School of Cinematic Arts Directory Profile

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Nicole West

Visiting Professor of Animation and Digital Arts
Chair, The John C. Hench Division of Animation & Digital Arts

Affiliated Divisions:

John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts

Nic (Nicole) West is an experienced entertainment professional with a passion for curating and developing inspired teams to create quality content. She is the Co-Founder and Head of Operations at West Studio, a visual development and creative production house that combines passion and process to produce some of the best concept art in the world.

Her professional path has led her to a career in creative production and studio management in a myriad of entertainment industries, including: Television Animation, Feature Animation and Video Games. She has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work alongside some of the most talented, passionate and creative individuals at DreamWorks Television Animation and Feature Animation, Electronic Arts, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, Babel Media and Brash Entertainment.

Nic volunteers as an Advisory Council Member for the BRIC Foundation, an organization focused on increasing representation in Entertainment, Gaming, Media and Tech.  By strategically engaging with leaders across these industries, along with Government and Education Partners, BRIC strives to Break, Reinvent, Impact and Change the foundations of these businesses and create inclusive opportunities for women and underrepresented people to be successful.

In 2012 she developed the concept and co-curated Painting in Pixels: An Exhibition of Concept Art at the Riverside Art Museum. The exhibition educated the general public about the purpose and role of concept art within the entertainment industries and featured over 40 Concept Artists across live action, animation and video games.

Nic was integral in the strategic planning of the Into the Pixel exhibit from 2004 to 2007. Into the Pixel was an exhibit at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) that brought together experts from the traditional fine art world and the interactive entertainment industry to display and discuss the art of video games.

Nic attended USC where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Comparative Literature with Honors.  She was one of ten graduating seniors awarded the Renaissance Scholar Prize for extraordinary multidisciplinary studies.