bio

With almost two decades of experience leading creative teams in the gaming and feature film animation industries, Jackie is currently the Senior Creative Director for Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast where she leads a multidisciplinary team of world class creatives who design and bring to life the worlds, characters, stories and incredible artwork that has made Magic a beloved game and iconic brand.

Before joining Wizards, she worked on award winning animated feature films (including the Ice Age and Rio franchises, Ferdinand, and Spies in Disguise). Most recently, Jackie served as the Senior Manager of Production at The Walt Disney Company’s Blue Sky Studios where she helped create and oversee the Talent Management and Training Departments leading efforts to build structures and processes that support employee growth, inspire vulnerability, champion representation, and operationalize culture.

Jackie holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University in the emerging field of Strategic Communications. In her spare time you'll find her in a with her nose in an organizational psychology book or traveling far off places with her partner and daughter.

CV

EXPERIENCE

WIZARDS OF THE COAST 2yr 1mon

Senior Creative Director, Magic: The Gathering : June 2022 - Present

● As the head of Creative, I set overall strategy and provide high level direction for Magic's worlds, characters and product arcs.

● Develop and standardize our creative ideation processes to properly scale throughout all phases of production for MTG, Universes Beyond, Secret Lair, and other media IP expressions.

● Lead, coach, and mentor our internal and external creative teams to establish successful partner relationships and shared best practices.

● Partner with other executives to review development plans, designs, processes, resource usage, time estimates, and project quality.

● Build an inclusive and diverse culture in our creative teams and in the game we create.

● Act as a steward for artistic excellence, advocate for the team’s needs, and represent Wizards of the Coast at public facing events.

● Lead a full spectrum of designers, artists, and writers across the various development phases for all products.

Creative Director, Magic: The Gathering : May 2021 - June 2022

BLUE SKY STUDIOS 14yr 4mon

Studio Senior Manager of Production : Oct 2019 - April 2020

● Created and led the Talent Management and Training Departments

● Built structures and processes that supported employee growth, inspired vulnerability, championed representation, and operationalized culture.

● Part of a 7 person team entrusted with reimagining the studio’s internal and external identity with a new company logo, mission statement, values, culture behavioral handbook and implementation roadmap.

● Collaborated with studio executives to create a new short film program for Disney + content creation.

● Opened lines of honest communication between production and technology during the creation and deployment of a brand new studio technical pipeline, featuring the adoption of USD and DCC changes.

● Led studio-wide conversations on social justice, studio diversity, and inclusion.

Production Experience

Over a decade of feature film animation production experience, including global pipeline strategy, development and oversight, as well as individual department and personnel management.

Films include: Spies in Disguise, Ferdinand, Ice Age: Collision Course, Peanuts, Rio 2, Epic, Ice Age:

  • Continental Drift, Rio, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, Horton Hears a Who

  • Production Manager Dec 2017 - Oct 2019 : 1 yr 11 mos

  • Production Supervisor - Finishing Pipeline Jul 2012 - Dec 2017 : 5 yr 6 mos

  • Production Supervisor - Character Pipeline Aug 2011 - Jul 2012 : 1 yr

  • Associate Production Manager - Art & Design Jan 2010 - Aug 2011 : 1 yr 8 mos

  • Production Coordinator - Lighting & Compositing Sep 2008 - Jan 2010 : 1 yr 5 mos

  • Production Assistant - Art & Design Nov 2006 - Sept 2008 : 1 yr 11 mos

Communication Strategy Experience

As Production Manager on Spies in Disguise:

● Created & maintained an intranet hub of all key information including:

○ Project mission statements, goals and desired behaviors.

○ Style guides, character breakdowns and color keys.

○ Key milestones & deadlines

○ Sequence database to centralize all creative notes & resources.

● Established and led the project communication coalition: a regular feedback system where crew members of a variety of roles, disciplines and titles shared and partnered on solution-oriented problem solving.

● Increased transparency through the implementation of bi-weekly studio wide in-person leadership updates.

● Fostered cross-departmental collaboration through the open sharing and celebration of individual and team successes by transforming our physical space to showcase inspiring artwork, progress meters, quotes of compliments from artistic reviews and public recognition of exceptional work.

EDUCATION

Columbia University - Master of Science, Strategic Communications: 2015

This program focuses on the critical thinking, analysis and practical skills essential to developing and implementing communications strategies. Students master the skills needed for brand analysis and evaluating consumer behavior, enabling them to develop complex, integrated communications plans for branding and marketing initiatives.

State University of New York College at Purchase - BA, Art History & Costume Design, Summa Cum Laude: 2006

Fashion Institute of Technology - AAS, Fashion Design, Summa Cum Laude: 2004

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

● Active member of Producers Guild of America (PGA), Women in Animation and Culture LabX

● Women in Animation professional development group mentorship leader