Adriel is a Canadian-American illustrator and animator. He was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada, grew up in the states, and graduated with a degree in animation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Upon finishing an MFA in animation from the University of Southern California, he has worked at studios such as Nickelodeon, Disney TV, Monkey Paw Productions, and Sony Animation on the hit shows Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Monster High, Scare Tactics and Bubble Guppies. Adriel has also become known for directing the animated short film, Camp Kona, and for his published works as an illustrator on the children's books I am A Triathlete, Gary and the Great Inventors, and Kulu the Wise Turtle…

Adriel Meka

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Adriel is a Canadian-American illustrator and animator. He was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada, grew up in the states, and graduated with a degree in animation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Upon finishing an MFA in animation from the University of Southern California, he has worked at studios such as Nickelodeon, Disney TV, Monkey Paw Productions, and Sony Animation on the hit shows Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Monster High, Scare Tactics and Bubble Guppies. Adriel has also become known for directing the animated short film, Camp Kona, and for his published works as an illustrator on the children's books I am A Triathlete, Gary and the Great Inventors, and Kulu the Wise Turtle…

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Adriel is a Canadian-American illustrator and animator. He was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada, grew up in the states, and graduated with a degree in animation from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Upon finishing an MFA in animation from the University of Southern California, he has worked at studios such as Nickelodeon, Disney TV, Monkey Paw Productions, and Sony Animation on the hit shows Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Monster High, Scare Tactics and Bubble Guppies.

Adriel has also become known for directing the animated short film, Camp Kona, and for his published works as an illustrator on the children’s books I am A Triathlete, Gary and the Great Inventors, and Kulu the Wise Turtle

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Language

English
Advanced
French
Advanced

Work Experience

Concept Artist ( Freelance) at Monkey Paw
May 6, 2024 - Present
Working closely with Jordan Peele’s team as a concept artist tasked with communicating closely with the production team to design original characters and personas for an upcoming series.
Animation Creative Production Intern at Walt Disney Television Animation
June 12, 2023 - November 13, 2023
Animation intern working at Disney TVA on the ongoing Marvel animation Series "Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur". Responsible for assisting the art team with various tasks such as character designs, layout, and background art for use in the production. Additionally includes collaborating with production/creative teams and technical staff on various, ongoing projects. Shadowing and learning the responsibilities of an Artist within a studio environment, and gaining insight into the world of storytelling for their streaming platform. I have also worked on their multiplatform team as a vis dev artist for Chibiverse, and other Short form content.
Asset Production Assistant at Nickelodeon Animation
June 14, 2021 - September 23, 2022
Production intern & Asset Production Assistant assigned to the TV shows "Bubble Guppies" and "Monster High." Responsible for assisting the production team with various responsibilities as well as shadowing the staff, managing scripts, observing creative art direction meetings, story pitches, and gaining exposure to the studio workflow. Worked closely with the Nickelodeon animation studio in NYC and in Burbank as well as coordinating with external studio in India
Freelance Filmmaker at Slam Magazine
October 5, 2020 - November 9, 2020
Worked as a freelance filmmaker on an award winning collaborative animation project between Slam and Vote4Me to create short film promoting voting for the 2020 election.
Background Painter at Sony Pictures Animation & Mitú
January 8, 2018 - March 30, 2018
Background Matte Painter on a team working to illustrate shot-by-shot backgrounds for the Sony and Mitú short film "Al Otro Lado" directed and produced by Nadine Promes.
Illustrator at Monkey Paw Productions
January 1, 2022 - Present
Worked on various animated projects, focusing on character design and animation, contributing to the visual storytelling aspect of each production.
Animator at Evil Star Media
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2022
Collaborated with a team to produce engaging animations for television, enhancing content with dynamic visual elements.

Education

BFA Animation at Savannah College of Art and Design
August 11, 2014 - May 23, 2014
MFA - Animation and Digital Arts at University of Sothern California
August 10, 2020 - June 5, 2023
Bachelor of Fine Arts at School of Visual Arts
January 1, 2010 - January 1, 2014

Qualifications

2021 BIBA Best Indie Book Award for Children’s Encouragement (I Am a Triathlete)
July 5, 2021 - December 31, 2021
2023 Book of the Year Award — Independent Author Network (Children’s Illustrated Fiction)
December 10, 2023 - December 10, 2023
Chicago International Film Film Festival 2023 — Best Animated Short Nominee ( Camp Kona)
July 10, 2023 - July 12, 2025

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Professional Services
    uniE621 Camp Kona (Animated Short Film)
    Camp Kona is an award-nominated animated short film written and directed by Adriel Meka. The film follows a lonely boy at a mysterious retro summer camp who uncovers the truth about a missing camper. Responsibilities included scriptwriting, character design, visual development, animation, and art direction.
Festival selections include LA Shorts, Chicago International, Utah Film Festival (Nominee), Icona Animation Film Festival, and more. shortfilm animation https://www.adrielmeka.com/campkona https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHglgawvH_w…
    uniE621 Scare Tactics ( Monkey Paw Productions) Flip Character Design
    The following contains a collection of work samples completed during a freelance contract with Monkeypaw Productions. ​ I was tasked with designing the main character Flip who was to be the new host of the show. Flip's design briefs were prompted by the production team that works closely with Jordan Peele. The goal of the assignment was to create a prankster host who looked like he was created with the imperfections of AI. Flip was to be the face of the 2024 series reboot and it was my task to bring him to life! Here are the designs and sketches I submitted to the Scare Tactics team for a character that would be translated into a live-action depiction on screen. https://www.twine.net/signin…
    uniE621 Award-Winning Children’s Book Illustration Portfolio
    Adriel Meka is the lead illustrator behind five published and award-winning children’s books, partnering with authors and publishers to create visually rich, emotionally resonant stories for young readers. Across all titles, he served as the primary illustrator, character designer, visual development artist, and art director—shaping each book’s complete visual identity from concept through final print. His work includes the acclaimed I Am a Triathlete, winner of the BIBA Best Indie Book Award for Children’s Encouragement and a 2020 Children’s Literature Winner, along with four additional books that highlight diverse storytelling, cultural identity, and empowering representation. I Am a Triathlete Written by Nia Obotette — Illustrated by Adriel Meka Award-winning title recognized for excellence in illustration. Adriel led all visual development, character exploration, storyboarding, and final page layouts. Links: https://www.twine.net/signin https://www.twine.net/signin Gary and the Great Inventors Written by Akura Marshall — Illustrated by Adriel Meka A STEM-focused picture book celebrating innovation and Black inventors. Adriel designed the characters, environments, compositions, and overall art direction. Link: https://www.twine.net/signin Kulu the Wise Turtle Written by Brenda Myers & Dr. Kwame Ofori-Amo — Illustrated by Adriel Meka A nature-inspired adventure featuring expressive animal character design and lush painted environments. Links: https://www.twine.net/signin https://www.twine.net/signin What Happened? Written by Dr. Kali Hobson — Illustrated by Adriel Meka A contemporary children’s book addressing social awareness and emotional intelligence. Adriel crafted dynamic character acting, expressive poses, and cinematic compositions. Links: https://www.twine.net/signin https://www.twine.net/signin The Colors of Me: A Journey of Identity for Biracial Children Written by Ekaette Kern — Illustrated by Adriel Meka A story about identity and belonging. Adriel developed the book’s visual language, color script, character illustrations, and polished artwork. Link: https://www.twine.net/signin Across all five projects, Adriel executed the full illustration pipeline: character design, environment painting, storyboarding, visual development, layout, print preparation, and collaborative reviews with authors and publishers. His children’s book portfolio has earned national recognition and strong reception, uplifting underrepresented voices through expressive, cinematic storytelling. Additional catalog link: https://www.twine.net/signin…
    uniE621 Marvel's Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur ( Disney TVA) — Character Design & Background Design
    During my time at Disney Television Animation, I contributed character design, background design, and visual development work for Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (Season 2). Working under the show’s art leadership, I created production-ready designs that aligned with the series’ high-energy graphic style, rhythm, and shape language. My work included designing a featured background character (AKI), developing full character turnarounds, expression sheets, and exploratory poses. I also supported background design and visual development tasks, applying the show’s stylistic rules—such as newsprint texture, spotted blacks, and bold graphic breakup—to produce backgrounds that fit seamlessly into the established world. This project strengthened my studio-pipeline experience, sharpened my ability to design within an existing visual language, and allowed me to contribute to one of Disney TVA’s most visually distinctive series. My Moon Girl design work can be viewed on my website and Instagram: Portfolio: https://www.adrielmeka.com/visual-development Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arekusan_meka Work Included in This Project: ✓ Character turnaround for AKI (final approved design) ✓ Expression sheets and exploratory sketches ✓ Background design explorations (clean + textured passes) ✓ Visual development studies following the show’s stylization rules ✓ Final production shots featuring my work as aired on Disney+ illustrator Disney television…
    uniE621 Illustration & Visual Art Portfolio — Character-Driven, Cinematic, and Design-Led Work
    As an illustrator and visual development artist, Adriel Meka creates bold, expressive artwork rooted in storytelling, character performance, and cinematic worldbuilding. His illustrations blend animation sensibility with fine-art composition, drawing from his background at Disney TVA, Nickelodeon, Sony Pictures Animation, and Monkeypaw Productions. Adriel’s work spans character-focused portraiture, stylized narrative scenes, environment paintings, fan-art reinterpretations, and original IP development. His illustration style is defined by dynamic posing, strong silhouette language, painterly lighting, and emotionally intuitive color design. Whether producing original concepts or reinterpretations of existing worlds, Adriel’s work emphasizes narrative clarity, visual rhythm, and character psychology. He shares much of his illustration portfolio on Instagram, where he has built a growing audience around his cinematic painting style, behind-the-scenes process clips, and storytelling-focused visuals. His illustrations often circulate widely for their expressive lighting, stylized rendering, and animation influence. Portfolio & Social Art Page: Instagram Art Account — https://www.instagram.com/arekusan_meka Main Portfolio — https://www.adrielmeka.com Representative illustration categories include: ✓ Character illustration & stylized portraits ✓ Cinematic fan-art reinterpretations ✓ Visual development & style exploration ✓ Environment and mood paintings ✓ Creature & fantasy concept work ✓ Narrative illustration for books, pitches, and short films Adriel’s illustration work is grounded in professional animation pipelines and shaped by experience across film, TV, publishing, and branded storytelling. His images prioritize clarity of emotion and worldbuilding while maintaining a polished, production-ready artistic finish.…