Brad Simonsen

Bradford Simonsen’s career is basically a highlight reel of animation and VFX magic, with a side of live-action just for fun. This guy’s got Emmys and Oscar nominations stacked up like collector’s cards. He produced "Once Upon A Studio," Disney’s love letter to itself on its 100th birthday – snagged an Emmy, got on the Oscar shortlist, you know, no big deal. Before that? He was behind "Baymax" the Series for Disney+, which also took home an Emmy, and "Us Again," another short that made waves all the way to the Academy’s shortlist. Simonsen’s Disney Animation journey kicked off in 2012, and he’s basically been on a hot streak ever since. He was associate producer on "Big Hero 6," "Zootopia," and "Encanto" – all Oscar winners. Oh, and "Ralph Breaks the Internet" got a nomination too. Not to mention indie shorts like "Weeds" and "Flutter," which pulled in festival buzz and even some Oscar attention. He’s dabbled in live-action too, working on "Real Steel," "Jack the Giant Slayer," and handling digital wizardry for "Alice in Wonderland" and "Big Fish." Before all that fame, he picked up a business degree at University of Washington, squeezed in some acting and writing, then dove into Hollywood as an assistant director. Fast forward, he’s worked with Jan De Bont, Robert Redford’s crew ("The Legend of Bagger Vance," "Spy Game," and more), and spent years wrangling digital production at Sony Imageworks and Digital Domain. Oh, and he even voiced a character in "The ChubbChubbs!" The dude’s got serious range.