Job Market for the Birds? This Rutgers–Camden Senior Already Works for Big Bird

CAMDEN - Even before Mitch Lotierzo graduates from Rutgers–Camden with an undergraduate degree in art, he has already been working about 32 hours per week.

The demanding schedule isn’t a problem, because Lotierzo has a fascinating, cutting-edge job as a junior 3D generalist for animation studio Speakeasy FX.

The job requires expertise in the “controls” required to add motion and realism to computer-based characters. “It’s a lot of fun, and there’s a lot of problem-solving,” says Lotierzo, who got to work on a series of short segments for the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street.

Before Rutgers, Lotierzo  hadn’t really thought much about an art-related career, and when he got here, his studies and the people he met opened up a whole new world for him. Mitch credits the connections he made through classes at Rutgers in helping him make it in the field. “It helped me jump-start my career,” says Lotierzo, recipient of the Stedman Art Award for outstanding achievement in visual arts at Rutgers–Camden.

After graduation, the Rutgers–Camden animator will work full-time for Speakeasy FX in Westfield, N.J. He has recently relocated to Kenilworth.  

- 30 -