NEW YORK CITY — Brand New School (brandnewschool.com) has hired Gerald Mark Soto as animation director at their New York studio. Over the past 20 years, Soto provided design, animation, and direction for commercial, experiential, broadcast, and film projects. In addition, he’s taught and mentored students in the graphic design department at the School of Visual Arts for more than a decade.
“It’s an honor to be joining the phenomenal team at Brand New School,” says Soto. “The work we’ve already completed together has been immensely inspiring, and working with them is an amazing next step in my career. The company and culture they’ve managed to create is an ideal environment for growth and my passion for improvement.”
Soto’s credits include work for brands such as Nike, American Express, The New York Times, Samsung, Squarespace, Apple, and Google (a frequence Brand New School client). Some of Soto’s most recent content includes leading the BNS animation team for Google’s CES 2020 presence. The massive delivery included the tech giant’s content for a 70-foot tall custom-built screen headlining the Google Playground. Soto led the 2D animation team, developed and directed the motion language for all the graphics used throughout the animation process, and animated a configuration of products on one of the largest exterior screens in North America.
“Beyond being an absolute legend in the NYC design community, Gerald has an innate gift for both animation and mentoring talent,” says Devin Brook, BNS managing director. “He adds immeasurable creativity to every project he touches. His experience is invaluable for leading our animation team, and he’ll undoubtedly put his professorial skills to great use as he mentors our team’s rising talent.”