Rick’s background includes more than 20 years of software and services experience, with the past 13 years in executive management roles. Rick started his career in the management consulting practice at Ernst & Young with an exclusive focus on the healthcare industry. He has led large-scale initiatives taking numerous mobile and web-based software products and platforms to market for Fortune 500 clients. Rick provides strategic and operational oversight for the production team and is focused on developing innovative technical products and solutions for Viscira’s clients. Rick’s educational background includes a BA from UC Berkeley, an MA from Northwestern University, and an MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare communications, Ayaimah provides strategic oversight for the account management and content development teams at Viscira. She has enjoyed roles on both the client and agency sides of the industry in marketing, advertising, medical education, and digital/interactive. Ayaimah has successfully led major initiatives across a multitude of therapeutic areas, audiences, media, and channels with the following clients: LifeScan (J&J), Janssen, Onyx, Baxter Biosciences, Celgene, Allergan, Actelion, Biomarin, Amgen, Abbott, BMS, Novartis, and Genentech. Ayaimah holds a BS in Business Administration from Sonoma State University.

Jeff brings 12 years of cross-functional sales and marketing experience within the technology and healthcare industries. He has led numerous interactive and new-media initiatives with many biotech and global pharmaceutical market leaders including Roche, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Allergan and Otsuka. At Viscira, Jeff leads the business development team and partners with production in identifying technology solutions to address industry challenges and improve innovation. Jeff received his BA from the University of Hawaii.

As the Animation Department Head and Senior Creative Director, Kane brings over 15 years of animation production experience to Viscira. Having previously been Vice President of a successful animation studio and also having run his own boutique animation company, Kane has the uncanny ability to balance artistic excellence with the business objectives of our clients.

Kane’s past animation experience includes television commercials, game cinematics, music videos, short format movies, and educational films. However, for the past 6 years his sole focus has been on creating award-winning scientific animations for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries–combining science with cinema.

But ask Kane about his success, and he would say that it’s really all about his team. At Viscira, Kane has assembled a team of some of the most talented professionals in the animation industry. No one has an animation team like Viscira–not even close. Over the past four years alone, Kane’s team has successfully delivered over 50 MOA animations and interactive programs for some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. With each project they continue to find ways to push the envelope and create animations that are scientifically accurate, technically sophisticated, and visually stunning.

Nat is a self-proclaimed creative technologist who has concentrated on media and content production systems for the past 35 years. He previously was the Vice President of Development at Livescribe, a consumer electronics company focusing on the invention of a smart pen, and was responsible for the pen as the center of the overall architecture of the enterprise solution. He also worked with Leapfrog Enterprises in the development of the interactive model for the audio-only Fly pen. Working with the US Army, Paramount Pictures and ICT he developed a distance learning, narrative simulation system for leadership training as well as created the technology behind the final exercise for NSA analysts at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Nat is considered a pioneer in the early development of data-driven websites for entertainment, gaming and ecommerce. He was the Vice President of Technology for Digital Evolution (US Interactive) during the dot com days and worked with some of the largest corporations (Toyota, Nissan, Planet Hollywood, Saban, Swiss Air, Disney, Paramount, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, DNC) to envision and create products for web-driven applications, kiosks, client server applications, multimedia systems and event management. He was the Executive and Floor Producer for the Technology Pavilion of the 1997 Inauguration of the President of the United States. He has consulted to AT&T Labs in the commercialization of patentable technology and provided numerous prototypes of new technologies to companies such as Kmart, United Airlines, AT&T Solutions, Microsoft and Apple. Nat holds a BA in Theater Arts from Santa Clara University.

Eric's passion for design started at age 5 when he elected to re-finish the walls in his bedroom with magic marker and mashed potatoes. The art of using mixed media as a form of creative expression was born and he hasn’t stopped since.

In 1998, Eric graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art with a degree in Visual Communications & Graphic Design. During his time at school, Eric's focus was typography, color theory, and editorial layout, however, Eric soon realized it just wasn’t enough for him. Eric had a desire to understand the process of bringing life to his designs. Eric soon found himself out of school and in a small interactive shop where he began to focus all of his attention on interactive design and motion graphics. After a few years of using Flash as his primary application to not only bring static visual concepts to life but building high-end, user-driven experiences, Eric was using Flash as a tool for more and more sophisticated linear motion graphics. Eric decided to step the level of design up and jump head-first into 3D animation.

In 2001, Eric began working for a San Francisco-based pharma marketing agency. He was given an opportunity to dive further into the motion graphic process than ever before. Focusing all of his efforts on 3D animation, broadcast design, integrated video solutions for major interactive campaigns, and embracing the entire video production process, Eric soon found himself leading a team of artists that shared the same passion. In 2007, Eric took on the role of Creative Director, and embraced one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences that a creative professional could have. Eric's passion for visual storytelling was now accompanied by the passion to lead, motivate, and inspire.

Eric duPlessis joined the Viscira team as Director of Motion Graphics and continues to share his passion for motion design.

"…design isn't about making something look better, it's about moving someone to action." Hillman Curtis

Kristen is a certified project management professional (PMP) with over 15 years of interactive project management experience. She has led end-to-end web development, mobile application development, and online marketing initiatives for clients such as PayPal, Wells Fargo, Intuit, Microsoft, and Nike. Her primary focus the past 5 years has been producing interactive projects for clients like Amgen, Genentech, Roche, and Johnson & Johnson. At Viscira, she helps train and lead the producer team, in addition to playing a hands-on project management role for key client programs. Kristen has a BA in International Studies from the University of Washington.

Cecila brings over 12 years of experience with managing and successfully delivering enterprise-wide technology projects, including the last 8 years within the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. She has led large-scale infrastructure, software and web development projects in various industries including: Wells Fargo, AmerisourceBergen, Genentech, Intel, Microsoft, and Amgen. Cecila currently manages and provides oversight to the team of producers at Viscira. Cecila received her BA from California Polytechnic State University.

Maria brings to Viscira 15 years of general advertising experience, of which 12 years have been dedicated to the healthcare industry. Maria currently leads the client services efforts in our New York office and serves as a strategic digital partner to our clients. Her career includes successful product launches, pioneering interactive products, and long shelf-life solutions for multiple pharmaceutical companies. Maria obtained a BA in Advertising Communication from Universidad Iberoamericana in Dominican Republic, and has an MPS in Design Management from Pratt Institute in New York.

Heather brings over 10 years of bench research and 6 years of medical writing experience to Viscira’s Content team. She has led content development efforts for numerous Viscira clients—including Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genentech, Novartis, and Roche—and has experience in such therapeutic areas as oncology, immunology, dermatology, ophthalmology, and regenerative medicine. Heather has a BA in Biology from Macalester College and a PhD in Genetics from the University of Washington. She has held research positions at the University of Minnesota and the University of Chicago, and she was a postdoctoral fellow in Biochemistry & Biophysics at UCSF.

Nicole’s background includes a broad range of pharmaceutical sales, marketing and advertising expertise. Nicole brings strategic leadership through her experience on both the client and agency sides of the industry. She has personally led numerous interactive and new-media initiatives with major biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical market leaders including, Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, and Amgen. Nicole is responsible for Viscira’s Southern California key accounts and managing Viscira’s Chicago-based Business Development efforts. Nicole received her BA in Mass Communication from UC Berkeley.

Rodwin heads up the Viscira Interaction and Visual Design team with a strong cross-departmental collaborative approach. He draws from 19 years of combined experience in the video game, pharmaceutical and Rock 'n' Roll worlds. With a solid grasp of interactive for iPad, web and mobile, Rodwin has launched many successful programs for popular name brands such as SEGA, Bill Graham Presents, UbiSoft, Genentech, Amgen, BristolMeyers Squibb, Onyx, Celgene, Teva, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Abbott. Rodwin has a BS in Design from the University of California, Davis.