About - Nathan Love

About Us

We are an award-winning independent animation studio, born and raised in NYC, and passionate about character-driven storytelling. We bring brand characters to life by developing characters with a soul; weaving heart, and humor into everything we do. We have been recognized for our exceptional artistry and innovative approach to advertising and entertainment. We are driven to reinvent the standard conventions of visual storytelling and to make people smile.

We take the time to understand a brand, their needs, and what will make the project a success. With our incredibly talented team, our diverse roster of local and global creative directors, over two decades of experience, and the support of our legendary partner, Aardman Animations, no assignment is too big, and no idea is too small.

We’re happy you’re here. Let’s talk.

Our Motto

Have Fun

Do Great Work

Make People Smile

Diversity & Inclusion

Nathan Love is passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and celebrates diversity. We pride ourselves on creating a safe and supportive environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work and thrive as individuals. We are committed to listening, learning, and continuously growing our network of people and tools designed to help all Nathan Love employees and freelancers succeed.

Who We Are

Joe Burrascano

Founder / ECD

With his sense of humor, a gift for timing, and passion for storytelling, Joe has directed and produced hundreds of projects for some of the world’s largest and most respected brands, including Nickelodeon, Kellogg’s, Activision/Blizzard, Coca-Cola, and more. What started as a small operation run out of his living room has evolved into the studio you see today. Partnering with Aardman Animation in the UK in 2015, Joe has positioned the studio to build on its commercial success and expand into the development of original IP and long-form projects with partners around the world. Joe paves the way as Executive Creative Director and CEO of Nathan Love, where he oversees the creative integrity of the studio and continues to direct animated films.

Derrick Huang

Executive Producer / Managing Director

Derrick first joined Nathan Love as a Producer in 2008 and subsequently grew into the position of Head of Production. In that role, he helped build the foundation for the studio’s high-flying team, as well as the systems and processes that allow the creative work to flow. In 2015, Derrick moved west, trading the hipster vibes of Brooklyn, NY for the brews, beards, and backwoods of Portland, Oregon. There, he served as the Executive Producer for multi-disciplinary animation studio BENT Image Lab, and then as the Head of Character Production at the Academy Award-nominated animated feature film studio, LAIKA. Derrick is thrilled to be back at Nathan Love now, to help write the next and most exciting chapter of the studio’s story. When he’s not building production plans or redesigning workflows, you can find Derrick puttering around the waters of the Oregon coast in his boat, trying to reel in a crab dinner.

Anca Risca

Creative Director

Ever since Nathan Love’s founding in 2007, Anca has been a key player in the studio’s growth and culture. Having started out as a designer and CG artist, Anca was initially hired as Nathan Love’s Art Director and quickly rose to direct many of the company’s projects. She continues to direct, while also heading the studio’s treatments, branding, and internal designs, training new hires, helping with administrative work, and putting together killer creative presentations. In tandem with her NL endeavors, Anca is also a Computer Art Thesis Instructor at the School of Visual Arts and spends her free time creating art under the name Catdactyl. When not creating, working, or teaching, she can be found relaxing with her two adorable tabby cats Cookie and Sammich, tending to her indoor plants, or covered in glow sticks at your local rave.

Allison Godleski

Head of Production

Allison is all about making every project a positive and fun experience, guiding the team and collaborators every step of the way. A Texas native, Allison moved to the east coast in 2007 to attend NYU where she earned her Bachelor of Music. After college, she dabbled in a few pools and eventually landed at the audio post-production house Fall On Your Sword as an assistant producer where she worked on commercials, TV, and films including Cooked, The Path, Weiner-Dog, and Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. In 2017, she hit the jackpot by joining the team at Nathan Love. Since then she has produced many of the studio’s 2D and 3D projects— some of her favorites being Nad and Tad, NBA, Last Week Tonight’s ‘The Void’, and Xiidra (featuring the beloved Biff). Away from the work station, Allison continues to pursue music and songwriting with her folk-rock band, Pale Mara. They have released three albums of original music: Pale Mara, Votive, and Songs to Old Burdens.

Tim Probert

Art Director

Tim is a prolific illustrator whose style and personality have allowed him to thrive within the NL studio. His vision, understanding, and multi-faceted strengths shine in multiple areas of production, including storyboards, design, and animation. He has illustrated children’s books, magazines, and advertisements, and his unique toolset brings a fresh perspective to his work. As a Nathan Lover, Tim has contributed to several high-profile projects, including the Nick Winter Refresh, Sprite, Froot Loops, and the D Gulls. He also directed the original short ‘Bea & Cad’ which was produced for Nickelodeon with the help of Studio La Cachette in Paris. Tim is a powerhouse whose work and great ideas are a big part of the team at Nathan Love.

Jin Fang Jiang

CG Lead

Jin Fang Jiang is our CG Lead and an invaluable member of our team. She has textured, lit, and composited on the majority of our biggest CG projects, applying her refined visual senses and detail-oriented approach to consistently turn our work up to 11. Jin Fang was born on a small island off the coast of China, and at a young age moved to the complete opposite environment, New York City. She started her creative journey at LaGuardia High School of the Arts, and continued her studies at the School of Visual Arts, earning a BFA in Computer Art. She is fluent in both English and Chinese, and as a lover of language, she is studying Japanese in her free time. Aside from being a humble wizard of all things CG, Jin Fang loves thriller, mystery, and fantasy novels. A couple of favorites include anything by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Junji Ito. To relax, recharge and invigorate, Jin Fang practices yoga, travels, basks in nature, and visits museums.

Aisling Lonergan

Business Development Manager

Aisling has been fortunate to work with a few award winning NYC based production and advertising agencies for the past 10 years. Her last role as Head of Production at a full service agency meant she was responsible in guiding all phases of production for multiple media formats; branded content, TVCs, digital video, and digital outdoor media, social media, as well as end to end photography production. Aisling has a deep understanding of the process from initial concept to final production working with wide range of budget levels. Aisling loves working with clients on their initial ideas and helping them realize them with the right team. Now as Nathan Loves Business Development Manager she is hoping she can do just that.

Genesis Fernandez

Business Manager

Born and raised a New Yorker, Gen graduated from Queen’s College with a Bachelor’s Degree focused in Accounting. She began her professional career working in the cosmetics industry as an accountant for a multi-channel retail business in her native New York City. Seeking a change from cosmetics, she took her financial reporting skills to the entertainment industry, where she found a new home in Nathan Love. When she isn’t recording and classifying, she spends her time practicing and performing the violin, which she has done for 10 years. She also enjoys reading mystery novels, especially ones by Agatha Christie and Christopher Greyson.

Eduardo Enríquez

Technical Director

Eduardo, a CG Generalist with a focus on rigging, was born in Quito, Ecuador surrounded by volcanoes in the middle of the world. As someone always working to pursue his craft, he eventually made his way to NYC to study Computer Animation at the School of Visual Arts to earn his BFA. From a very young age, Eduardo developed a love of animation through watching numerous cartoons and anime. He admires every kind of art, enjoys tabletop games, has a passion for video games, and is an avid DnD fan. He’s also happy to pass along any metal music recommendations. Outside of animation and the arts, Eduardo thoroughly enjoys road trips, hikes, trying new food, riding his bike, and is never averse to saying your favorite words with a Spanish accent.

Polly McGuire

Systems Administrator

Polly is our Systems Administrator and on-site Information Technology problem crusher. She brings light and warmth to the studio as well as a great deal of know-how. Having always been tech-savvy, she is interested in video game design and one day hopes to share some meaningful experiences through her games with future players. She strives to give back to the gaming community which has shaped her into the person she is today. Polly moved to New York City from Connecticut to attend the School of Visual Arts from which she earned a degree in Computer Arts. She is taking classes with CG Master Academy to continue to hone both her artistic and technical skills. Polly’s hobbies include playing games, eating tons of Japanese food, watching cartoons and anime, and taking care of her lovely hairless cat, Harry.

Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. The studio produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market.

Nathan Love partnered with Aardman Animations in 2015 to bring their unique perspective and amazing craft to commercial projects in the US.

Aardman’s Academy Award and BAFTA winning work is often imitated but never duplicated. The studio continues to lead the field of animation by producing visually stunning and undeniably charming projects. Constantly innovating, they have built interactive, experiential and games teams to match their considerable long and short form capabilities.

Visit the Aardman homepage to learn more and browse their extensive collection of animated works. Then reach out and let’s make something together.

www.aardman.com