Theresa Ellis Rygiel

THERESA ELLIS RYGIEL, born in Washington D.C., received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and began her career in the early-1980's developing artists' tools at New York Institute of Technology's Computer Graphics Lab. She honed her digital artist skills overseas at companies in Germany and England from 1986-89. In 1993, she opened her own company as Digital Effect Supervisor on several major motion pictures including RICHIE RICH, WATER WORLD and EXECUTIVE DECISION. In 1998, She was invited to join the Visual Effects Branch at The ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES. For many years she has worked on The Academy's executive committees for The Visual Effects Branch and The Student Academy Awards and volunteers her time with The Academy's Educational Initiatives as a mentor and panel creator/moderator. Her on-set VFX work includes New Line's NATIVITY STORY in Italy and Morocco, MARTIAN CHILD and X-MEN in Vancouver, Warner Bros.' CONSPIRACY THEORY in LA, STEPMOM in New York, and from Digital Artist to Digital Effects Supervisor on THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY in New Zealand. After returning to Los Angeles, she was Compositing Supervisor for many projects including NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: Battle of the Smithsonian, FAST FIVE and OBLIVION. In 2014, she returns to the studio production offices as Compositing Supervisor for Marvel Studio's GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and DR STRANGE, Universal Studios on FURIOUS7, FAST 8, DOLITTLE and at Skydance Media's THE TOMORROW WAR.