About

About

Terez Benoit is a South Louisiana-based artist and creative software expert who is proficient in illustration, animation, and 3D modeling.

Benoit earned their BFA in Animation, specializing in 3D production processes, from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Experienced in indie animation production, they have acted as a production manager and coordinator for five animated short films across a variety of mediums, including 2D, 3D, and stop-motion.

Benoit has garnered awards for both commercial art and film, including Best Collaborators (awarded by the Global Manager of Creative Visualization at General Motors, 2018) for their work on an internal marketing project and Final Selection (top 16/50) at Celebrating a Decade of Animated Brilliance: The Cleveland Institute of Art Student Film Showcase (2023).

Benoit is currently a post-baccalaureate student in the Game Art program, specializing in Environment Modeling and Technical Art, at Vertex School (expected 2025) in order to expand their software expertise, 3D modeling skills, and 3D production pipeline knowledge.

Selected Clients

  • General Motors

  • Cleveland Cavaliers – NBA E-Sports

  • Pearson Publishing – US & UK

  • Cleveland Metroparks

  • American Bar Association

  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History

Experience + Qualifications

Experience + Qualifications

    • Cleveland Institute of Art // Alumni Ambassador
      Assists the Admissions Dept. by sharing information with future
      April 2024 - Present

    • Cleveland Institute of Art // Render Farm Support Specialist
      Render Wrangler (Autodesk Maya), Render Farm Management using Qube, 3D Animation Student Support
      March 2023 - February 2025

    • ASHEN (Unreleased) // VFX Coordinator
      Production Coordination for a 3D animated short film
      (Dir. Ruby Bell, EP Mandy Walker, VFX Prod. Jayme Wilkinson)
      January – June 2024

    • Scholastic Art + Writing Awards // Juror
      Evaluated art pieces and assigned awards to 7th-12th grade students in Animation, Film, Digital Art, Drawing, and Painting
      December 2022, December 2024

    • Lachina Creative // Production Assistant
      Illustration, Graphic Design, 2D Motion Graphics, Production Assistance
      August 2019 - July 2020

      • Cavs Legion Esports
        Animation + Design Lead

      • Pearson, American Bar Association, Zovio, + Questar
        Graphic Design, Illustration, Production Assistance

    • BURGLE BUD // Co-Director, Production Manager
      6-minute, 3D Animated Short Film (Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque)
      August 2018 – May 2019

    • SEAFOOD SEAL // Co-Director + Animator
      2-minute, Stop-Motion Animated Short Film (Reinberger Gallery)
      March – April 2018

    • General Motors // 3D Layout Lead (Contract)
      Student-Led Internal 3D Marketing Concept
      August – December 2018

    • THE BURDGELAR // Co-Director + Animator
      2-minute, 3D Animated Short Film (Reinberger Gallery)
      January – May 2018

    • Cleveland Museum of Natural History, THE DIGITAL AGE // Production Manager
      5-minute, 2D Animated Short Film (Nathan and Fannye Shafran Planetarium)
      August 2017 - April 2018

  • Production Related

    • Production Management

    • 3D Render Farm Management

    • 3D Environment Modeling

    • 3D Prop Modeling

    Software

    • Autodesk Maya

    • Unreal Engine

    • Substance Painter

    • Adobe Creative Suite

    • Qube

  • A Decade of Animated Brilliance: The Cleveland Institute of Art Student Film Showcase — 2023
    Final Selection

    • BURGLE BUD (2019, 3D) was chosen as one of the top 16 films, out of 50, created by students in the past decade to be shown in a special screening event at the Cinematheque

    Honorary Mention with Distinction — 2019
    Cleveland Institute of Art Board of Trustees

    • Received an Honorary Mention with Distinction at the Cleveland Institute of Art's annual Student Independent Exhibition for the stop-motion animated short film SEAFOOD SEAL (2018).

    Best Collaborators — 2018
    General Motors

    • For excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaborative skills between the animation and design teams on a student-led project

    Gund Family Scholarship — 2015
    Cleveland Institute of Art

    • For artistic excellence based on a submitted portfolio

    Institutional Grant — 2015
    Cleveland Institute of Art

    • For artistic excellence based on a submitted portfolio

  • Vertex School
    Game Art, Post-Baccalaureate Training, Expected 2025
    Specialization – Environment Art

    Cleveland Institute of Art
    Animation, Bachelor of Fine Arts, 2019
    Thesis — 3D Film Production