John McMurrough is an accomplished character animator working in television, games, apps, and commercials. While character animation is John’s primary focus and love, he is also a skilled character rigger and generalist when project demands necessitate. Throughout his digital career, John has contributed to many successful projects. Recent highlights include Spree3D, Lego Brawls, The Outpost, Red Bull, Hotel Transylvania 3, Lyft Autonomous, and The Eternal Cylinder. John thrives on enhancing not only his animation skills but also the diverse abilities and habits that have propelled him to his current success. His passion for growth as an artist and as a storyteller is evident in every project he undertakes, always leaving a distinctive mark on his work.

johnamcmurrough

John McMurrough is an accomplished character animator working in television, games, apps, and commercials. While character animation is John’s primary focus and love, he is also a skilled character rigger and generalist when project demands necessitate. Throughout his digital career, John has contributed to many successful projects. Recent highlights include Spree3D, Lego Brawls, The Outpost, Red Bull, Hotel Transylvania 3, Lyft Autonomous, and The Eternal Cylinder. John thrives on enhancing not only his animation skills but also the diverse abilities and habits that have propelled him to his current success. His passion for growth as an artist and as a storyteller is evident in every project he undertakes, always leaving a distinctive mark on his work.

Available to hire

John McMurrough is an accomplished character animator working in television, games, apps, and commercials. While character animation is John’s primary focus and love, he is also a skilled character rigger and generalist when project demands necessitate. Throughout his digital career, John has contributed to many successful projects. Recent highlights include Spree3D, Lego Brawls, The Outpost, Red Bull, Hotel Transylvania 3, Lyft Autonomous, and The Eternal Cylinder. John thrives on enhancing not only his animation skills but also the diverse abilities and habits that have propelled him to his current success. His passion for growth as an artist and as a storyteller is evident in every project he undertakes, always leaving a distinctive mark on his work.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Add your work experience history here.

Education

BBA Finance at Anderson School of Management, UNM
April 10, 1996 - April 10, 2000
Advanced Character Animation at Animation Mentor
April 10, 2011 - April 10, 2012
Creature Animation at Animation Mentor
April 10, 2012 - April 10, 2013

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Gaming, Media & Entertainment
    paper Red Bull - Art of the Can - Animator, Rigger, Art Director

    This piece was originally designed as a competition piece Red Bull - Art of the Can motion graphic and also was given special consideration to play during a gallery showing in Philadelphia for Red Bull - Art of the Can. I worked as a Co-Director on this project and specifically headed animation and rigging. I really enjoyed working with my friend Eli Guerron, the synergy created with what he can bring to the table really fuels my passion to deliver great work. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper ISIL University Commercial - Animator, Art Director

    Plan B Studios in Peru hired me to co-direct and animate on this great commercial for ISIL University in Peru. Being able to direct all aspects from concept/story, modeling, rigging, look dev and final animation was a truly unique experience. The team there at Plan B made this a super fun and rewarding project. This highly stylized spot was a blast to work on and really came together and showed a lot of character. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Hotel Transylvania - Animator, Rigger

    Hotel Transylvania 3 was released summer 2018. Ignite Studios hired me to model, rig and animate on Drac, Mavis and Blobby. There was definitely some challenges with this project. Really low poly counts, low bone counts and 20 second animation loops all done within a month. My animation for this project ended up with the Mavis dance cycle and a short clip of Blobby. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Carnival Games - 2k Games - 3D Animator

    Carnival Games VR was released November 2016, by 2K Games. 2K Games contracted out their popular Carnival Games to Wahoo Studios to turn it into a fully immersive VR game. I was hired by Wahoo Studios to head all animation and rigging. First big note - a complete redo on the Barker. I was in charge of creating a new rigging system for Barker, using the CAT system in 3DS Max, to facilitate the new design while still being able to take on old animation and new animation alike. A lot of the animation was recycled, with a bit of arm twisting, but new animations with Barker, animals, robots, ghosts, games inanimate objects were all created in making this game come to life. While my main duties were all things animated and rigged, I also helped out with modeling, lighting, particle FX systems and last UI and UX design and implementation. The crew at Wahoo was amazing and really talented and the Carnival Games VR game was a blast to work on. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper 3D Animator- The Outpost (TV Series on the CW Network)

    The Outpost is an American fantasy-adventure drama television series, acquired by The CW, which premiered on July 10, 2018. I was hired by Blufire Studios and Head of Animation/TD, David Gibb, to help out with animation. Using both hand animation and sometimes mocap, Dave and I successfully completed over fifty shots in under three weeks. There were many constraints, time being the biggest. But also having to work within the allotted frames and having to physically cover green suit with our animation was tough. Dave and the team at Blufire are a small team but woo - they can pump stuff out! I had a great time and hopefully we’ll do it again! Well, hopefully this time we’ll have more time? Cheers! https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Game Animator - Red Games

    Lego Brawls was released by Red Games in September 2019 and is available exclusively on Apple TV. I was brought on to head animation and all rigging. This was my first gig in which I was head for both animation and rigging. I learned so much and continue to grow off this knowledge. The biggest keys I took away are 1) In games you are a Co-Collaborator - you work hand-in-hand with Designers, Programmers and Directors. 2) Its about making the best game play animation 3) You are being hired to bring a motion mindset to solving problems and last and most important 4) Make it enjoyable - in game and with your team! Look for more animations in attack and hit reactions in the near future. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper Head of Animation - Spree 3D

    While at Spree3D, my main focus was on animation—more specifically, on hyper-realistic motion. The goal, as I understood it, was to reach a significant milestone: to create a cutting-edge, ultra-realistic avatar system that could be used seamlessly with 3D clothing, including full cloth simulation, and integrated into a mobile app, as well as being capable of integration into other game engines, third-party apps, and digital business ventures. https://www.twine.net/signin

    paper 2025 Reel

    This 2025 reel showcases a mix of character animation work from games, apps, and interactive projects. It features both stylized and cinematic animation, with a focus on gameplay systems, personality-driven movement, and performance. All work was animated by me, with some scenes also involving rigging or Unreal Engine implementation.

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