about our studio
our studio
A successful animation studio and intellectual property house, Arcana launched in 2004. Producing engaging storytelling with compelling art, Arcana is an innovative leader in the development of intellectual properties across all platforms. Arcana’s library of wholly owned intellectual properties contain well over 5,000 characters that transcend gender, age, and cultural and geographic boundaries. Arcana owns one of the world’s largest libraries of graphic novels. In 2012, Arcana opened an animation division to develop and produce its content for all platforms including film, television, direct-to-home and digital media. This extension of our comic book characters has provided new merchandising vehicles across all retail product lines.
Arcana has the experience of animated production, a top-notch team to execute a plan and is a Canadian company that receives tax credit benefits for content production. Currently on Arcana’s production slate are HEROES OF THE GOLDEN MASKS, ULTRADUCK, MISKATONIC and GO FISH (new TV series), with plans to release CLOCKWORK GIRL and PANDAS VS. ALIENS later this year.
meet the team
Arcana’s employees make us a ‘farm to fork’ company as we produce all of our content with our incredibly talented staff.

Sean Patrick O'Reilly
CEO/Founder
Sean’s passion and energy has driven the vision behind Arcana Studio. Sean continues to push the limits of storytelling by using a trans-media approach to adapt stories into a variety of entertainment mediums. He’s won the Top 40 Under 40 award from both the city of Vancouver and on a national level. His original creations include Kade, The Gwaii, Clockwork Girl, The Hope Virus, Pixies, Mighty Mighty Monsters, the Howard Lovecraft series, The Steam Engines of Oz, and Go Fish.

Michelle O'Reilly
VP
Michelle is responsible for producing Arcana’s animated series and features and for all sales at Arcana. She develops and maintains Arcana’s business relationships and ensures that all day-to-day tasks such as payroll, contracts, and even shipping are completed. She has four amazing children, all of whom are union actors in Vancouver with recurring roles.

Brady Keeler
Production Manager
Brady manages the day-to-day operations at the studio, all film production, and coordinates marketing and content distribution in all media. He is also a film editor for Arcana’s animation division. Brady graduated from Capilano University with his Bachelor’s in Motion Picture Arts. When not at work, Brady spends as much time as he can outdoors.

Lauren Gillies
Head of Development
Lauren began her career as a production assistant at OUTtv, and has since worked for Odyssey Media, Omnifilm Entertainment and, most recently, as the Head of Video Production for Bear’s Blooms. In 2018, she received her Master’s Degree in Documentary Media from Ryerson University. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys photography, hiking, and watching movies.

Jerina Hajno
Head of Sales
Jerina oversees sales at Arcana, as well as market and festival participation. She has a BA in Film Studies and a Postbaccalaureate in Communications. She is an avid swimmer and lover of all things beach and ocean.

Reanna Cameron
Production Associate
Reanna assists in many aspects and stages of production at Arcana. She studied Drama and Psychology at York University in Toronto, where she discovered her passion for film. She has been fortunate enough to have worked in a variety of creative positions on a multitude of different media projects, from casting to coordinating to writing. She enjoys travelling and has lived in England and Australia. She now lives in Vancouver where she enjoys yoga and exploring new places in her home city.

Andrew Tran
Production Assistant
Andrew was born in Vancouver, BC. He was raised by monks in the mountains of Mission and the vineyards of south France. His love of the arts led him to pursue his passion for film. During his spare time, Andrew enjoys music, singing, practicing guitar and improving his videography skills.

Aaron Strasbourg
CG Supervisor
Aaron is the Lighting/Compositing Supervisor at Arcana. He has a vast skill-set and range of experience compositing for major studios. Aaron is a very technical artist that knows Nuke inside and out. His passion for VFX is what drives him to do the very best.

Felipe Paschoal
Lead Modeller
Felipe specializes in graphic design and 3D modeling for animation and games. While his early passion for games and animation lead him to the arts, he still follows a rational and pragmatic path, always thinking about how things are made and how the 3D model can mimic life.

Skylar Zerr
Animation Director
Skylar is an Animation graduate from Visual College of Art and Design in Vancouver. He loves putting emotion into inanimate objects; creatures, bipeds and facial work are his specialty. Skylar also enjoys photography, editing, motion graphics and gaming with his pals on Steam.

Alexandra Bustos
Concept Artist
Alex is a Concept Artist Intern currently studying towards her degree in Illustration and Animation. At Arcana, she continues to develop an ever-growing skillset in illustration. Outside of work, Alex enjoys video games, films, painting and broadway musicals.

Billy Zhao
Animator
Billy graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver in Animation Art & Design. His focus at Arcana includes character animation, animation cleanup, and rendering. During his spare time, Billy enjoys watching movies and anime. He also enjoys playing sports & video games, and his favourite movie of all time is Spirited Away.

Brandon Parnell
Modeler
Brandon is a 3D generalist with a passion for creating stylized environments. He enjoys storytelling through models and textures, and his desire to make every frame a painting is what is most rewarding for him. Outside of work, Brandon enjoys cooking and baking.

Carlos Isaza
Animator
An animator at Arcana, Carlos is responsible for bringing stories and characters to life. An animation graduate from The Arts Institute of Vancouver, he moved to Canada to pursue his dream-job as an animator. In his free time, Carlos likes to draw, paint and play video games.

Carlos Oceguera
Animator
Carlos is originally from the southern Gulf of Mexico. He has been living in Vancouver for the past eight years and has been working in visual effects as an animator for over six years. In his spare time, Carlos works on personal projects including animated music videos and VR short films. He also loves spending time with his family, which includes Luna – a sassy black pug.

Chris Galle
Animation Intern
Chris is a Video Game & Animation student from Australia who is studying abroad. In Vancouver, he hopes to improve his skills in the industry and gain valuable experience. Chris also enjoys playing video games and arts & crafts.

Chris Trinh
Editor
Raised on cartoons and the morbid fascinations of early YouTube, Chris is Arcana’s Senior Editor. Having graduated from the Motion Picture Arts Program at Capilano University, Chris edits Arcana’s feature films and motion comics.

Cody Langton
Modelling Supervisor
Cody is a modeler (and occasionally a compositor), currently focusing on environments. As a fan of animation and horror movies, Cody is excited to help create the entertainment he enjoys so much.

Craig Macdonald
Animator
A 3D Animator at Arcana, Craig graduated from the 3D Animation for Film and Games program at Capilano University, and feels extremely lucky to be able to do what he loves for a living. In his spare time, Craig enjoys gaming, reading & playing Dungeons and Dragons.

Curtis Kristiansen
Modeler/ Render Wrangler
Curtis is an artist at Arcana, part of the lighting and rendering team. Originally from Saskatoon, SK, Curtis moved to Vancouver to attend LaSalle College. He received his diploma in 3D Modeling for Animation and Games in the fall of 2017. He is a big gamer, loves sports and is a Star Wars freak.

Daniel Ortiz
Production Assistant

Euna Kyung
Animator
An animator at Arcana, Euna’s credits include “Heroes of the Golden Masks”. She graduated from Vanarts with a diploma in 3D animation, and has since been working as an animator for over six years on numerous productions. When not at work, Euna spends her time playing with her dog, drawing, sculpting, putting special fx makeup on her husband, and playing Animal Crossing.

Fernanda Grande
Texture Artist/ Concept Artist
In 2013, Fernanda graduated from the Graphic Design program at the University Positivo in Curitiba, Brazil and the VFX program from the Art Institute of Vancouver. She is passionate about compositing, motion graphics, graphic design, lettering and modern art.

Gary Yuen
Senior Modeler/Character Designer
Gary is a 3D artist with a passion for digital art, especially 3D modeling. He spends his spare time sharpening his skills as an artist in his sketchbook.

Hugo Morales
Animator
Hugo is an animation professional with over 24 years of experience. He began his career as a 2D animator, but later found his passion for 3D animation while working on video games. Hugo’s game credits include: “Dragon Age: Origins”, “Mass Effect 2”, “Shadows of Mordor”, “Transformers Forged to Fight” and “Mortal Kombat 11”, to name a few. His film credits include: “The Ant Bully”, “Fantastic Four 2”, “Xmen 3”, “Starbeam”, and many more. In his spare time, Hugo enjoys tending to his garden, barbecuing a good steak and spending time with his wife and three kids.

Ian Sorensen
Modelling Supervisor
Ian is an artist living in beautiful Coquitlam, BC. A modelling supervisor at Arcana, Ian has previously created digital art for film, VFX and video games. Outside of work, Ian loves Judo, BJJ and crafting for tabletop games.

Irene Liu
Animator
Animation has always been a part of Irene’s life. Studying and working in animation has not only enhanced her love for the art form, but has also grown her admiration for the artists that contribute to the industry. It is this appreciation that ultimately led Irene to her career at Arcana. In her spare time, she loves listening to music, traveling and playing video games.

Jesus Nieto
Visual Effects Artist
Jesus is an experienced visual effects artist from México with a passion for film making and blowing things up (digitally, of course). He has a background working on set with the camera and lighting department as well as an Effects Technical Director Diploma from Lost Boys School of VFX in Vancouver. In his free time, Jesus likes to play guitar, write music and look for investment opportunities.

Kathleen Kiernan
Modeler
Kathleen is a 3D Modeler who enjoys creating realistic 3D environments. Her background in painting has contributed to her eye for texturing, as well as lighting and composition. She also loves sculpting, drawing and watching movies.

Lenny Figueiredo
Lead Animator
Lenny is from Brazil and originally planned to become a concept artist. After finishing the Animation, Art & Design program at the Art Institute of Vancouver, he soon discovered his passion for animation. Lenny is always practicing to improve his skills and enjoys watching amazing films and TV shows. His favorite food is barbecue!

Leonard Lan
Digital Rendering Engineer
Lior is a 3D artist & concept designer with a passion for the creative process. His background consists of concept design, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering. He is always looking for opportunities to learn new tools and to improve his skills. Lior loves music, movies and, of course, his family & adorable daughter.

Lior Dahan
Surfacing Modeler
Lior is a 3D artist & concept designer with a passion for the creative process. His background consists of concept design, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting and rendering. He is always looking for opportunities to learn new tools and to improve his skills. Lior loves music, movies and, of course, his family & adorable daughter.

Luis Arturo
Rigging TD
Luis is Arcana’s Rigging TD and makes sure that all rigs and characters function efficiently within Arcana’s pipeline. Luis moved from the Dominican Republic to study 3D animation at Vancouver Film School. His favorite hobbies are social latín dancing, cooking, and watching movies.

Marianne Gorczyca
Senior Rendering Pipeline Engineer
Marianne has written pipeline software for feature films from major studios, including DreamWorks, Disney, Sony, and The Jim Henson Company. She has also held Senior Software Engineering roles at Disney for film asset management and at Fox Filmed Entertainment for Research and Development. Outside of work, Marianne enjoys playing pinball, trivia & board games, going to the beach, watching movies and getting together with friends.

Matheus Toledo
Animator
Matheus is a 3D Animator and Visual Effects graduate from Vancouver Film School. Brazilian, he moved to Vancouver to pursue his dream of working in the animation industry and to help bring inspiring stories, characters and universes to life. In his free time, he loves hiking, Crossfit and spending time with his family.

Mitchell Carvell
Modeler/Rendering TD
Mitchell is a 3D Modeler who graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver. He enjoys modeling environments, props and sets. Mitchell loves his job at Arcana and the people he works with.

Mitchell Ludford
Animator
Mitchell’s focus at Arcana is on character animation. He is a graduate of the Art Institute of Vancouver and has had a passion for animation for as long as he can remember. Mitchell is an enthusiastic individual who loves life and his job.

Nancy Dhillon
Animator
Nancy is part of the animation team at Arcana. She has been with Arcana since 2015, shortly after graduating from the Art Institute of Vancouver with a diploma in animation. On her days off, she enjoys working out, creating artwork or simply spending time outdoors in nature.

Nash Pereira
Animator
As a kid, Nash fell in love with animation watching animated films and sketching out the characters. He graduated from Vanarts in 2013 and has worked on such projects as “Aquaman”, “Detective Pikachu” and “Sonic the Hedgehog”. Nash has a huge passion for his work and is constantly striving to enhance his skills as an animator by learning from the extremely talented people he works with. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, travelling, soccer and gaming.

Nhi Hoang
Animator
Nhi has worked as a 3D animator on various film productions including “Detective Pikachu”, “Sonic the Hedgehog”, and “Cats”. She graduated from Capilano University with a degree in 3D Animation in Films and Games. When not working, Nhi likes to bake and create art.

Oscar Castillo
VFX Lead
Oscar was born and raised in Los Angeles, a typical ’80s kid who was obsessed with skating, surfing and painting graffiti. Skating and graffiti gave way to computers and movie making. Today, Oscar is a devoted family man who enjoys exercising and considers himself lucky to have found a profession that he loves.

Rae Calma
Animator
Rae is a 3D Animator who graduated from Vancouver Institute of Media Arts, also known as VanArts. He was born in the Philippines but raised in the beautiful city of Vancouver, where he fell in love with animation. Outside of work, Rae loves to cook and play “Spikeball” with his friends and can be very competitive. Rae also has a love for sushi and Korean food.

Ronell Roldan
Animator
Ronell is a 3D animator that graduated from the Art Institute of Vancouver. In high school, he pursued his hobby of 3D Animation and eventually found his way into the industry. During his spare time, Ronell watches anime and delves into the world of competitive Smash Bros.

Ryan Aghniadis
Animator
Ryan is a 3D Character Animator who has always been fascinated by how characters can come to life on the big screen. After receiving his Bachelor in Graphic Design, he pursued his passion for animation and graduated with a Diploma from Vancouver Film School in Animation. Ryan loves to express himself through creativity so playing guitar is his first hobby and it helps him connect with talented artists around the world.

Saskia Müller
Executive Assistant
Born in Luxembourg, Saskia moved to Canada in 2019. She speaks 4 languages and loves animals and hiking.

Saumik Chaudhuri
Compositing Artist
Saumik is a graduate from Lost Boys School of VFX, specializing in compositing. In his spare time, he enjoys drawing, playing guitar, and hiking. His favorite movie franchise is Harry Potter, which he credits as his inspiration to pursue a career in the animation industry.

Sean Coghlin
Animation Director
Sean is an animator living in sun-soaked Vancouver, BC. The Animation Director at Arcana Studio, Sean brings life to various fictional characters & creatures, and has been working in animation for the past 15 years. Outside of work, Sean loves film, video games and sports.

Steven Geeves
Animatic Editor
Steve is a storyboard artist with a passion for storytelling. His interests include partying with family & friends and all things outdoors.

Toby Gaines
Look Development and Lighting Lead
As someone who gets to work with great people to make awesomely-cool stuff every day, Toby is living his dream. Toby considers lighting to be his life, having worked at it for the past 15 years.
meet the team
Arcana’s employees make us a ‘farm to fork’ company as we produce all of our content with our incredibly talented staff.


































