CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media (CAM) is pleased to announce the hire of Brett Rutland, who will teach in the Visual Arts Department’s Digital Animation Center. Rutland brings six years of teaching experience from Savannah College of Art and Design and professional accomplishment from a career in computer animation, traditional animation, data-design, gaming, film making, and experimental technologies.

The Digital Animation Center (DAC) at CAM is the creative and physical core of the 3D Graphics and Animation academic track. It trains students using state-of-the-art equipment and tools to support visualization, modeling, representation of complex data, simulation, and the manipulation of a virtual reality. The 3D Animation program, recognized as a top 25 national programs by Animation Career Review, is marked for having faculty with strong industry connections in Pixar, Disney, and other cutting-edge studios, creating a pipeline for internships and careers.

Rutland is no exception. He worked at the award winning visual effects company, Rhythm & Hues, Sony Pictures, Digital Domain, and MPC. He has contributed to visual effects and animation on major Hollywood animation productions, including X-Men: Days of Future Past, The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay, and was Senior Character Animator on Smurfs 2. Rutland has professional experience in gaming content and scientific visualization and mapping.

“I am honored to join the DAC team, as students are exploring their own stories and creating engaging content,” says Rutland. “The DAC provides the best digital tools on offer, and I would love to support and encourage these artists with my expertise in character and creature animation and my interest in story and visual design."

Rutland received a B.FA in visual arts from University of Louisiana at Lafayette and a M.F.A in film, video, and computer animation from University of Southern California.