John Allison
Lansing,MI
Summary
Creative-technology leader with 15+ years of experience in motion capture, game development pipelines, 3D animation, virtual production, and multimedia content creation. Studio Manager at Haptix Studio, the largest motion-capture facility in the Midwest, overseeing production operations, project management, technical development, client communications, and creative direction. Experienced in full-performance capture, Unreal Engine workflows, virtual production, and educational outreach. Broad background spanning 3D modeling/animation, architectural visualization, scientific visualization, videography, and cross-disciplinary creative tech.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Studio Manager
Haptix Studio
01.2020 - Current
- Lead operations, technical development, project management, and creative pipelines for a large-scale motion capture and virtual production facility.
- Oversaw all studio growth since founding—renovations, staffing, budgeting, equipment expansion, and new service lines (mocap, virtual production, educational programming, photogrammetry, and game-oriented pipelines).
- Managed motion capture productions including cinematics, locomotion sets, pre-viz, performance capture, Engine integration, post-production.
- Supervised teams across mocap, animation, cleanup, retargeting, VP, camera tracking, technical art, and delivery.
- Coordinated large-scale client projects—university partnerships, commercial productions, research studies, digital doubles, and interactive experiences.
- Directed video productions on the LED wall stage and in-house studio; handled cinematography, editing, and post-production.
- Led development of curriculum and educational outreach, hosting 300+ Michigan public school students annually to teach video, audio, animation, and mocap workflows.
- Managed marketing, sales outreach, public communications, and strategic partnerships with universities, researchers, content creators, and commercial clients.
Founding Partner
Luminate Studios
01.2014 - 01.2020
- Founded and operated a 3D visualization company delivering high-end photorealistic scenes and animations for architectural, scientific, and marketing applications.
- Managed full production pipeline: modeling, lighting, animation, rendering, asset creation, and compositing.
- Oversaw client relations, budgets, operations, and business development.
- Coordinated multidisciplinary design projects and delivered premium marketing visuals and animations.
Owner
VizKid Design
01.2011 - 01.2015
- Ran an animation and design studio specializing in scientific visualization and interactive media.
- Produced videos, interactive features, print and web infographics, and data-driven visual content.
- Managed a distributed team working with researchers from 10 American universities.
- Served as project manager for the NSF-funded "Educational Tree of Life" project, producing video series, interactive modules, and scientific visualizations.
Design & Video Producer
MSU IPF Communications
01.2008 - 01.2012
- Handled all videography, animation, infographics, and monthly digital content for Infrastructure Planning & Facilities.
- Led cross-departmental multimedia projects involving 3D visualization, graphic design, and campus mapping.
- Shot and edited video content and developed ongoing public outreach campaigns.
Lead Animator
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (MSU)
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Lead animator for the planetarium show “Relics of the Big Bang” and additional educational media.
- Coordinated production of 3D animations using real scientific data from CERN in Switzerland.
- Designed engaging scientific visual content for large-scale public audiences.
Education
B.A. Journalism - Visual Storytelling, Data Visualization, Interactive Media, Animation
Michigan State University
East LansingSkills
- Motion Capture & Virtual Production: OptiTrack, Motive, MotionBuilder, Unreal Engine (LiveLink, VP workflows), Maya, Faceware, StretchSense, retargeting, state machines, Metahumans & Metahuman Animator
- Game Development: Unreal Engine, Blender, character workflows, sequencing, cinematic pipelines
- 3D & Animation: Blender, Maya, MotionBuilder, photogrammetry, character & prop workflows
- Video Production: Cinematography, editing, lighting, livestream coordination, production management, post-production, After Effects
- Project Leadership: Agile pipelines, Ftrack, Notion, ClickUp, sprint planning, scoping, team coordination
- Creative Tech: Interactive media, educational content design, scientific visualization, multimedia storytelling
- Soft Skills: Team leadership, curriculum design, client communication, public speaking, cross-disciplinary facilitation
- Blender
- Optitrack Motive
- Unreal Engine
- Faceware
- Metahumans
- Adobe CC
- Photogrammetry workflows
- Live production
- Virtual production
- Studio management
- Project management
- Pipeline maintenance
- Marketing and promotion
- Personnel oversight
Awards
SPJ Award — Best Online Content (2008) for Great Lakes Wiki, Recognition for multimedia storytelling, climate/environmental coverage, and innovative digital content, Produced award-winning scientific and architectural visualizations across multiple studios
Educational Outreach
- Instructor, Michigan State University - 2017-2022 - Animation in After Effects
- Guest Speaker, Society for News Design (SND) Vegas — 3D tools for newsroom storytelling
- Presenter at educational institutions across Michigan on video production, motion capture, and creative tech
Timeline
Studio Manager
Haptix Studio
01.2020 - Current
Founding Partner
Luminate Studios
01.2014 - 01.2020
Owner
VizKid Design
01.2011 - 01.2015
Lead Animator
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (MSU)
01.2009 - 01.2010
Design & Video Producer
MSU IPF Communications
01.2008 - 01.2012
B.A. Journalism - Visual Storytelling, Data Visualization, Interactive Media, Animation
Michigan State University