Angela Guenette

Angela Guenette is co-owner of Ponder Studios Inc.

Angela is a character modeler for computer animation production specializing in topology and facial blendshapes.

Since 2000, she has contributed as modeler, rigger, texturer to a variety of feature films, DVD movies, television series, and short films using Blender, Maya, XSI, Softimage. In 2011, she created the tutorial series, Blenderella, Advanced Character Modeling, for the Blender Open Movie Workshop training library.

An appreciation of art and animation has long played a role in her life. At eight years of age, she was making stop-motion shorts on film. At twelve, she created an ASCII based animation on the Commodore PET computer.

Between 1990 and 1996, she attended the University of Ottawa and graduated with a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts.

In 1999, she studied 3-D Digital Animation at Seneca College in Toronto using Softimage|3D on SGI IRIX computers.

Her current interests include using Blender, ZBrush, and GIMP to create various printed mediums such as 3D and giclé, as well as interactive experiences using Unreal Engine. She is also returning to traditional mediums such as oil painting.

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James Monteath

James Monteath is founder and co-owner of Ponder Studios Inc.

James is a professional software developer since 1989. His work includes video games, computer animated features, visual effects, multimedia, and enterprise business systems.

His interest in computers began in 1977 at the age of 9 with the IMSAI 8080 and KIM-1 microcomputers. He taught himself, with his dad’s guidance, machine code, assembly language, and BASIC.

It was the MTU-130 computer with 6502 and 68000 microprocessors that got him hooked in the field of computer graphics programming.

In 1989, he was introduced to various UNIX systems, SGI IRIX, SunOS, IBM AIX, and UNOS at a GIS (Graphical Information Systems) company working as a system administrator, trainer and support specialist to the company’s clients.

In 1992, he worked with SGI IRIX and NeXTStep systems, taught himself C/C++, IRIS Inventor toolkit, network programming, and 3D modeling to create interactive learning systems.

In 1998, he started working as a software consultant specializing in RUP (Rational Unified Process) and Java Enterprise systems. Past clients include FedEx, Verizon Wireless, BC Hydro, Nortel Networks, Bell Emergis, and McKesson Canada.

In 2004, he returned to digital media working on computer animated feature films, video games and visual effects.

His current interests include learning new programming languages, cloud technologies, and software automation.