Available to hire
Hi there! I’m Emily Diaz, a character designer and lighting/ compositing artist with a passion for animation and collaborative storytelling. I enjoy exploring every part of the production pipeline and bringing ideas to life through thoughtful design and polished visuals.
I’m pursuing a BFA in Animation and Game Development at UT Dallas and participating in the Disney College Program. I’m excited to join a talented team and contribute to visually compelling projects.
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Language
English
Fluent
Work Experience
Director at Cherry Bomb! 2025 Student animated Film
May 31, 2025 - July 30, 2025Directed a 3-minute student film called “Cherry Bomb!”, managed a small team of 27 talented artists, and took creative executive decisions to ensure a successful student film. Communicated with each department to ensure clear and easy communication with deadlines and tasks that needed to be accomplished.
Lead Character/Prop Designer at Cherry Bomb! 2025 Student animated Film
May 31, 2025 - July 30, 2025Lead character designer for the student film “Cherry Bomb!”, took creative initiative to help lead the team to create visually pleasing designs for the main characters and prop designs that blended well.
Lead Lighting and Composition Artist at Cherry Bomb! 2025 Student animated Film
May 31, 2025 - July 30, 2025Lead lighting and composition artist utilizing Arnold Rendering in Maya, created visually pleasing lighting setup for over 17 shots in “Cherry Bomb!”, compiled all EXR renders and composed them into Nuke Compositing to comp all EXRs together.
Lighting Artist at ATEC Animation Lab
January 1, 2024 - PresentAs a lighting artist for the University of Texas at Dallas, delivered creative liberties to the development of ATEC’s film “Sunny”. As a Lighting and Compositing artist, ensured smooth creative development of the film.
Lighting Artist Lead at ATEC Animation Lab
August 1, 2024 - PresentPromoted to Lighting Lead for fall semester. Served as main communicator between director and crew, ensured crew of Sunny received updates from directors and producers, and helped crew with composition and Maya issues.
Character Design Artist at ATEC Animation Lab; Pre-production
August 1, 2023 - PresentCreated a multitude of characters for pre-production of upcoming student film. Worked as part of a small, hand-picked team to develop and display creative ideas in future films.
Director at Cherry Bomb! (Student Animated Film)
May 1, 2025 - October 20, 2025Directed a 3-minute student film, coordinating a 27-person team across departments, ensuring clear communication and on-time delivery of assets.
Lead Lighting and Composition Artist at Cherry Bomb! (Student Animated Film)
May 1, 2025 - October 20, 2025Led lighting and composition for the film; utilized Arnold Rendering in Maya and compiled EXR renders, followed by compositing in Nuke to integrate shots.
Lead Character/Prop Designer at Cherry Bomb! (Student Animated Film)
May 1, 2025 - October 20, 2025Led character and prop design, establishing a cohesive visual style and ensuring designs aligned with production goals.
Character Design Artist at ATEC Animation Lab
August 1, 2023 - PresentCreated character concepts for pre-production of UT Dallas’ upcoming student film; collaborated with a small team to develop and present ideas.
Lighting Artist at ATEC Animation Lab
January 1, 2024 - PresentDelivered creative lighting and compositing for the film Sunny; ensured smooth development by coordinating with directors and crew.
Lighting Artist Lead at ATEC Animation Lab
August 1, 2024 - PresentPromoted to lead lighting artist; served as the main communicator between director and crew; assisted with composition and Maya-related issues.
Disney College Program Participant at The Walt Disney Company
August 1, 2025 - PresentEmployed at Walt Disney World, learning company policies and delivering guest experiences to create magical moments for visitors.
Director at Cherry Bomb (Student Film)
September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2025Directed and coordinated the student film Cherry Bomb, overseeing production from concept to final render and ensuring cohesive storytelling, shot planning, and team collaboration across departments.
Lead Character Designer at Cherry Bomb (Personal Student Film)
September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2025Led character design for Cherry Bomb, designing main and supporting characters, developing turnarounds, and maintaining a consistent aesthetic across the production.
Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist at Cherry Bomb (Personal Student Film)
September 1, 2023 - May 1, 2025Led lighting and compositing for Cherry Bomb, crafting lighting setups, color pipelines, and final compositing to achieve the intended mood and storytelling.
Lead Character Designer at Kraken’s Tooth (UT Dallas Animation Lab)
January 1, 2025 - May 1, 2025Led character design for Kraken’s Tooth, contributing to concept art, model sheets, and character turnaround pipelines for the UT Dallas animation lab project.
Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist at Kraken’s Tooth (UT Dallas Animation Lab)
January 1, 2025 - May 1, 2025Led lighting and compositing for Kraken’s Tooth, developing lighting schemes and node-based compositing workflows to integrate animation with lighting and effects.
Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist at Sunny (UT Dallas Animation Lab)
January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025Led lighting and compositing for Sunny, contributing to lighting setups and compositing across scenes within UT Dallas animation labs.
Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist at UT Dallas Kraken’s Tooth (Student Film)
January 1, 2025 - May 1, 2025Led lighting and compositing for Kraken’s Tooth as part UT Dallas Animation Lab; defined lighting style and integrated scenes with the compositing team.
Lead Lighting and Compositing Artist at UT Dallas Sunny (Student Film)
January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2025Led lighting and compositing for Sunny (UT Dallas Animation Lab); contributed to the production pipeline from layout to final output.
Education
High School Diploma at John Horn High School
January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2022Dual Enrollment at Eastfield- Dallas College
January 1, 2019 - December 31, 2024BA at University of Texas at Dallas
January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2025High School Diploma at John Horn High School
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2022Dual Enrollment at Eastfield - Dallas College
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2024BA Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communications; concentration in animation and game development at University of Texas at Dallas
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025High School Diploma at John Horn High School
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2022Bachelor of Fine Arts in Animation and Game Development at University of Texas at Dallas
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025Disney College Program Completion at Disney College Program
January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026High School Diploma at John Horn High School
January 1, 2019 - January 1, 2022BFA Animation and Game Development at University of Texas at Dallas
January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2025Disney College Program Completion at Disney College Program
January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026Qualifications
Women’s in Animation Lighting Mentorship
October 1, 2025 - October 20, 2025Disney College Program Completion
January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026Women’s in Animation - Lighting and Compositing Mentee
January 1, 2023 - March 19, 2026Brooklyn Walker’s Character Design Mentee
January 1, 2023 - March 19, 2026Disney College Program Completion
January 1, 2025 - January 1, 2026Industry Experience
Media & Entertainment, Education, Gaming, Software & Internet
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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