2024 |
ART DIRECTOR |
NETFLIX |
Avatar and user interface direction for internal interactive fiction games. |
2021 –2023 |
ART DIRECTOR/ FOUNDER |
THOUGHT PENNIES |
Built + led art team for a AAA UE5 action RPG; style dev, roadmaps, pipelines, avatar system. |
2020 – 2024 |
ART DIRECTION CONSULTANT |
VARIOUS CLIENTS |
|
2017 – 2020 |
STUDIO ART DIRECTOR |
FOGBANK |
Storyscape was the high-bar HBO/ AMC/ FX-like play in interactive narrative gaming, lauded for its quality art, writing, and inclusive representation. Original shows aired alongside IPs like James Cameron’s TITANIC and The X-Files. I built the art style, art production pipelines, and art/ cine team.
Developed a look focused on high-quality realistic character art and authentic clothing. Established pipelines for art creation, review, and implementation. Hired, trained, mentored, and managed artists and cinematic directors plus top freelancers/ outsource studios to create art for 10 shows in popular genres – period, romance, comedy, drama, horror, fantasy. Principal production designer for flagship shows. Designed and directed characters, likenesses, and locations plus all show key art and logos. Best practice and IP guides. Hands-on tech art, paintovers. Studio leadership/ management/ tactics. |
2011 – 2017 |
STUDIO ART DIRECTOR | ART DIRECTOR |
KABAM (SF, BEIJING) |
Art leadership in multi-/ single-project capacities. Grew art team with top talent from Blizzard, Bungie, ILM, EA, CCP, Weta, DreamWorks. Fostered a community noted for skill-sharing, camaraderie, and efficiency. Created style guides, pre-viz, concept art, hands-on with prototypes. Established hiring, mentoring, dev best practices. Worked closely with IP partners, establishing Kabam’s pedigree as a solid licensee. Art Leader in the latter day “Kabam RPG” studio specializing in action & strategy RPGs. |
|
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING |
Creative consultation for 3rd-party publishing partners in China, Korea, Japan, Europe. My strike team of creative directors, editors, and translators handled all content culturalization, localization, and reskinning for western markets. Drove UI/UX best practices, reskins efforts, audio (sfx, score, VO) re-recording plus L10N/ editing/ writing, and creative (key art, branding/ logos, App Store copy, CI). | |
2000 – 2010 |
ART DIRECTOR | LEAD ARTIST |
PLANET MOON STUDIOS |
I grew the AD role away from hands-on art to directing several leads to overseeing multiple projects. Established and validated art styles, maintained quality and morale through effective critique and mentoring. Led tools dev for author-friendly pipelines, anticipated issues then pushed resolutions, built robust network of freelancers and vendors. Designed avatar systems for 3 games.
As Lead I wore many hats in this 9-person startup – did everything one could in art (concepts, models, UI, levels, lighting, VFX, rigs, animation, cinematics, &c.) plus marketing/ packaging/ site design, tech art (optimization, tools, physics, palettes), art production (hiring, tracking, scheduling, outsourcing). |
2004 |
SENIOR ENVIRONMENT ARTIST |
CRYSTAL DYNAMICS |
Built, textured, lit campaign levels + multiplayer maps, and designed the protagonist for a Deus Ex product. |
1994 – 2000 |
LEAD ARTIST | ARTIST | ANIMATOR |
ACCOLADE |
Led original projects that extended Accolade’s sports-centric portfolio into “core” action/ strategy genres. I exercised elevated autonomy over my teams and projects, with direct contact with the game press and use of cutting-edge SGI tech for some of the earliest lip-sync and 3D rendering in games. As a flexible generalist I created pixel/ painted/ 3D art, UI, concepts, cinematics, marketing materials. |
Objective |
To create ambitious and visually appealing RPGs and narrative games with good people. |
BIO |
Ken is a game industry art director and illustrator with 30 years of experience leading art teams and making game art, with proficiency in both creating original IP and servicing top brands across a variety of genres and styles. Ken is a highly technical and multi-talented, generalist “full stack” art director with extensive hands-on expertise in every stage of development from prototype through launch and live ops.
An expert at art pipelines and getting the most out of engines at any scale, Ken has shipped over three dozen titles on console, PC, mobile, and handheld. He has built multiple art teams and businesses from scratch and has decades of experience managing outsourcing and directing remote teams.
He is noted for his eye for detail, sense of style, actionable direction, and development savvy.
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Skills |
|
Software |
|
Education |
BFA Illustration, 1994, Academy of Art College, San Francisco. Figurative illustration with a focus on graphic storytelling.
Founder/ publisher @ Puppy Toss Comics Collective, 1992-1998, Berkeley. Instructor in Sequential Art program, 1993 and 1994, Academy of Art, San Francisco.
Interests: motorcycles, horror, The Beatles, classic illustration, open world games, glitter, old bones. |
PORTFOLIO |
Art direction and game art portfolio at https://kencapelli.com. |
TITLE + EXPERIENCE SUMMARY | ||
2024 |
ART DIRECTOR |
|
NETFLIX |
Netflix Stories – iOS/ Android, Netflix |
|
|
||
2021 – 2023 |
ART DIRECTOR |
|
THOUGHT PENNIES |
Unannounced AAA RPG – XSX/ PS5/ PC, unreleased/ in development |
2021 – 2023 |
2017 – 2020 |
STUDIO ART DIRECTOR |
|
FOGBANK |
Storyscape – iOS/ Android, FoxNext/ Disney – App Store 4.8★ |
2019 |
2011 – 2017 |
STUDIO ART DIRECTOR | PROJECT ART DIRECTOR |
|
KABAM |
Pocket Tactics (working title, tactical RPG prototype) – iOS/ Android, unpublished |
2016 – 2017 |
|
Star Wars: Uprising – iOS/ Android – App Store 4.9★, Editor's Choice Awards |
2015 |
|
Drakonsoul RPG – Web/ Facebook, unpublished |
2014 – 2015 |
|
The Hobbit: Armies of the Third Age – Web/ Facebook |
2013 |
The Hobbit: Kingdoms of Middle-earth – iOS/ Android – $100m+ rev |
2012 | |
Trojan War: Rage of Zeus – Web |
2012 | |
Final Eden – Web – full reskin, <4 months |
2012 | |
The Godfather: Five Families – Web/ Facebook |
2011 | |
Edgeworld – Web/ Facebook |
2011 | |
Dragons of Atlantis – Web/ Facebook |
2011 | |
|
CREATIVE DIRECTOR, PUBLISHING |
|
The Hunger Games: Panem Rising – iOS/ Android, Kabam |
2014 | |
Lord of the Rings: Legends of Middle-earth – iOS/ Android, Kabam |
2014 | |
Creature Academy – iOS/ Android, Netmarble |
2014 | |
Metal Skies – iOS/ Android, WeMade |
2014 | |
Divine Might – iOS/ Android, Gfan |
2014 | |
Blades of Excalibur – web, JoyYou – full reskin |
2014 | |
Ravenmarch – web, GameReign – full reskin |
2014 | |
Wartune: Hall of Heroes – iOS/ Android, 7th Road/ Hoolai |
2013 | |
Reign of Conquerors – iOS/ Android, Minoraxis |
2013 | |
Runes of War – iOS/ Android, Pearl in Palm |
2013 | |
2000 – 2010 |
ART DIRECTOR |
|
PLANET MOON STUDIOS |
BEYONCÉ: Star Power – XBOX 360 Kinect/ PS3 Move/ Wii, unpublished |
2009 – 2010 |
Disney’s Tangled – Wii/ DS, Disney Interactive |
2010 | |
The SIMS 3: Life Moments – Wii, EA – multiplayer aspect of console port |
2010 | |
The SIMS 3 – Wii, EA – full technical evalulation for console ports |
2009 | |
Drawn To Life: The Next Chapter – Wii, THQ |
2009 | |
My AMAZING Story – XBOX 360, Microsoft Game Studios (1st party) – unpublished |
2007 – 2008 | |
Booty Blocks – iPhone |
2008 | |
Brain Quest: Grade 3&4 and Grade 5&6 – PSP, EA> |
2008 | |
Battle Of The Bands – Wii, THQ |
2008 | |
Smarty Pants – Wii, EA |
2007 | |
After Burner: Black Falcon – PSP, SEGA |
2006 | |
Conan: Queen Of The Black Coast – PSP, THQ – unpublished |
2005 – 2006 | |
LEAD ARTIST |
||
INFECTED – PSP, Majesco |
2005 | |
Armed and Dangerous – XBOX/ PC, LucasArts – Award-winning |
2003 | |
Giants: Citizen Kabuto – PC/ XBOX, Interplay – Multiple Award-winning |
2000 | |
2004 |
SENIOR ARTIST |
|
CRYSTAL DYNAMICS |
Project: Snowblind (Deus Ex franchise) – PS2/ XBOX, Eidos |
2004 |
1994 – 2000 |
LEAD ARTIST |
|
ACCOLADE |
Slave Zero – Dreamcast, SEGA |
1999 |
Slave Zero – PC, Infogrames |
1999 | |
Deadlock – PC – Editor’s Choice Award |
1996 | |
ARTIST | ANIMATOR |
||
Jack Nicklaus 5 – PC – ★★★★★ rating + Editor’s Choice Award |
1996 | |
Hardball 6 – PC |
1996 | |
Unnecessary Roughness 95 – PC/ Genesis |
1994 | |
Hardball 4 – PC/ Genesis |
1994 | |
Zero Tolerance – Genesis – first and only FPS on classic consoles |
1994 |