About Jess Idlehart — Lead Compositor & Art Director

Jess Idlehart is a Los Angeles–based Lead Compositor and Motion Designer with over a decade of experience in 2D and 3D animation, visual effects, and stylized storytelling.

A graduate of CalArts’ Experimental Animation program, he’s guided by the same curiosity that defines the school—constantly testing new pipelines, blending techniques, and finding fresh ways to make images move. His student short White Hot Grid screened at the Slamdance Film Festival.

Jess began his career compositing on the Annie Award–winning documentary He Named Me Malala, followed by work at Nickelodeon on Pinky Malinky. He went on to create motion graphics for Netflix’s revival of Carmen Sandiego and composite on Age of Sail, the painterly CG short from Paperman director John Kahrs.

He later led compositing and contributed concept art for Netflix’s five-hour interactive special We Lost Our Human, followed by compositing work on Disenchantment. Additional credits include concert visuals for Beck, animated bumpers for FX’s CAKE, an animated short about Nirvana for MTV, and concept art for a Ready Player One online game.

Through his YouTube channel Idleharts Club, Jess continues to experiment with storytelling and image making—creating visual essays, ambient films, and animated reflections on creative process.

Currently open to: compositing, motion design, and art direction roles within animation, games, and mixed-media storytelling.

Click here for resume.
All inquires: jessidlehart@gmail.com