What do you want to create?

LANCE POWELL

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Award-winning Art Director and Creative Executive Leader with over 30 years of experience in games, film, TV, and advertising. A driving force behind iconic projects like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Shred, and Medal of Honor, with a passion for cultivating positive, creative team cultures and delivering visually stunning, impactful work. Founder of Tula Executive Leadership & Team Coaching, a practice transforming individuals and teams by aligning purpose, intention, and growth.

CORE EXPERTISE

🗸 Creative & Technical Art Direction: Shaping vision and look for AAA titles, blending artistry and technical expertise for immersive storytelling.

🗸 Pipeline Development & Optimization: Automating workflows to enhance real-time and pre-rendered creative processes.

🗸 Cross-functional leadership: Coaching teams through purpose-driven strategies, fostering collaboration and innovation.

🗸 Strategic Planning & Execution: Guiding projects from concept to launch with a results-focused approach.

🗸 Technical Proficiency: Maya, ZBrush, Substance Suite, Unreal Engine, Unity, Adobe Creative Suite.

🗸 Content & Branding: Crafting campaigns to strengthen brand identity and engage audiences with compelling visuals.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

🏆 Awards & Nominations:

Oscar-winning Team: Contributed to Lord of the Rings I, II, III, Shrek 2, Starship Troopers.
Emmy Nomination: Battlestar Galactica.
AIAS Nomination: Medal of Honor 2010 for Outstanding Visual Engineering.
E3 2017 Awards: Archangel VR was recognized as "Best VR Game" by Geek Citadel, MMOGames, and MEUPS4.

⚡ Studio Achievements:

Cloud Imperium Games: Unified the artistic vision across seven studios, leading a global team of 80 and boosting production speed by 200% through creatively optimized pipelines.
Tula Executive Leadership & Team Coaching: Enhanced engagement by 25% and decreased turnover by 80% for a 50-member team, resulting in approximately $1M in annual savings.
Skydance Media: Leveraged Unreal Engine for real-time creative lighting, contributing to Archangel VR’s E3 2017 "Best VR Game" recognition.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

TULA EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & TEAM COACHING

Founder | Apr 2022 – Present

Aligned team goals with core values through the “Drive System Goals framework”, fostering a culture of openness, creativity, and growth.
Facilitated workshops and accountability cohorts to build trust, enhance collaboration, and drive mindset transformation, fueling creative thinking.
Created content channels for personal and leadership growth, cultivating a continuous improvement and creative exploration community.
Increased engagement by 25% and reduced turnover by 80% for a team 50, resulting in approximately $1M in annual savings through improved efficiency.

FRACTIONAL ART DIRECTION & VISION BUILDING

Art Director & Vision Builder | Jan 2020 – Present
Providing strategic art direction and creative vision-building for leading studios in the gaming industry.

PUBG (Untitled AAA Tactical Shooter): Crafted the art vision and immersive world-building, delivering a comprehensive Art Bible, production design, and UX guidelines and established a cohesive, creative direction, boosting project engagement and earning industry recognition.
Immutable Games (Guild of Guardians): Directed art vision and branding strategy, resulting in a 30% increase in community engagement and positioning the game for market success, setting new standards in visual storytelling.
Colonize Mars: Developed compelling visual concepts and branding narrative, leading a cross-functional team to enhance collaboration and accelerate production timelines by 25%.
CCP London (Untitled MMO Tactical Shooter): Built the visual identity for a new AAA IP, creating an Art Bible and dynamic concept art that refined the project’s aesthetic and improved workflow efficiency by 20%.

SKYDANCE MEDIA

Studio Art Director for Archangel VR and PWND | Aug 2016 – Oct 2018

Led a team of 12 to 23, overseeing art optimization, visual design, and technical implementation for Archangel VR and PWND, blending creative vision with technical execution.
Implemented Unreal Engine-based lighting systems, creatively elevating the visual narrative, contributing to Archangel VR’s E3 2017 "Best VR Game" award.
Fostered a culture of trust and creativity, empowering team members to express their talents fully and innovate.

CLOUD IMPERIUM GAMES

Global Art Director | Nov 2013 – Sept 2016

Unified the artistic vision across seven studios, managing a global team of 80 and increasing production speed by 200% through automated asset pipelines designed to support creative workflows.
Integrated asset review tools, reducing feedback cycles by 110% and improving communication and creative quality across studios.
Championed a culture of openness, enabling artists to push the boundaries of visual storytelling and innovative techniques.

GAMELOFT

North American Art Director | 2011 – Nov 2013

Led a cross-functional team of 11 direct reports and 38 additional members across North and South America, delivering creatively ambitious titles like Cars iOS and Spiderman iOS.
Developed training programs, bridging technical skill gaps and fostering a creative environment encouraging exploration and growth.
Implemented Python-based automation scripts, streamlining asset production to maximize creative output.

FILM, TV & GAME PROJECTS

Highlights:

Zoic Studios: Texture Supervisor for Serenity, Battlestar Galactica, CSI.
Weta Digital: Surfacing Artist for Lord of the Rings II & III.
Dreamworks: Surfacing Lead for Shrek 2.
Skydance Media: Studio Art Director for Archangel VR.
Cloud Imperium Games: Global Head of Art for Star Citizen.
PUBG: VizDev Art Director for Unannounced Tactical Shooter (PC).
Amazon Games: VizDev Director for New World teaser cinematic.
Gameloft: Art Director for Cars iOS, Spiderman iOS, Ice Age iOS.

Additional Experience: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, Texas Instruments (Web), Harry Potter VR-VG, Avengers (VG), Crania Mania (Web), Express.com (Web), DVD Express (Web), New World (VG)

LEADERSHIP PHILOSOPHY

Creative leadership thrives on openness, trust, and the courage to embrace new ideas. I empower teams to take ownership of their craft and collaboration, driving growth and innovation. I guide organizations to unlock their highest potential by promoting self-alignment and continuous learning.

SKILLS & TOOLS INTEGRATION

Maya, ZBrush, Substance Suite: Used for high-quality surfacing and texturing in AAA titles.
Unreal Engine, Unity: Applied in game development to drive immersive experiences.
Pipeline Development: Automated workflows to optimize production and quality.
Cross-functional leadership: Led teams of up to 81, fostering creativity and innovation.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS

Cross-Functional Team Collaboration
Strategic Vision, Planning and Execution
Developing Emotional Intelligence & Resilience
Enhanced Problem-Solving & Creative Depth

EDUCATION & INDUSTRY AFFILIATIONS

🎓 Otis College of Art and Design - Fine Art
🎓 Gnomon School of Art - Certificate Graduate
🗸 Gnomon Advisory Board: 1996 – 2016
🗸 Visual Effects Society: Member & Mentor (2007 - 2010)
🗸 IGDA & LA Siggraph: Active Member (1994 – 2014)

INTERESTS

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

Directed motion capture for in-game cinematics, enhancing narrative immersion and creative storytelling.
Developed automated asset pipelines, optimizing workflows for efficiency while maintaining high creative standards.