Faculty

Our faculty has artists with broad industry experience in feature film, TV productions, and games. Many of our classes are taught by professionals who are currently active and leaders in their fields. You will work and will be mentored by accomplished designers, animators, technical artists, scholars, and educators. This direct interaction and guidance from industry professionals will help you take your project to the next level.

Raquel Coelho

Also known as Raquel Rabbit, she is a Brazilian author, animator and Illustrator. She has published 17 Children's Books in Brazil, and won several prestigious Brazilian awards for her illustration and writing. Raquel has worked as a 3D animator in some of the best US animation studios, such as Laika, BlueSky Studios, Dreamworks, and Tippett Studio. She has recently participated in various independent short film projects, was a story consultant for the Dash and Dot robots during the development phase, and has collaborated in AR projects (Augmented Reality) with Tactic Studios, in San Francisco. Raquel Rabbit currently teaches 3D animation in the Animation and Illustration program of San José State University, where she also helps with curriculum development and coordination of several of the many extra curricular activities of the program. She is the Program Director and Faculty Advisor for the MDes Specialization in Animation program

Kevin Mannens

Kevin Mannens is an Academy Award-nominated and Annie Award-winning technical director and visual effects designer who has been instrumental in close to a dozen Hollywood blockbusters. His credits include Transformers: Age of Extinction, Captain America:The Winter Soldier, Pacific Rim, The Amazing Spiderman, G-Force, The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and more. A visual storyteller first and foremost, Kevin is fluent across various media from 3D animation and VFX to Live action and virtual reality. Kevin is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. His social impact and wildlife documentaries (Malpelo: Mountain of Sharks, Marsh Clouds, The Taking of Harris Neck, Mud Harvest, and more) have won hundreds of awards in international film festivals; and were screened all over the world. Kevin teaches several classes in our MDes program, and he is also a faculty Advisor.

Rex Grignon

A Canadian-American animation director, entrepreneur and a creative leader in the animation industry for nearly 30 years across Pixar, DreamWorks, Nimble Collective, and most recently, Amazon, Rex’s passion is to create stories through animation, having directed short films and overseen animation units across several major franchises including Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda, all beginning with animating on Toy Story. Rex Grignon has a long relationship with SJSU, having worked with our students in several capacities over the years. He joins our faculty to help student to define and develop their thesis ideas.

Raymond Wong

With over two decades at Pixar Animation Studios, his role as Sets Modeling Supervisor intertwined deep expertise in surface modeling with cutting-edge previsualization techniques. His work helped shape unforgettable worlds for films like Elemental and Lightyear, harnessing the power of Maya and USD to bring imaginative environments to life. Collaboration and innovation are the cornerstones of Raymond’s professional journey. His team has successfully integrated shading, lighting, and compositing to elevate storytelling through visual artistry. His analytical skills ensured that every project was not just visually stunning but also technically robust, contributing to the studio's legacy of acclaimed animated features. Raymond joins our faculty as a 3D modeling/rigging specialist.

Jaydeep Hasrajani

An animator, designer, storyboard artist and director based in Los Angeles, CA, Jaydeep is the creator of Boons And Curses, an original fantasy story inspired by the South Asian myths he grew up listening to. Previously, Jaydeep has worked on The Powerpuff Girls (Cartoon Network), The Fungees (Cartoon Network), and Ghee Happy (Netflix Animation). Outside of work, Jay is on a first-name basis with every coffee shop in LA. He is also a co-founder of SAVA, South Asians in Visual Arts—an organization whose mission is to cultivate a vibrant South Asian community in the Animation, Games, VFX, and AR/VR industries

Jake Goldman

An Emmy-nominated writer based in the greater Los Angeles area. You might know him from his work at Netflix and Cartoon Network. Jake has worked on such shows as The Powerpuff Girls, Futurama, and When Good Pets Go Bad?!. Jake brings his expertise in writing for animation to our program, teaching Story Structure and Narrative.

Ishmael Hoover

Also known as Izzy Hoover, he is a Concept Artist and Illustrator with vast experience in video games and animation. He graduated from San José State’s Animation Illustration program in 2012, and worked in the entertainment industry for 7+ years at large and small studios. He was an art director, game designer, and concept artist at Team Punkzilla, and a concept and texture artist at Blizzard Entertainment. Now Izzy is back to his alma mater teaching visual development for our Master’s students. Izzy’s day-to-day schedule involves a lot of Photoshop, 3DS Max, and 3DCoat. He is also developing his own game—keep an eye for it! He is passionate about history, mythology, archaeology, and fossils. His personal art sometimes reflects these interests.

Todd Elliott has over 25 years of experience in the animation industry. He has over 20 film credits from Tippett Studio, Rhythm & Hues, Sony Pictures Animation, Disney's Blue Sky Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, and a portfolio of freelance work. Some of the more notable movies and shows Todd has contributed to are Arrested Development, Hotel Transylvania, Rio 2, The Peanuts Movie, Ferdinand, Spies In Disguise, Nimona, Turning Red, Lightyear, and Inside Out 2. Todd joins our faculty as a character animation instructor.