XVIVO - Key Persons
Agnella (on-YEL-la) is a medical writer and a Certified Medical Publication Professional (CMPP), helping healthcare innovators convey their scientific advances. She is a curious STEMM enthusiast (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, medicine) with a passion for education and communicating science to many audiences. A native of Connecticut, she holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University and a BE in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. On every project, Agnella's main objective is to deliver clarity, not dumbed-down content. She has developed animations and educational materials across a wide spectrum of therapeutic areas, medical device developments, and drug discovery platforms. She is a proud member of the American Medical Writers Association and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals.
Job Titles:
- Medical Illustrator Learn
Alisa is from Vancouver on Canada's west coast. She has enjoyed storytelling through art since childhood and is constantly inspired by nature and science. She graduated from the Medical and Biological Illustration master's program at Johns Hopkins University, where she was thrilled to study among other medical illustrators, work closely with researchers and clinicians, and learn crucial techniques in visual communication. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at McGill University in Montréal. Alisa is a Certified Medical Illustrator and a member of the Association of Medical Illustrators. While at Hopkins, Alisa received the Frank H. Netter Scholarship in Medical Art for her academic performance, and a Research Grant from the Vesalius Trust for her thesis work on the human hippocampus. She also received an Award of Excellence in Student Animation at the 2018 Association of Medical Illustrators Conference.
Barry Furlano has been working in visual effects for over the past decade. As lead editor, he brings his extensive video editing, motion graphics, and sound design experience to XVIVO's animation. Barry works along-side art directors, animators and producers, supporting all aspects of the post production process. Before joining XVIVO, Barry honed his skills in New York City at two high-volume commercial and film post production studios as a Flame Artist.
Ben Colvin's childhood was largely spent exploring forests and filling notebooks with doodles. After completing an undergraduate degree in biomedical sciences at Ohio University, Ben wondered if there was a way to intertwine his seemingly divergent interests. In 2021 Ben graduated with a master's degree in biomedical visualization from the University of Illinois at Chicago. While there, he showed considerable aptitude for animation, AR, VR, and traditional illustration. He contributed to outstanding team projects, including winning first place in the Vesalius Trust-A-Thon competition, and earning the People's Choice award in the Health Tech and Jam competition. Now as an animator at XVIVO, Ben finds himself at the intersection of art, technology, and science; right where he wants to be.
Job Titles:
- Administrator
- Administrator Learn More
Bethany is XVIVO's Administrator, and Michael's better half, and is responsible for the company's accounting and billing department. Bethany graduated from Columbia University with a Master's Degree in Art History with a focus on 19th-century American painting. She spent her early career working in art museums and galleries doing curatorial work and art sales. In 2006, Bethany became a yoga instructor. She spends her free time raising a family teaching yoga. Bethany lives in West Hartford with Michael, her two children, Ben and Eva, and her dog (her baby) Romeo.
Brett Murrah is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a BA in Communications and Art history. Brett joined XVIVO in 2006 and brings over twenty years of experience developing medical animations. His technical experience and visual acuity allow him to quickly distill complex information into clear and informative visuals for the purposes of scientific communication. His software of choice is LightWave 3D, and his work has been showcased in publications including 3D Artist and WIRED magazine. His background in art and anatomy helped setup the previsualization for "The Inner Life of the Cell". Brett's signature organic modeling style, strong animation skills and eye for detail brings each client's vision to life.
Edward Quirk joins XVIVO with over 25 years of visual effects experience in the film and television industries. As a Generalist, VFX TD & CG Supervisor, he has contributed to numerous feature films, commercials, special-venue, stereoscopic, website & VR projects from pre-vis designing through R&D, programming, creating/implementing, and output of unique visual effects in both 2D & 3D. With a lifelong passion for Math, Science, Art and Filmmaking, Edward applies his skills and talent to transform complex fundamental principles into compelling visual representations.
Gyyoung's passion lies in translating complex medical and scientific information into innovative visuals. She earned her Master of Arts in Medical and Biological Illustration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she received the Frank H. Netter Award in Medical Art. Gyyoung is a Maryland native and attended the University of Maryland, where she received a BS in Biology. Gyyoung is an active member of the Association of Medical Illustrators and received the Award of Excellence in Student Animation at the 2023 AMI conference. On the weekends, you can find her either hiking or exploring new restaurants.
Movies like, Toy Story and Jurassic Park sparked Joel's interest in computer graphics and animation at a young age. He later graduated from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a BS in Media Arts and Animation. Joel joined XVIVO as an intern in 2015, within months he was hired on as an animator. He is experienced in 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, and Blender, but primarily uses Maya as his animation software of choice. He enjoys sculpting and painting digital assets with programs like ZBrush and Substance Painter and is knowledgeable with both high and low poly work flows in order to facilitate the creation of both pre-rendered and real-time applications.
Job Titles:
- Animator
- Lead Animator Learn
Jon Geganto is a seasoned animator, with more than a decade of medical Illustration and animation industry experience. He has a thorough knowledge of the human anatomy, and molecular biology, along with a diverse background of traditional art and science. With an acute eye for detail and accuracy, Jon can filter complex medical and scientific information into engaging visuals, interactive programs and virtual reality. He is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine with a master's degree from the Art as Applied to Medicine Department. Jon's work has been featured on the Dr. Oz Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show as well as on the cover of Nature and Nature Nanotechnology.
Job Titles:
- Lead Producer Office Manager Learn More
Jordan joined XVIVO as an intern in 2013, now as a Lead Producer and Office Manager, he ensures our production process run smoothly. As XVIVO'S "Jack of All Trades" Jordan works alongside creative directors, and animators to assist with everything from animation projects and VR/ interactive programming to organizing project assets and our archival system. He also helps with marketing endeavors and troubleshooting IT issues. Need your car brakes fixed?…he does that too. Jordan graduated Springfield College with a degree in Computer Graphics and Digital Arts.
Job Titles:
- Vice President and Creative Director at XVIVO Scientific Animation
- Vice President Creative Director Learn
As the Vice President and Creative Director at XVIVO Scientific Animation, Katherine "KC" Knack works with clients to visually bring their scientific stories to life. KC researches the science behind each project, and her involvement in each phase of production ensures accurate visuals of biological environments and interactions. KC's attention to detail results in effective and understandable illustrations and storyboards for both animation and virtual reality programs. KC is a Certified Medical Illustrator and a member of the Association of Medical Illustrators. She obtained her degree in medical illustration from Rochester Institute of Technology, and her areas of expertise include neurology, immunology, histology, and oncology, to name a few. KC has presented internationally about scientific visualization, and her illustrations have appeared in medical mobile apps, scientific journals, surgical textbooks, and online illustration libraries.
Job Titles:
- Founder
- President
- Founder and President Learn More
- Founder and President of XVIVO Scientific Animation
Michael is the Founder and President of XVIVO Scientific Animation and has been involved in the visual arts for over thirty years. Michael oversees XVIVO's supervisory team to ensure standards are high and exceeded. With a traditional fine arts background, he brings a strong eye for naturalism and technique to all of XVIVO's work. He is frequently invited to speak at events about his ground-breaking work in medical visualization. Michael began his work in medical animation during the inception of 3D graphics. His passion for art and exposure to medicine as a result of his upbringing presented a natural niche for him to occupy in the field of bio-communications. His continuing work at XVIVO provides a vital link between a growing body of complex scientific information and public understanding.
Job Titles:
- Watch Dog and Office Therapist
Romeo Astrachan is a cockapoo, 40% cocker spaniel, 40% poodle…and 20% sweetheart. He was born on Valentine's Day, and is a total charmer. Under his fluffy exterior, he is a hard-working dog with dual positions of Watch Dog and Office Therapist here at XVIVO. Not only does he protect the staff from postal workers and pizza delivery men, but he also is available for therapeutic hugs- no appointment needed.
Job Titles:
- Head of Production
- Head of Production Learn More
Rosalyn "Roz" Quinton is a mass communications graduate from Quinnipiac University and has a diverse background in television, commercial production, and marketing. Her experiences in media range from the high-pressure environment of the newsroom to lead production for a large stop-motion animation studio. Roz joined XVIVO as Production Coordinator in 2006. Now, as Head of Production, she leads the production team, working alongside creative directors and supervising the workflow of XVIVO's projects. Roz has managed many animation and interactive programs and also helps implement XVIVO's marketing endeavors. With a strong attention to detail and exemplary planning skills, Roz ensures that the XVIVO team meets and exceeds expectations, providing clients with what they need on time and on budget.
Steve is an award winning animator who has worked in the medical animation business for over two decades. He first tried his hand at animation at the age of 13 when his family got a Mac plus. That early experience lead him in the direction of art and science, where he completed a degree in Biological illustration from Iowa State University, and a Master of Arts Applied to Medical Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Steve has worked in environments from large ad agency to a small medical animation company with experience ranging from illustration to video game animation.
Tony joined XVIVO as an intern in 2008, after graduating from Springfield College with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and spending a year at Vancouver Film School further studying 3D animation, he then vowed to return to XVIVO to reclaim his beloved position as a point pusher, in 3D space! As one of our lead animators, Tony's skill for modeling and animation can been seen throughout many of XVIVO's high profile projects. He also manages and troubleshoots all the inner workings of XVIVO's networked render farm as well as the various software's used which includes Softimage, Maya and Lightwave, as well as their rendering engine Redshift3D.
At around the age of twelve, Trent crafted his first digital animation using Microsoft Paint, and his parent's camcorder. As one might expect, the end result was a hysterically horrible animation, but one that kicked off his lifelong passion in animation. He now has over 14 years of professional experience and has embraced the more technical side of the field. He loves problem solving, and if solving the problem happens to include a heavy dose of programming, then all the better. In recent years, he's focused much of his efforts (and free time) to develop interactive virtual and augmented reality content. He sees this new form of media transforming the way in which we communicate with each other, and learn about the world.