THE TEAM
Conor MacFinn (animator, writer, director) is an American/ Canadian filmmaker, whose animated shorts have been distributed by Tribal TV on Hulu, AOL On, Roku and Amazon and have won awards, been nominated and screened at over 40 festivals internationally. His animated storytelling mobile media was twice selected for SIGGRAPH’s Appy Hour showcase of creativity and innovation, and distributed through iTunes. Other 3D character animation credits include The Museum of the Dog in New York City, Pearson and Behrman House. A 2019 New York State Council on the Arts Arts Alive grantee to support the storyboarding and development of Ariel, he also received a 2020 Artist’s Support Fund grant from The Arts Council of Rockland.
Conor was honored that his trilogy of shorts inspired by his Native heritage was invited to show at Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa (Defenders of the Sacred Water School) at The Water Protector's Camp in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
Currently, Conor is excited to draw inspiration from other parts of his family’s inheritance, developing an animated series for families, Ariel. This story of a Middle Eastern Jewish boy and his widowed mother fighting to save their family and their trade routes, it is set against the diverse ethnic and cultural tapestry of the 19th century Ottoman Empire.
Clare Kohavi’s (writer, creative producer) soup-to-nuts production involvement in five 3D animated shorts, two PSAs and two story-telling mobile apps has contributed to awards, nominations and screenings in 40+ plus international festivals; two selections for SIGGRAPH’s showcase for innovative mobile media, Appy Hour; and distribution by Tribal TV on Hulu, Amazon and AOL On. She is particularly proud of the honor of a special invitation to screen her films at Mní Wičhóni Nakíčižiŋ Owáyawa (Defenders of the Sacred Water School) at The Water Protector's Camp in Standing Rock, North Dakota.
Through her projects, Clare seeks to share the richness of communities of which she is a part, and tell traditional tales in innovative ways. Ariel, an animated series for families now in development, reveals the resilience and daring of a quick-witted young widow and her savvy “tween” son as they battle to rescue their family’s fortunes in the tumultuous 19th Century empire of the Ottoman Turks.
Lee Corey (2D animation) is a New York based animation director, character designer, animator and illustrator. He was born in a small town in Minnesota, where his larger-than-life dreams landed him in the hustle of New York City.
Lee began his career in film, where he worked on the production of animated short films at McGraw-Hill. Shortly after, he worked in the advertising market at Young and Rubicam Advertising. Lee shifted his career to animation when he landed at Nickelodeon curating and developing everything from bumper titles and network promos to directing an animated mini-series “Max and his Alphabet Adventures”. Thereafter, he was hired by Jumbo Pictures where he worked as story-board revision artist on “Doug.”
He continued his career by teaching Flash animation at Pratt Institute, while also working at Siemens Transportation developing the first CBTC training program for NYC Transit. Lee Corey’s journey as a cartoon developer continues at CoreyToons, LLC where he produces art / animation and manages production.
Brian Maffit (color and finishing) is the Visual Effects Supervisor and Technical Director at Late Night Cartoons, the NY-based animation studio that produced Our Cartoon President, Tooning Out the News and many animated specials for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Films include In and Of Itself, The Blind Date and Family of the Sun. He was founder and Creative Director of Total Training from 1997 through 2014, producing and presenting thousands of hours of educational content. He also designed the Evolution plugins for Adobe After Effects, which were acquired by Adobe and have been part of AE since 2000.
Pomann Sound (sound design) For 40 years, Pomann Sound has worked with some of the industry’s top film studios, ad agencies, animation companies in all media: TV and radio advertising, streaming and web branded content, feature films, animation, AAA games, documentaries, and both scripted and unscripted television.
Chances are you grew up listening to some of their animation work, including the Emmy Award-winning Doug. Their audio prowess continues today with the recently Emmy-nominated hit Disney series KIFF.
Josh Kaye (composer) Originally from London, England, Josh Kaye is a NYC based guitarist, oud player, and composer. Josh currently performs across the U.S. as a member of the Stephane Wrembel band and leads his own original Middle Eastern fusion project, Baklava Express. Josh has performed at such legendary venues as The Town Hall, Dizzy’s Club, The Blue Note, Smalls Jazz Club, and Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater. Josh’s playing can also be heard in the films, Rifkin’s Festival, Adieu Lacan, and Ariel, as well as the video game, Call of Duty - Wild Dogs.
Donald Hebel (3D artist) hails from Queens, NY. He creates 3D art and animations for CGMuse and Goodnight Games, teaches animation classes on line and also works as an IT technician. Donald loves playing video games, hanging out with his dog, Rocky, and watching Dragon Ball Z and Godzilla movies.
Marcello Ruvolo (lookdev & lighting artist) has fun creating his own projects - But the most satisfying thing to him is to be part of a team! He loves that everyone has a specific role, and that when you put together the efforts of people that work in harmony, the final result is amazing!
Marcello’s always loved things related to good graphics and visuals. As a kid, he would start games from the beginning again and again just to re-watch the cinematics trailers. He started drawing and became passionate about that. When he grew up he studied digital arts, and when he discovered that animation and VFX schools existed, he knew that his true passion could be pursued for real.
After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania, Marcello moved to Rome to study Animation and VFX at RUFA (Rome University of Fine Arts). And after getting a grasp of every aspect of the CG work, he pursued the one that allowed him to communicate emotions to people using colors and lights, which make a huge difference in telling a story.
Marcello takes inspiration from live action and animated films and some video games, all visual fields that require the talents of a team working in harmony. To light the shots of Ariel he’s taken references and inspirations from TV and movie lighting and 19th Century artwork that was researched for Ariel’s period details.
Matthew Morigeau (character animator) Throughout making Ariel, I was still very new to the animation industry and, as a father of two and stepdad of three more, it's getting to be part of stories like Ariel that drives me. Motion pictures, interactive entertainment and the technologies that brought us from fire, drums and stories painted on cave walls to the immersive VR experiences of today all spark my imagination. Being a part of Ariel connected me to mythology I didn’t get to experience growing up. A big thanks to Conor and the team for letting me craft moments of meaningful movement for this story.
Niki Shah (character animator), a talented CG artist and technical animator based in Vancouver, Canada, brings her expertise and a deep passion for storytelling to life in her work. With a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communication and an Advanced Diploma in 3D animation, Niki has refined her skills over years of dedication, contributing to acclaimed projects such as Thor: Love and Thunder and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
Niki believes in the transformative power of Animation, and enjoys crafting immersive narratives that not only entertain but provoke emotion and introspection. Ariel, is one such enchanting tale set in 19th century Jerusalem, blending elements of magic, bravery, and love. Niki is confident that everyone will enjoy the distinct visual style and the inspiring story that she so sincerely enjoyed working on.
Maggie Shelton (lighting artist) holds a BS degree (2021) and MFA degree (2023) in Digital Media from East Tennessee State University. Her artwork gained her 1st place in two categories at the East Coast Gaming Conference in 2022. She has been featured on NVIDIA's YouTube page for the winter themed community art showcase in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys playing games, gardening, playing instruments, and spending time with her dog, Louie.
Erica Murphy (story artist) is influenced by both animation and comic books, and her work reflects her love of character and storytelling. She strives to express the life-like spirit of a character in a story. Her illustrations and concept work are informed by everything from correct attire for a character to the setting they live in. As the artist explains, “Everyone should get the chance to see themselves within art.”
Erica is excited to part of Ariel as storyboard artist intern. She believes that everyone will enjoy and be captivated by this whimsical tale.
Rabbi Ely Allen (cultural advisor) has roots deep in the Middle Eastern/North African Jewish Community. Both of his parents are from Cairo, Egypt, a Jewish community which dates back a thousand years before the Common Era, and his family also traces to Iraq, Syria and Tunisia. Rav Allen’s parents were forced to flee Egypt in the 1960’s, escaping government antisemitism, arrest of Jews and seizure of Jewish assets. They met in the United States. Rav Ely grew up steeped in Sephardi / Mizrachi culture, with a father who spoke many different Arabic dialects, while also learning the dominant European Jewish culture of his American surroundings. After earning a BA in Psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, he received Smicha (Rabbinic ordination) from Yeshiva University.
Before moving to Israel, Rav Ely was Director of Northern Jersey Hillels and a faculty member at Yeshiva University focusing on Sephardic studies. He is the Founder of the Jewish Outreach Network, which has hosted thousands of people, and served as the Rabbi of Sharei Orah, the Sephardic Congregation of Teaneck, NJ. Rav Allen currently lives with his wife and family in Ramat Beit Shemesh. In addition to teaching at three different institutions where his work includes educating people about Sephardic culture and tradition, he also spends time as an investment manager and business consultant.