Hi, I’m John Sadler, a San Francisco-based Creative Director with over 15 years of experience.

I call San Francisco home, making my way from the Midwest with a brief 13 year stint in Los Angeles. After studying Fine Arts and Design I began a career as a 3D animator and VFX artist on commercial projects. A need to build bigger ideas in a variety of media steered my work into creative direction. Here I could see an idea from its humble beginnings in long meetings and presentation decks to visuals that draw from every technology available. Recently I have had the opportunity to help a wide range clients such as GE, Cisco, Google, Fitbit and the Golden State Warriors. I pushed their projects in the form of stage presentations, video and interactive. I am constantly searching for new ways to educate, yet entertain an audience.

 
 

Education:

University of Southern California - Los Angeles - Class of 2001 - BFA of Fine Arts

Work Experience:

Head of Animation - Bonfire Labs - San Francisco, CA (2016 - Current)

  • Oversaw numerous product launches and education campaigns that have earned millions of views.

  • Elevated a web content campaign for Fitbit from YouTube/Instagram to national and international broadcast commercials through over 20 product launches in 5 years.

  • Instituted pipeline to tackle hundreds of shots over several deliverables that has become the standard at our agency.

  • Developed motion graphics for over 30 IPO Roadshow films by taking old and new brands through into animation to tell complex technology, founding, and financial narratives.

  • Led ideation and production teams from pitch through delivery, including numerous client-facing presentations and reviews.

  • Mentorship of a team of designers/animators, junior artists, and interns

  • Fostered years of working relationships with artists, designers, animators, directors, and copywriters.

Creative Director - First Person - San Francisco, CA (2012 - 2016)

  • Collaborate with client stakeholders and internal art directors to discover and concept the deliverables based on project goals and subject matter.

  • Design and run workshops to discover and form the strategy of core concepts at the project's outset.

  • Drive the quality of the design and story of the work while keeping the focus of the overall project.

  • Refine internal methods including artist hiring, creative process, and client interaction.

Art Director, 3D - Westernized Productions - San Francisco, CA (2011 - 2012)

  • Oversaw all 3D aspects including style frame design, look development, and production on various motion graphics and visual effects projects.

  • Improved the 3D pipeline to raise the quality of work overall on incoming projects.

3D/2D Artist, VFX Supervisor - Brand New School - Santa Monica, CA (2004-2011)

  • Freelance work on numerous commercial projects in positions including VFX supervisor, 3D lead, and 3D artist.

  • Duties included 3D team organization and client interaction.

3D Artist/2D Artist/Compositor - Imaginary Forces – Hollywood, CA (2008, 2009, 2011)

  • Freelance work on numerous commercial, re-branding, and visual development projects.

  • Duties included animation, compositing, and motion design

SKILLS:

Concepting & Strategy

  • Considerable collaboration experience with clients for product launches, IPO films, broadcast ads, and more.

  • Extensive presentation skills along with leading strategy, deck design, and ideation.

  • Workshop development and facilitation to identify creative plans and project focus.

Software & AI

  • 2D & Editorial: Adobe Creative Suite with special expertise in After Effects, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Lightroom

  • 3D: Professional level experience in Autodesk Maya with knowledge of C4D & Redshift

  • Productivity: Highly proficient in all Google Workspace Applications

  • AI: Extensive experience in prompt engineering, and use of AI tools such as Chat GPT, Gemini, Runway, MidJourney, and more in both creative and production pipelines.

Copywriting

  • Voice-over, on-screen copy, and presentation writing for high-level on-stage keynote speeches, videos, and interactive projects.

  • Distilled expansive materials, including white papers and decks into focused documents that identify the key messages for each project.