Creative LEADERSHIP
PROFILE
Michael Limber
Experienced creative leader (Director, Manager, Designer) using vision and broad expertise to build, inspire, and empower cross-functional teams to deliver innovative prototypes, products and user experiences in a variety of creative and tech industries.
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Strong creative direction and leadership focused on adding value through innovation
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Comfortable navigating unexplored territory of emerging technologies
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Hands-on design and direction of concepts, prototypes, tools, UX, UI, and products
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Energetic creative catalyst across design, engineering, product, sales, and management
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Strategic vision, leadership, communication, and relationships
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Effective team building, management, and culture cultivation
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Large-scale project, process, and goal planning in agile and waterfall environments
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High quality and productivity standards. Innovation focused. Results oriented.
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End-user champion. Nostalgic for the future.
EXPERIENCE
2022 - 2023
Senior Director
Data Visualization
Utopia Music
Established and directed cross-functional platform data visualization team to ‘make the data speak’, helping Utopia level-up the Music Industry to ensure Fair Pay for Every Play. Primarily focused on rights, consumption, and royalties – using customer-centric product discovery to create innovative dataviz components used as interactive UI elements, to visualize and navigate complex industry relationships and dense fintech datasets – to reveal actionable insights, data gaps, and revenue opportunities.
2021 - 2022
Design Director
blackshark.ai
Directed design at Austrian startup blackshark.ai, generating AI-derived 3D digital-twin of entire planet for flight simulation and metaverse applications. Championed design priorities within engineering org and evolved content art talent into enterprise-level design team. Designed Unreal Engine-based 3D interactive product demos, and enhancements to company's plugin and app UIs.
2010 - 2021
Sr Design Manger / Principal Designer
HERE Technologies (formerly NOKIA, formerly NAVTEQ)
Sr Design Manager and Principal Designer of R&D 3D Map Concepts & Prototyping team for HERE Technologies, designing and developing innovative next-generation 3D map content and prototypes for autonomous vehicle navigation, simulation, visualization, and global-scale 3D visual map products for enterprise customers and use-cases.
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Design and direct development of numerous Unity-based 3D prototypes and POCs demonstrating product features, use-cases scenarios, and novel UX and visual design concepts with a focus on 3D maps, digital twins, AV simulation, HMI design/UX, 5G network planning, and smart cities.
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Designer of 3D map product features, collaborating with Engineering and Product Management
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Principal UI/UX designer of company’s proprietary global 3D map creation and editing application
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Built and managed team of over 50 subject-matter-experts and delivered initial production of HERE's new high-definition urban 3D map data, including specs, processes, and work instructions
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Designed in-app expertise development system for production center operators
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Principal 3D map design representative for customer engagements and executive sessions
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Close collaboration with Leadership, Program and Product Management, Engineering, Production, Sales and Marketing across multiple global sites. Member of R&D Senior Management Team
2008 - 2009
Creative Director
Partner
Warren Fahy and Company
www.warrenfahy.com
Business and creative partner to author Warren Fahy related to his published thiller novels FRAGMENT and PANDEMONIUM.
Directed the development of visual assets related to the property, provide creative direction, create web presence, and oversight of partnership business affairs—from inception, through development, submission, contract, publication and rights licensing.
2006 - 2008
Chief Creative Director
WowWee USA, Inc.
US Creative Director for global toy company WowWee. Strategic product development and overall creative direction for product line. Leader of US creative HQ.
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Proposed, set up, staffed (20), and directed company's US creative development team and headquarters in Carlsbad, CA. Extended travel to Hong Kong, representing US design team
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Designer of robotic toy items, including initial creative concepts, interactive play specs, logic flowcharts, event tables, interface design, packaging, presentation, and marketing
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Play logic designer of 2008’s WowWee Tribot, which sold over 1,000,000 units
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Spearheaded creative development of themed online world, integrating company's product line and providing web space monetizing opportunities
2003 - 2010
Chief Creative Officer
Partner
Bunkspeed, Inc.
Co-founding partner in software start-up Bunkspeed focused on advanced visualization and rapid photorealistic rendering of CAD and 3D data — especially for automotive, product design, and engineering industries.
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Designer of simple and intuitive UIs for company's innovative flagship real-time rendering products HyperDrive and HyperShot — putting high-end rendering within reach of anyone.
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Clients included Ford, Nissan, Honda, BMW, Gulfstream, and Pininfarina.
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Bunkspeed was acquired in 2009 by Dassault Systems to become rendering toolset for its SolidWorks CAD application.
2003 - present
Creative Director
Julez Bryant, Inc.
Partner, Executive Board member. Business and creative consultation and 3D CAD design for founder and jewelry designer Julez Bryant (Julie Ward).
1988 - 2002
Chief Creative Officer
Partner
Angel Studios, Inc.
Carlsbad, CA
One of six start-up partners at Angel Studios producing 3D computer graphics and high-end 3D video games. Performed in many roles while at company, from Modeler and Animation Director to Game Designer and Chief Creative Officer.
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Hands-on production and creative direction for 3D CG film effects, TV commercials, scientific visualization, Location Based Entertainment attractions, music videos, and over a decade of pioneering high-end 3D video game development
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Built and led Creative/Art Department of 65 – including Art Directors, 3D Artists and Animators
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Led and grew company from initial staff of 6 to over 200 —becoming largest independent video game developer in the US in 2002.
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Angel Studios was acquired by Take2 Interactive (parent of Rockstar Games) in November 2002
Notable clients include Disney Imagineering, Nintendo of Japan, Rockstar Games, Peter Gabriel, Silicon Graphics, SEGA, Intel, Microsoft, NASA, US Navy, and SFX for VR cult classic The Lawnmower Man.
1985 - 1987
Technical Director
Digital Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles, California
Technical Director for 3D computer graphics pioneer Digital Productions using a CRAY X-MP super-computer and proprietary DP3D software to produce TV commercials, broadcast graphics, music videos, film effects, architectural and scientific visualizations.
EDUCATION
1982 - 1984
Pratt Institute
Brooklyn, New York
Master's Degree (MID)
Industrial Design
1977 - 1981
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Bachelor's Degree (BA)
Architecture
