong Parks in Guangzhou, China.
• Authored attraction treatments, including character design and development.
• Designed visual aspects of attractions, including production design, set decoration & costumes.
• Directed a team of character and concept artists, costume and graphic designers, writers and music supervisors in creation of attraction pitch decks.
• Traveled to China to conduct site surveys and to present pitch materials to theme park senior management.

Mall Of America - Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Conceptualization, design & implementation of all aspects of a 42,000 sq ft attraction at Mall of America.
• Created a Louisiana Bayou town exterior set as the reception lobby, including a fully functioning bar, a gift shop, ticketing booth, refreshment stand, VIP experience entrance, and photo ops.
• Designed and realized haunted maze including a dozen themed interiors, 5 secret rooms with hidden entrances, a functioning speakeasy VIP bar, a church, a graveyard and a swamp.
• Direct oversight of art department, construction, scenic and props departments.
• Content Creation for Social Media accounts.
• Creative direction on annual updates to seasonal attraction.

• Oversee Global Operations team in coordination of VFX production, resource management and facilities operations, to guide company wide expansion efforts including mergers and acquisitions.
• Responsible for all aspects of facility establishment and growth in various locations, including real estate, lease negotiation, office design, construction, IT configuration and company moves.
• Determine and define global company policy, Standard Operating Procedures and process improvements for all operations as they relate to production needs.
• Oversee and lead cultural initiatives, including parties, events and social outreach, to maintain a cohesive and health company culture across multiple locations.
• Leadship of employee health and wellness committee, authoring and enacting in-office and remote policies during and after Covid-19 pandemic.
• Engage with Business Development team, providing intelligence on global resources and studio skillset for placement of work, and educating on rebate programs and practices.

• Spearheaded the formation of VFX facilities in Vancouver, New York and Atlanta.
• Hiring of leadership and management teams in remote start up locations.
• Establish production and general company policies in satellite offices.
• Responsible for resource planning and budgeting of client-mandated location based tax credits.
• Calculation, tracking and reporting of labor percentages for client rebates.
• Primary liason between location based Production Management teams to oversee Global Resourcing.

• Oversaw multiple production teams on VFX projects in Santa Monica and Vancouver offices.
• Responsible for bidding potential projects and negotiating deals with new clients.
• Recruited producers, technicians and artists to build the most effective teams for individual projects.
• Mentoring of production staff in client relations, team management, and vfx production strategies.
• Responsible for all company culture events and policies.
• Film Projects included: I Am Number four, Fright Night, Yogi Bear, This is It, The Final Destination

• Managed teams of digital artists, editors, and vendors on broadcast commercial spots and feature film.
• Responsible for maintaining schedules, budget tracking, and client communication.
• Worked with upper management in developing procedures and policies to improve efficiency.
• Clients included: Kool-Aid, Havoline, Nissan, and Icon Entertainment’s Apocalypto

• Primary representative to motion picture studios for CG animation facility in Mumbai, India.
• Traveled frequently to India to instruct and lead teams on scheduling, workflow, & reporting procedures.
• Authored creative & technical parameters as client guidelines to maintain scope of project budgets.
• Worked with US producers and directors on production & design solutions.
• Facilitated communication between teams in US and India.

• Conducted in-depth analyses of CG bids and schedules for Disney’s DVD animation division.
• Consulted studio production executives on establishing 3D animation pipelines and procedures.
• Researched and traveled to animation companies worldwide in ongoing search for potential vendors.
• Produced short animated films as tests with various vendors in the US, Canada, Europe and Asia.
• Presented examples of product and recommendations for vendor selection to studio executives.

• Managed team of artists and technicians in creating visual effects for a Walt Disney feature film.
• Collaborated with clients, supervisors and artists in creating computer generated sets, props & animation.
• Recruited new talent to build the team to best suit the needs of the production.
• Responsible for negotiating bids, maintaining the budget, and managing the production schedule.

• Managed operations of 100+ employee VFX facility created for a film composed entirely of CG backgrounds.
• Collaborated with Executive Producer in creating the production plan for the delivery of the finished film.
• Built the team and infrastructure necessary for moving over 2,000 shots through production pipeline.
• Presented project status and forecasting to studio executives, financial investors, and bond company.

• Oversaw daily operations of animation and visual effects company in Valencia, CA.
• Responsible for leading multiple teams to produce high quality work on schedule and under budget.
• Established standard workflow, team structure and production policies for all in-house projects.
• Worked with marketing team in producing demo reels, promotional materials, and industry events.

• Produced CG animated television series (26 episodes) for Sony International Television.

• Produced animation for CG series (20 episodes) for Sony Entertainment/WB Television.

• Produced animation for Emmy nominated CG series (30 episodes) for Sony Entertainment.

• Collaborated with Directors and Designers in creating sets for film and television, clients included: PHANTOM PAIN (Production designer) Independent Feature, Slamdance Film Festival THE INDEPENDENT (Art Director).