Steamroller Animation, a Mount Dora-based animation studio, announced the promotion of Stephen (Steve) Melagrano as (Joint) Head of Animation. Steve will jointly run their rapidly growing animation department with industry veteran Amanda Renfroe. Steve came to Steamroller in 2016 after working with Pixar Animation Studios, Blue Sky Studios, Dreamworks Animation, Blizzard Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Imageworks.
After working with Steve for several years, Steamroller CEO Jalil Sadool is excited for Stephen and his new role: “Stephen is a good friend, a super talented artist, a great human being, and has tremendously helped Steamroller grow its animation team over the years. I’m excited for this partnership between Amanda and Steve; they make a formidable team. I know Steve’s leadership skills will also inspire our animators to grow and thrive. Congrats Steve, well deserved!”
Steve is excited for the challenge: “I am beyond excited to be joining Amanda as Head of Animation. We have one of the best animation teams in the entire world, it’s such an honour to work with these amazing people every day. I’m looking forward to helping lead the team on our phenomenal slate of upcoming projects, continuing to help them learn and grow, and in the end, creating incredible work together.”
The Steamroller team has doubled in size over the last couple years and they continue to make a name for themselves within the animation industry by offering high end animation services for partners such as Weta Digital, Epic Games, NetherRealm Studios, Framestore, and Guerrilla Games. They are also currently producing their own IP projects and will be releasing the video game Curse Of The Deadwood this coming summer.