Tom Corbett – 3D Modeler
Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Tom attended the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, and holds both a Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Science degree from the program. His interest in the combination of art, design, and technology has subsequently led him to explore a wide range of fields, including distance learning, architecture, video game production, and computer animation.In 2008, Tom left his position with ETC spinoff Etcetera Edutainment to launch Derivative Digital Studios, a 3D animation shop in Lawrenceville that produces a variety of architectural, medical, and product visualizations.
Andrew Gartner – Programmer
Is a “jack of all trades” that loves to combine the technical and the artistic. Prior to the entering the Masters program at the ETC, Andrew spent time at Berklee College of Music and the University of Pittsburgh studying Jazz guitar, Computer Science, and English Literature. Andrew completed his undergraduate degree at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he studied 3D rigging for animation as well as traditional animation, 3D modeling and texturing, and compositing. During his time at AiP Andrew was an intern at the ETC’s Design Studio and eventually got the chance to teach at the CMU/ETC run National High School Gaming Academy in the summer of 2009. During the six week program he got to take a crack at going from student to teacher for 2D game programming instead of guitar. Since he never stops babbling about how to use a computer to make something awesome, he jumped at the chance to spend another six weeks in the ETC building. Although Andrew jokes that he eventually applied to the MET program to give himself “another reason to stick around and get more free coffee”, it is obvious that the nature of the ETC appeals to his desire to combine both sides of the brain and come up with something new and exciting. He eats, sleeps, and dreams art. Whether he’s in front of computer, drawing table, piano, or running around with a guitar strapped over his shoulder, he’s always trying to learn how to do something different and cool. When he’s not at the ETC rigging a character or playing around with Panda 3D, he can be found playing gigs with a few bands around Pittsburgh, painting in Photoshop, or spending a small fortune at a bookstore.
Ashley Johnson – 2D Artist/UI Designer
During her undergraduate study at Spelman College, Ashley was afforded the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities that combine creativity with machinery. She served as a member and co-captain on the Spelman Robotics Team in 2005 until 2007. In 2007 she was able to take a computer graphics course that allowed her to develop games for Windows and the XBOX 360. Her interest in game and movie graphics grew as a result of taking this course. She then decided she want to pursue a career that would allow her to combine both her artistic and computer science skills. The ETC became the perfect home for her immediately upon her graduation from Spelman in 2009.
Craig Wells – Producer
Craig received his BFA in Fine Art Studies with an emphasis in Computer Animation from the University of Arizona in 2004. Moving to Los Angeles, Craig worked as an office manager for an architect and then for a small production studio. Working for these small companies allowed him to explore a variety of different disciplines including Architecture, Film, Video Games, Theatre, and Interactive Presentations. The variety of experience Craig received in these distinct fields provides a very broad and rich background which allows him to approach problems in a unique and thoughtful way.In 2008 Craig decided to pursue his graduate studies and was accepted to the ETC at Carnegie Mellon University. Craig hopes to use his time at the ETC to weld together the disparate parts of his background and allow him to pursue his artistic and professional endeavors. His passion for both video games and story provides him the drive to explore and understand how video games can create significant and lasting experiences. Craig’s goal is to help create video games that are not only commercially successful, but artistically vibrant and meaningful.