Dylan M Sisson, Digital Artist & Marketing Manager, Pixar's RenderMan

Dylan Sisson is a seasoned artist with over 25 years of experience in the field of animation and visual effects. Dylan began his career in comic books and animation, including creating an award-winning independent short. In 1999, Dylan joined Pixar Animation Studios and has since been instrumental in the development and promotion of Pixar’s core rendering technology, RenderMan. In addition to his work at Pixar, Dylan is constantly pushing the boundaries of digital art by exploring new frontiers in emerging media, VR creation tools, and stylized rendering. Leveraging his background in traditional media, Dylan is dedicated to exploring the artistic potential of new technologies.

Dylan resides in San Francisco, and is also the creator of Pixar’s RenderMan Walking Teapot.

Mark Manca, Director of Product Management, Pixar's RenderMan

Animation can give us a surprising connection to what it is to be human. What it is to have passion. What it is to love. What it is to grow beyond yourself. My purpose is to help artists tell their stories by strategizing with and motivating diverse teams to evolve technology to create better (and more efficient) storytelling opportunities for artists.

I value a "yes, if" approach to teamwork rather than a "no, because" mentality. Challenging people to think about "yes, if" to solve a problem encourages the creative solutions required for technology development. A "no, because" response to problem solving stifles innovation.

The most important thing I do is to motivate teams by helping them see the "why" of strategy and requirements -- to help them come to "yes, if" and to then remove barriers to making a project successful.

I bring a right and left brain aesthetic to my work. I bring my entrepreneurial spirit, leadership ability, innovation, strategic thinking, agility, motivation, and technology skills to the table every day.