About

I’m a Motion Designer with expertise in animation direction, technical direction, and project management. My focus includes JSX expression rigging, developing custom studio workflow, tool kitting, automation, and organizational and knowledge management.

Also known as “NoSleepCreative“, a passion of mine is teaching and making motion design YouTube tutorials! I feel immense joy and fulfillment from sharing knowledge with my peers and seeing them succeed and do their best work! I even did a Domestika Course “Advanced After Effects: Coding for Motion Design” which has over 2500 students to date!

Showreel

Expertise & Capabilities

Production

After Effects Animation

3D Animation (Cinema 4D, Unreal, Houdini)

Manage & direct animation team

Collaborate with writers, artists & stakeholders

Set creative vision & style
 

Communicate with clients, stakeholders & producers

Ensure project stays within budget & schedule

Work with sound & music teams to integrate audio

Supervise post-production

Technical Direction & Organization

Tool Development & Automation

Custom Studio Pipelines

Workflow Optimization

Rigging & Expressions for Motion Graphics

Data-driven Animation & Visualization

Design & Implementation of Custom Scripts 

Creation of Reusable Assets & Templates

Render Optimization

Documenting Best Practices

Demonstration of tools and skills

Tutorial recording

Creative leadership & Project management

Onboarding

Talent management & development

Knowledge management

Time management & task delegation

Risk management

Budget management

Communication & stakeholder management

Performance tracking & reporting

Resource allocation

Continuous improvement and optimization.

Recruitment & referrals

Software Skills

Design & Creativity Tools

Adobe After Effects

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe InDesign

Adobe Lightroom

Adobe Media Encoder

HandBrake

Figma

Procreate

PureRef

3D Animation & VFX Software

Cinema 4D

Houdini

Unreal Engine

Autodesk Maya

 

Blender

Mixamo

Nuke

Mandelbulb 3D

Programming & Scripting

JavaScript (Fluent)

Extendscripting (Comfortable)

Python (Comfortable)

Regex (Comfortable)

HTML (Basic)

CSS (Basic)

VEX (Comfortable)

Processing (Basic)

OSL (Basic)

C++ Shader Development (Basic)

Atom

Productivity Tools

Google Docs

Google Sheets

Formulas & Functions

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Slack

Notion

Trello

Frame.io

Miro

Shotgun

AE Third-Party Tools

Trapcode Particular

Trapcode Form

 

Red Giant Magic Bullet

Red Giant Universe

FXConsole

Element 3D

Optical Flares

 

3D Render Engines

Physical Renderer

Mantra

Pixar Renderman

Redshift

Octane

Audio & Video Editing

Davinci Resolve

Adobe Premiere

Adobe Audition

Pro Tools

GarageBand

OBS Studio

Streamlab OBS

Others

EbSynth

MadMapper

TouchDesigner

FAQs

How do I fit within your organization

Short-term: I can join your team as an Animator and Toolkit Expert focusing on production by utilizing both my animation skills and my technical skills in tool kitting, expressions, automation procedures. I can handle complex shots and want to learn more about the company, its culture, and people. I aim to contribute more value by leveraging my other expertise and capabilities, building a mutually beneficial relationship that could lead to a permanent role.

Long-term: As our confidence in and understanding of one another grow, I can take a DesignOps role, which may involve, but not limited to, directing teams and projects, being an active participant in conversations with clients, enhancing organizational and knowledge management. I also aspire to attract and groom new talent, grow the studio and business, optimize workflow, develop career-leveling opportunities for team members. 

Absolutely! I have previously organized and led software workshops and training sessions for both beginners and professionals. Therefore, I am more than willing to share my knowledge and insights with your team to help them advance and thrive in their roles.

  1. You may consider me for contract work in the near future.
  2. You can connect with me people who might be interested in working with me, who can mentor me, or resources or events I should be aware of.

How do I fit within Production

I am passionate about utilizing both artistic and technical skills in my work. For instance, I would excel in branding and design systems, where I create customized rigs and toolkits to automate the process of delivering multiple versions of a project. My ultimate goal is to explore and work in diverse fields that intersect creative, technical, hardware, research, and immersive experiences. I’m very curious and would like to investigate how to harness the power of AI to design and animate at the speed of imagination. I also like to start to involve more 3D work in my practice.

Cel animation can be a tedious process, and I personally find it challenging to have the patience required to execute it effectively. Although I enjoy working in an illustrative style, I often prefer to take a procedural approach rather than hand-drawing each frame myself.

While I can do both, I prefer and am stronger in animation. Within a team or a production, I prefer to tackle the most complex shot because I love figuring the impossible. To me a complex shot is a like a Math equation, and I love the challenge of solving it.

1. Overplayed strength: My weakness lies in taking on too many tasks due to my broad skill set and not delegating enough to my team, especially to producers or project managers. While being able to handle multiple responsibilities is a valuable trait, I recognize that it can lead to burnout and hinder the overall success of the team.

 2. ‘If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’ While I excel in technical proficiency and coding abilities, I sometimes tend to overcomplicate the animation process or create a system that is too complex for others to use. This may lead to inefficiencies and difficulties when working with a team or when others need to operate the system. To address this, I am working on simplifying my approach and ensuring that my solutions are user-friendly and accessible to all team members.

Hiring international employees

As a recent graduate, I am eligible to work in the United States for up to one year under OPT. If your company is enrolled in E-Verify, I am eligible for an additional two years of work authorization under the STEM extension. Hence, 3 years of employment without visa sponsorship!

If you’re interested in hiring me for a longer-term position, we can explore the possibility of obtaining an H-1B or H-1B1 visa. The H-1B visa allows U.S. employers to hire international individuals in specialized occupations for up to 3 years, with the possibility of extension for an additional 3 years. The process may involve some paperwork and fees, but it’s relatively straightforward and can be handled by an immigration attorney or HR specialist!

OPT stands for Optional Practical Training, which is a program that allows international students who have completed a degree program in the United States to work for up to 12 months in a job related to their field of study. OPT is typically available to F-1 visa holders, and it must be completed within 14 months of completing their degree program.

E-Verify is an electronic system that allows employers to check if their employees are authorized to work in the United States. When an employer uses E-Verify, they enter their employee’s information into the system, which then checks it against government databases to verify their eligibility to work in the US. E-Verify is used to help ensure that employers are hiring employees who are legally authorized to work in the US.

STEM extension, also known as the OPT STEM extension, is a 24-month extension of the OPT program for individuals who have graduated with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields. This allows them to work for an additional 24 months after their initial OPT period, for a total of 36 months of work authorization. To be eligible for the STEM extension, individuals must work for an employer who is enrolled in the E-Verify program and meet other requirements.

H-1B is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire international individuals in specialized occupations. H-1B visas are typically used for individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific field of study, and the employer must demonstrate that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the position. H-1B visas are typically issued for a period of up to 3 years and can be extended for an additional 3 years. There is an annual cap on the number of H-1B visas that are available, and the application process can be competitive.

In summary, if you are considering hiring a recent international graduate, they may be eligible for OPT or the STEM extension, which allows them to work for a period of time in the United States after completing their degree. If you are interested in hiring them for a longer period of time, an H-1B visa may be an option to consider.

You can use this key information:

“Desmond Du, a Singaporean and recent Master of Fine Arts graduate from SCAD, is being considered for a staff position. He holds an F-1 visa and is eligible for STEM Extension, H-1B, and O-1 programs.”

1. If you are interested in hiring international individuals but are unfamiliar with the regulations and laws regarding employment, you can familiarize yourself with them by visiting the Department of Homeland Security’s site Study in the States.

2. You can refer me to any contacts, business, opportunities who are inclined and confident to hire international individuals.

3. Register your company for the E-verify program so that your company can hire international people up for an additional two years. The process is easy, overall, the process of enrolling in E-Verify involves registering on the E-Verify website, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with DHS, and using the system to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.

We, as international individuals, greatly appreciate any support you can provide in our journey to work and live in the United States.

What does Desmond Du

Watch Anime, read Manga, drink beer, skating on my Onewheel, calisthenics, singing and karaoke, blogging, reading, drinking coffee, recording YouTube tutorials, hiking, hiding Dragonballs around the world.

Yes, I’m a Disney Princess in heart, and I have been taking vocal lessons for more than 3 years now. I have a recording of my recital singing “Somewhere only We know” by Keane on YouTube.

Contact & INFO

Availability: 17 April 2023

Visa Status: F-1 (eligible for STEM Extension, H-1B, H-1B, O-1 Program)

Open to: Staff and Freelance

Location: Open to relocate / remote

Preferred Position: Mid/Senior Level Motion Designer

Preferred Type of Work: A mixture of technical production (eg. toolkits), creative production, and processes (Workflow, pipelines, process, knowledge management)

Freelancing Rate: 700/Day