Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Tools And Tech
Timeline
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James Sweeney

James Sweeney

Outsource Manager
Simi Valley

Summary

  • 18 of experience delivering large-scale content for AAA games, virtual production, and feature films — including leading outsource pipelines for modular weapons, vehicles, props, and environments in a major MMO at ZeniMax Online Studios (parent company to Bethesda Softworks).
  • Proven record managing full-lifecycle content production pipelines from initial planning through final implementation, ensuring all deliverables meet high visual, technical, and storytelling standards.
  • Skilled at building and overseeing scalable outsource workflows, vendor onboarding, clear communication strategies, and productive partnerships across North America, Europe, and Asia.
  • Deep understanding of the AAA game development process, with hands-on experience integrating outsourced assets into Unreal Engine 5 and proprietary engines.
  • Adept with industry-standard project management tools: Jira, ShotGrid, Confluence, Monday.com, Box, and Miro; familiar with Hansoft.
  • Strong foundation in both creative direction and technical supervision — experienced in cross-discipline collaboration with Art, Design, Engineering, and Narrative teams to align visual content with gameplay and story needs.
  • Hands-on expertise with Maya, 3ds Max, Substance Painter, Houdini, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Perforce; skilled in asset validation, texel density planning, geometry optimization, and material setup for game-ready delivery.

Overview

11
11
years of professional experience

Work History

Outsource Lead Art Manager

ZeniMax Online Studios
01.2023 - Current
  • Company Overview: Parent company to Bethesda Softworks.
  • Led the end-to-end outsource pipeline for modular weapons, vehicles, drones, props, and environment assets on a large-scale AAA MMO.
  • Managed day-to-day communications, priorities, and expectations for multiple vendors worldwide; delivered high-quality assets on schedule while maintaining budget targets.
  • Created and enforced vendor onboarding documentation, naming conventions, and technical guidelines to ensure consistency and scalability.
  • Developed custom Maya tools for scene validation, export automation, and clean Perforce submissions, reducing review cycles and preventing rework.
  • Directed daily review cycles, delivering feedback via annotated screenshots, video notes, and curated paintovers to maintain high creative alignment.
  • Oversaw final ingestion and validation of assets, ensuring pivot accuracy, correct scale, animation-ready geometry, texel density compliance, and optimized texture packing.
  • Collaborated closely with internal Art, Design, and Engineering teams to integrate outsourced assets seamlessly into gameplay and narrative contexts.
  • Parent company to Bethesda Softworks.

Virtual Art Department Lead

NBC Universal
01.2023
  • Company Overview: Metropolis Series.
  • Built and documented the asset management and QC pipeline; created Confluence-based production documentation.
  • Authored Python tools for Maya and Unreal publishing workflows, enabling efficient asset deployment to virtual production sets.
  • Directed layout and environment design for narrative-driven virtual sets in Unreal Engine 5.
  • Metropolis Series.

Virtual Art Department Supervisor

Halon / NEP Virtual Studios
01.2022 - 01.2023
  • Supervised real-time asset creation for broadcast and interactive projects; coordinated pipeline with stage partners Prysm Studios and Lux Machina.

Virtual Art Department Supervisor

Double Negative
01.2020 - 01.2022
  • Established a content creation branch within the VP Department; supervised environment and asset teams on high-profile projects.

Additional Virtual Art Department & Environment Artist Roles

01.2015 - 01.2022
  • Delivered hero hard-surface assets, sci-fi environments, and virtual sets for productions including The Mandalorian, Avatar Sequels, and Ready Player One.
  • Supported layout, surfacing, and optimization for real-time playback in Unreal Engine for LED volume stages.

Education

B.A. - Film Production / Cinematography

San Francisco State University
01.2003

Skills

  • Content production pipeline management (initial planning to final implementation)
  • Outsourcing and co-development vendor management
  • Vendor onboarding and process documentation
  • Cross-discipline collaboration (Art, Design, Engineering, Narrative)
  • Asset validation and quality control to AAA standards
  • Schedule creation, milestone tracking, and delivery management
  • Risk assessment, issue resolution, and prioritization
  • Day-to-day communication with internal and external teams
  • Relationship building with global vendors and partners
  • Contract management and procurement coordination
  • Budget planning and cost optimization
  • Team leadership, mentoring, and motivation
  • Decision-making under tight deadlines and shifting priorities
  • Familiarity with Hansoft, Jira, Confluence, Miro, and Mondaycom
  • Budget management and cost control
  • Team leadership and mentoring
  • Contract management and procurement coordination

Tools And Tech

  • Maya
  • Substance Painter
  • Houdini
  • Marmoset Toolbag
  • Blender
  • Photoshop
  • ZBrush
  • Unreal Engine 5
  • Perforce
  • Jira
  • Confluence
  • Monday.com
  • ShotGrid
  • Miro
  • Box

Timeline

Outsource Lead Art Manager

ZeniMax Online Studios
01.2023 - Current

Virtual Art Department Lead

NBC Universal
01.2023

Virtual Art Department Supervisor

Halon / NEP Virtual Studios
01.2022 - 01.2023

Virtual Art Department Supervisor

Double Negative
01.2020 - 01.2022

Additional Virtual Art Department & Environment Artist Roles

01.2015 - 01.2022

B.A. - Film Production / Cinematography

San Francisco State University

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