Becky Steele

Work History

• 

  Associate Production Manager - Puppets

  HouseSpecial

  January 2023 - December 2023

  Portland, OR

  Managed the Puppet Fabrication Department and schedules for a stop-motion short film from fabrication through shooting all principal animation to archiving of all Puppet Department and Art Department assets

• 3rd Assistant Director

  Wendell and Wild | Netflix Animation

  October 2021 - April 2022

  - Ensure that assigned units progress according to shooting schedule
  - Ensure shots, blocks, and images for review are made available for dailies
  - Relay edit notes to unit crew, facilitate addressing all notes
  - Liaise with all departments, organize meetings to ensure crew is in sync
  - Work with other ADs to manage crew priorities and timelines
  - Lead with positivity, flexibility, proactivity, and teamwork mentality

• Lead Facial Animator

  Wendell and Wild | Netflix Animation

  September 2019 - October 2021

  - Establish and maintain facial animation process for the production
  - Assist in look and development of facial performances for each character
  - Animate facial animation for half the film
  - Test 3D printed face pieces, advise on registration and paint consistencies
  - Assist with face library set up and organization

  

• Track Reader

  Wendell and Wild | Netflix Animation

  June 2019 - September 2019
• 

  Puppet Wrangler

  Bento Box Entertainment

  August 2018 - November 2018

  Atlanta, Georgia

  - Prepare and rig rod puppets for stage performances
  - Help maintain functionality and on model aesthetic of puppets
  - Rig and troubleshoot puppet and prop interactions
  - Perform final checks on puppets before each shot
  - Assist puppeteers on stage and during rehearsals
  - Liaise with director and AD when puppets need repairs/modifications

  
• 

  Puppet Wrangler

  Laika

  July 2015 - March 2018

  Hillsboro, Oregon

  Worked on "Kubo & the Two Strings" and "Missing Link"
  - Establish and maintain Puppet Hospital, manage puppet maintenance crew
  - Facilitate maintenance of all puppets
  - Schedule puppets for stages, track puppet locations between departments
  - Attend screenings of blocks and rehearsals to consult on puppet notes, animator needs, and puppet continuity
  - Creatively problem-solve using knowledge of puppet fabrication and maintenance
  - Organize storage and archiving of any puppets and their assets

  

  
• 

  Laika

  July 2015 - February 2016
• 

  Rapid Prototype Quality Assurance

  Laika

  September 2014 - July 2015

  Hillsboro, OR
• 

  Stop-Motion Animator, Puppet Fabricator, & Puppet Rigger/Wrangler

  Bent Image Lab

  June 2011 - September 2014

  Portland, Oregon Area

  Assist in the fabrication of puppets for stop-motion projects. Get puppets to and from sets. Assist animators with rigging puppets. Assist in puppet hospital and with various tasks in the art department.
  
  Character animation and effects animation for commercials and television shows. Assist other animators on shots with multiple characters.

  

  

  
• 

  Assistant Fabricator/Shooting Assistant

  Starburns Industries

  May 2014 - May 2014

  Portland, OR

  MTV Exit: Human Trafficking PSA
  
  Video of a functioning pop-up book made to raise public awareness about the dangers of human trafficking
  
  Assist in the fabrication of a functioning pop-up book. Assist in the process of shooting the pop-up book being opened, turning pages, pulling tabs, etc.

• Stop-Motion Puppet Fabricator

  Four Winters, LLC

  April 2013 - April 2014

  portland, oregon area

  Assist in fabricating stop-motion puppets - sculpting, building wire armatures, mold making, casting foam latex, casting silicone, seaming, painting
  
  Act as consultant on stop-motion film production process
  
  (all work for a stop-motion animated short entitled “Two Balloons”)

• Flash Animator/Designer

  Toaster Dog Animation

  February 2012 - February 2012

  Portland, Oregon

  Flash Animator/Designer for animated PSA "The Home the Ocean Built" for Living Sea Sculpture. Designed and animated various fish and seahorse characters.
  
  Produced by Colleen Flanigan and Wieden & Kennedy.
• 

  Animation Intern

  Starburns Industries

  October 2010 - November 2010

  Burbank, California

  (for two weeks) - assisted with puppet repair, preparation, and wrangling; assisted animators on multiple shots; animated glowing stalagmite in several shots; helped prepare rigging for various shots; helped construct collapsing ice mountain; melted and mixed clay and beeswax; help plan puppet organization system in puppet hospital; help organize puppet mouths

  

• Intern Character Designer and Animator

  Whynaut Animation Studios LLC

  August 2009 - January 2010

  Intern at a 2-D and computer animation studio that creates shorts and feature films. Worked on a 2-D animated short with a small team. I designed one of four characters and animated various scenes for this short.