Hi, I'm Terry Kalinich, a passionate Creature, Character, and Technical Animator with extensive experience in rigging, animating VFX assets, and character animation for film, television, and gaming. I've worked on many exciting projects over the years, including Disney's Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever and Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead, bringing technical innovation and artistry to every step of production. I love problem-solving technical challenges within animation pipelines and have developed custom tools to support animators in their workflow. When I'm not animating, I enjoy working as a Video Switch Technical Director, filming, editing, and even boxing. I'm all about collaboration and creativity, always striving to push the boundaries of animation and storytelling.

Terry Kalinich

PRO

Hi, I'm Terry Kalinich, a passionate Creature, Character, and Technical Animator with extensive experience in rigging, animating VFX assets, and character animation for film, television, and gaming. I've worked on many exciting projects over the years, including Disney's Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever and Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead, bringing technical innovation and artistry to every step of production. I love problem-solving technical challenges within animation pipelines and have developed custom tools to support animators in their workflow. When I'm not animating, I enjoy working as a Video Switch Technical Director, filming, editing, and even boxing. I'm all about collaboration and creativity, always striving to push the boundaries of animation and storytelling.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Terry Kalinich, a passionate Creature, Character, and Technical Animator with extensive experience in rigging, animating VFX assets, and character animation for film, television, and gaming. I’ve worked on many exciting projects over the years, including Disney’s Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever and Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead, bringing technical innovation and artistry to every step of production.

I love problem-solving technical challenges within animation pipelines and have developed custom tools to support animators in their workflow. When I’m not animating, I enjoy working as a Video Switch Technical Director, filming, editing, and even boxing. I’m all about collaboration and creativity, always striving to push the boundaries of animation and storytelling.

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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Rigger and Animator at Silhouette Images
January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
Working under contract via Kalinich Productions Inc. Rigging and animation of VFX assets and shots for various undisclosed projects including Monkey, Flight Risk, Skymed Se2, and Best Christmas Ever.
Senior Animator at Digital Domain
January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022
Animating characters, modifying and cleaning up heavy motion capture data, and performing crowd work for the movie Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever.
Senior Animator / Tech Animator at Digital Dimension
March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Animated creatures and characters in complex multi-character shots for Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead - Lost Vegas. Created custom Auto lip-sync tool, led tool development alongside TDs, and worked directly with Jali developers.
Animator at Bardel Entertainment
October 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021
Hand-keyed creatures and anthropomorphic characters and props, also created layouts and cameras for The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild.
Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
December 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Hand-keyed animated character and Stargirl's Staff and miscellaneous props.
Senior Tech Animator / Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
April 1, 2013 - April 30, 2019
Rig testing, animation pipeline and tool/process R&D, QA testing, technical and creature/character animation on 200+ episodes and 60+ shows. Solved technical issues and assisted rigging department with rig streamlining and nCloth/nHair rig setup and simulation.
Animator / Cloth Sim at Keystone / Western Post
January 1, 2013 - March 31, 2013
Facial animation and lip sync for main villain creature and animal characters. nCloth simulation on quadruped for Super Buddies (Disney).
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc.
June 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Animating creatures, animals, props, and robotic characters. Rigging for props and assets. nCloth and nHair simulations on Once Upon A Time S2, 666 Park Avenue, Falling Skies S3 and Hidden.
Animator at LOOK Effects
January 1, 2012 - June 30, 2012
Animated main villain characters and assisted supervisor with cycles for miscellaneous shots in Warm Bodies (Summit Entertainment). Worked with mocap and hand-keyed shots.
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc.
March 1, 2012 - May 31, 2012
Animating creatures and robotic characters, developing concepts, custom one-off shots, and rig R&D for Falling Skies Season 2 (DreamWorks).
Animator / Rigger at Prime Focus
August 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011
Rigged and animated complex bridge structure collapsing (previsualization). Played key role in winning VFX contract. Specialized in bridge animation tasks for Final Destination 5 (Warner Bros.).
Effects Animator / Character Animator at Blue Castle Games
August 1, 2008 - July 31, 2010
Developed particle effects artwork, specialized in blood effects, spearheaded tool requests for particle system enhancement. Created 90% of all cinematic effects including main character and zombie animations for Dead Rising 2 (Capcom).
Animator / Rigger at Intelligent Creatures
February 1, 2008 - July 31, 2008
Key animated graphic imagery and facial movements for Rorschach in Watchmen (Warner Bros.). Rigged Rorschach's head and props for face replacement, created scripts for pipeline conformity, and trained new animators.
Animator at North West Imaging Effects (NWFX)
July 1, 2007 - November 30, 2007
Key animated biped and quadruped characters on TV series at high weekly quota, specialized in quadruped animation and previs.
Animator / TD at Rainmaker
August 1, 2005 - July 31, 2007
Facial animation and lip sync for multiple films including Blades of Glory, Garfield 2, Dr. Dolittle 3, character animation and technical rigging for spears and headdress on Night at The Museum and commercials. Lead specialist in paint FX for “Magnum” commercial.
Animator / Effects at Bardel Entertainment
March 1, 2005 - June 30, 2005
Character and technical key-frame effects animation specializing in dragon and explosion/debris shots for Dragons 2 Metal Ages. Also did Previz.
Animator at Mainframe Entertainment
October 1, 2004 - February 28, 2005
Character/props animation and problem-solving motion capture and set interaction scenarios for Stuart Little 3. Specialized in secondary/physics animation of props and objects.
Senior Animator at SONY Music Commercial
February 1, 2004 - March 31, 2004
Responsible for all character and secondary animation for commercial spot “IamBilly.com”, problem solved rig issues and created lighting.
Animator at NFB
October 1, 2003 - December 31, 2003
Responsible for main and secondary character animation, animation baking procedures and importing (Maya) for Academy Award-winning short “Ryan”.
3D Modeler at Calibre Digital Pictures
July 1, 2003 - June 17, 2025
Modeled a massive suburb of Long Island, New York, economizing models to lower poly counts while preserving details.
Traditional Animation Assistant at Evening Sky/The Animation House
June 1, 1998 - August 31, 1999
Assisted in drawing traditional animation frames for commercials, including key drawings and in-between frames for shadows, highlights, characters, and objects.
Owner/Creative Director at Kalinich Productions
June 1, 1998 - June 17, 2025
Provided concept work for characters, objects, environments; painting, airbrushing, graphic design, video storyboards, and 3D animation.
Computer/Video Technical Head at Studio M
March 1, 1996 - August 31, 1998
Responsible for all computer equipment and electronics for vocational animation school. Problem-solved technical and logistic issues related to equipment and project management. Took life drawing, anatomy, and animation courses during tenure.
Rigger and Animator at Silhouette Images
January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
Worked under contract via Kalinich Productions Inc. Rigging and animation of VFX assets and shots for various undisclosed projects including Monkey, Flight Risk, Skymed Season 2, and Best Christmas Ever. Remote / Vancouver BC based.
Senior Animator at Digital Domain
January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022
Animated characters and performed heavy mocap modifying and cleanup, including crowd work for Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever (Disney / Marvel). Remote / Vancouver BC based.
Senior Animator / Tech Animator at Digital Dimension
March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Animated creatures and characters in complex multi-character shots for Zack Snyder's Army Of The Dead - Lost Vegas. Created a custom Auto lip-sync tool for animators and led a TD to develop this tool. Worked directly with Jali developers. Hybrid Vancouver BC / Remote Montreal.
Animator at Bardel Entertainment
October 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021
Hand-keyed creatures and anthropomorphic characters and props, also involved in creating layouts and cameras for The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild (Disney). Remote / Vancouver BC.
Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
December 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Hand-keyed animated characters and Stargirl's staff and miscellaneous props for Stargirl and other undisclosed online series. Based in Vancouver BC.
Senior Tech Animator / Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
April 1, 2013 - April 30, 2019
Responsible for rig testing, animation pipeline and tool/process R&D, QA testing, technical and creature/character animation. Animated over 200 episodes across more than 60 shows. Solved technical issues within the animation department and assisted rigging with rig streamlining and nCloth/nhair rig setups and simulations.
Animator / Cloth Sim at Keystone / Western Post
January 1, 2013 - March 31, 2013
Facial animation and lip sync for main villain creature and animal characters. Performed nCloth simulation on quadruped for Super Buddies (Disney).
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc
June 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Animated creatures, animals, props, and robotic characters for Once Upon A Time S2, 666 Park Avenue, Falling Skies S3, and Hidden. Responsible for rigging props and assets, including nCloth and nHair simulations.
Animator at LOOK Effects
January 1, 2012 - June 30, 2012
Animated main villain characters and assisted supervisor with cycles for miscellaneous shots on Warm Bodies (Summit Entertainment). Worked with both motion capture and hand-keyed shots.
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc
March 1, 2012 - May 31, 2012
Animated creatures, robotic characters, developed concepts, created custom one-off shots and rig R&D for specific shot/character requirements on Falling Skies Season 2 (DreamWorks).
Animator / Rigger at Prime Focus
August 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011
Responsible for rigging and animating a complex bridge collapse sequence (previs and production) on Final Destination 5 (Warner Bros). Played a significant role in securing the VFX contract via previs. Specialized in bridge animation.
Effects Animator / Character Animator at Blue Castle Games
August 1, 2008 - July 31, 2010
Developed particle effects artwork specializing in blood effects for Dead Rising 2 (Capcom). Spearheaded tool requests to enhance the in-house particle system. Created 90% of cinematic effects and some main character and zombie animation.
Animator / Rigger at Intelligent Creatures
February 1, 2008 - July 31, 2008
Key animated graphic imagery and facial movements on Rorschach for Watchmen (Warner Bros). Rigged the head and props for face replacement and created scripts for pipeline conformity. Trained new animators.
Animator at North West Imaging Effects (NWFX)
July 1, 2007 - November 30, 2007
Key animated biped and quadruped characters for TV series with a quota of 25 seconds per week specializing in quadruped animation. Duties included Previz.
Animator / TD at Rainmaker
August 1, 2005 - July 31, 2007
Facial animation and lip sync on Blades of Glory, Garfield 2, and Dr. Dolittle 3. Character animation and technical rigging for spears and headdress on Night at The Museum, Garfield 2, and commercials. Lead specialist for Paint FX on "Magnum" commercial.
Animator / Effects at Bardel Entertainment
March 1, 2005 - June 30, 2005
Character and technical key-frame effects animation for Dragons 2 Metal Ages DVD film release. Specialized in dragon, explosion, and debris shots. Also involved in Previz.
Animator at Mainframe Entertainment
October 1, 2004 - February 28, 2005
Character and props animation for Stuart Little 3. Solved mocap and set interaction scenarios and excelled in secondary/physics animation of props and objects.
Senior Animator at SONY Music Commercial - “IamBilly.com”
February 1, 2004 - March 31, 2004
Responsible for all character and secondary animation for a commercial spot. Problem solved rig issues and created lighting.
Animator at NFB – “Ryan”
October 1, 2003 - December 31, 2003
Main and secondary character animation. Managed animation baking and importing in Maya. Worked under acclaimed directors. The film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
3D Modeler at Calibre Digital Pictures
July 1, 2003 - January 11, 2030
Modeled massive suburban Long Island New York. Optimized models for lower polycount with efficient detailing.
Traditional Animation Assistant at Evening Sky/The Animation House
June 1, 1998 - August 31, 1999
Assisted with key drawings and in-betweens for commercials including shadow and highlight levels, characters, and objects.
Owner / Creative Director at Kalinich Productions
June 1, 1998 - April 27, 2024
Concept work for characters, objects, and environments. Painting, airbrushing, graphic design, video storyboards, and 3D animation.
Computer/Video Technical Head at Studio M
March 1, 1996 - August 31, 1998
Managed all computer and electronic equipment for a vocational animation school. Responsible for solving technical and logistic issues related to equipment and projects.
Rigger and Animator at Silhouette Images
January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024
Working under contract via Kalinich Productions Inc. Rigging and animation of VFX assets and shots in projects such as Monkey, Flight Risk, Skymed Se2, and Best Christmas Ever.
Senior Animator at Digital Domain
January 1, 2022 - October 31, 2022
Animating characters and heavy mocap modifying and cleanup for Black Panther 2 Wakanda Forever (Disney / Marvel). Crowd work included.
Senior Animator / Tech Animator at Digital Dimension
March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021
Animated creatures and characters in complex multi-character shots for Zack Snyder’s Army Of The Dead - Lost Vegas. Created custom Auto lip-sync tool and collaborated directly with Jali Devs to support production animators.
Animator at Bardel Entertainment
October 1, 2020 - January 31, 2021
Hand-keyed creatures and anthropomorphic characters and props as well as created layouts and cameras for The Ice Age Adventures Of Buck Wild (Disney).
Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
December 1, 2019 - December 31, 2019
Hand-keyed animated characters and props for Stargirl and other undisclosed online series.
Senior Tech Animator / Animator at Zoic Studios Inc
April 1, 2013 - April 30, 2019
Rig testing, animation pipeline and tool/process RnD, QA testing, technical and creature/character animation across 200+ episodes and over 60 shows. Assisted rigging department with streamlining animation rigs and setup/simulation of nCloth and nHair.
Animator / Cloth Sim at Keystone / Western Post
January 1, 2013 - March 31, 2013
Facial animation and lip sync for main villain creature and animal characters. Managed nCloth simulation on quadrupeds for Super Buddies (Disney).
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc.
June 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Animatied creatures, animals, props, robotic characters, and rigged props and assets. Managed nCloth and nHair simulations for multiple projects including Once Upon A Time S2, 666 Park Avenue, Falling Skies S3, Hidden.
Animator at LOOK Effects
January 1, 2012 - June 30, 2012
Animated main villain characters and assisted supervisor with cycles for misc. shots on project Warm Bodies (Summit Entertainment). Worked with mocap and hand-keyed shots.
Animator / Rigger at Zoic Studios Inc.
March 1, 2012 - May 31, 2012
Animated creatures/robotic characters and developed concepts. Rig research and development for specific shot/character requirements on Falling Skies Season 2 (DreamWorks).
Animator / Rigger at Prime Focus
August 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011
Rigged and animated entire complex bridge structure collapsing during previs for Final Destination 5 (Warner Bros.). Responsible for all bridge animation tasks and production animation of characters and physics related objects.
Effects Animator / Character Animator at Blue Castle Games
August 1, 2008 - July 31, 2010
Developed particle effects assets, specialized in blood effects, and created 90% of all cinematic effects in game Dead Rising 2 (Capcom). Also animated some main characters and zombies.
Animator / Rigger at Intelligent Creatures
February 1, 2008 - July 31, 2008
Key animated graphics and facial movements on Rorschach for Watchmen (Warner Bros.). Rigged head and props for face replacement and created scripts for pipeline compatibility.
Animator at North West Imaging Effects (NWFX)
July 1, 2007 - November 30, 2007
Key animated biped and quadruped characters on TV series Jibber Jabber and specialized in quadruped animation. Also included tasks in Previz.
Animator / TD at Rainmaker
August 1, 2005 - July 31, 2007
Performed facial animation and lip sync on Blades of Glory, Garfield 2, and Dr. Dolittle 3. Technical rigging for spears and headdress on Night at The Museum and commercials. Led Paint FX on Magnum commercial.
Animator / Effects at Bardel Entertainment
March 1, 2005 - June 30, 2005
Character and technical key-frame effects animation for Dragons 2 Metal Ages DVD release, specializing in dragon and explosion/debris shots, shadow dragons, misc objects/characters, as well as Previz work.
Animator at Mainframe Entertainment
October 1, 2004 - February 28, 2005
Character and props animation for Stuart Little 3. Problem solved mocap and set interaction scenarios, excelled at secondary and physics animation of props and objects.
Senior Animator at SONY Music Commercial - “IamBilly.com”
February 1, 2004 - March 31, 2004
Responsible for all character and secondary animation for commercial spot. Problem solved rig issues and created lighting.
Animator at NFB
October 1, 2003 - December 31, 2003
Main and secondary character animation for animated short film Ryan which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short.
3D Modeler at Calibre Digital Pictures
July 1, 2003 - July 31, 2003
Modeled large-scale suburban environments for NY Minute Pitch. Optimized models to lower polycounts for different types of houses.
Traditional Animation Assistant at Evening Sky/The Animation House
June 1, 1998 - August 31, 1999
Drew key and in-between traditional animation frames for various commercials, focusing on shadow and highlight levels for characters and objects.
Owner/Creative Director at Kalinich Productions
June 1, 1998 - April 27, 2024
Concept work for character, object, or environment creation. Painting, airbrushing, graphic design, video storyboards, and 3D animation projects.
Computer/Video Technical Head at Studio M
March 1, 1996 - August 31, 1998
Managed all computer equipment and electronics for a vocational animation school. Problem solving technical and logistic challenges related to equipment and project management.

Education

Certificate at Senaca College
February 3, 2003 - August 22, 2003
intensive course 5 days a week.
Certificate at Seneca College Digital Media Center Toronto ON
February 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003
Certification at Sheridan College Oakville, ON
January 1, 1998 - December 31, 1998
Certification at Sheridan College Oakville, ON
May 1, 1997 - May 31, 1997
Certification at Seneca College Digital Media Center
February 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003
Certification at Sheridan College
January 1, 1998 - December 31, 1998
Certification at Sheridan College
May 1, 1997 - May 31, 1997
Certification at Seneca College Digital Media Center Toronto ON
February 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003
Certification at Sheridan College Oakville, ON
January 1, 1998 - December 31, 1998
Certification at Sheridan College Oakville, ON
May 1, 1997 - May 31, 1997

Qualifications

Maya 4.5 Training - Certification
February 1, 2003 - June 30, 2003

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Professional Services, Education, Software & Internet, Other