Check Out Jerad Marantz’s Story

I was fortunate enough to have my parent’s support, and they put me in art classes. Eventually, I found a great school in the valley called Associates in Art. It was really one-of-a-kind. There were classes taught by industry professionals. I was one of the youngest students at the age of 12.

I took figure drawing classes and a creature sculpting class. While in that class the teacher saw my passion and got me an internship at a low-budget special effects house in Van Nuys the following summer. There I got to try everything from mold making, sculpting, and general FX work. It was an incredibly exciting and an eye-opening experience. The most valuable thing about my time there was that I realized that I really just wanted to focus on design.

At this point in my childhood, I knew that I could become a creature designer and a concept artist and make a living doing that, so I just had tunnel vision. I got into a high school of the arts in West LA called LACHSA and after graduating I got into Pasadena ArtCenter College of Design.

ArtCenter was a great experience. I learned a lot and was able to focus on my foundation uninterrupted for a couple of years. I focused on building an entertainment portfolio and at the time ArtCenter was just developing their entertainment department, so I had to really pick and choose how I would, use my time. I was constantly working on my portfolio and steering it towards getting creature and Concept work. I remember sacrificing a few classes and getting some pretty bad grades so I could devote the time to getting my portfolio right.

When I graduated I contacted Stan Winston’s, special-effects house and Rick Baker‘s. I was able to set up an in-person interview over at Stan’s, and Rick Baker at the time was not hiring. Fortunately, my interview at Stans went very well. I showed up with a portfolio and a couple of creature sculptures and was hired on the spot. It was an incredibly validating time. From there, I would bounce from  _ practical effects house to a practical effects house, eventually, I would spend some time in the video game industry, and would freelance for multiple studios. I’m still a freelance artist, I’m a member of the Costume Design Guild and the Art Directors guild, and have been working on major films for Disney, Warner Bros. and most major studios. I still do video game work and have a lot of fun in that arena. The more things change the more they stay the same and I am still drawing, painting, sculpting and creating every day.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It honestly hasn’t been that rough of a road. The trick is to be honest with yourself. Look at your portfolio and assess your strengths and your weaknesses. Then work on those weaknesses and fill in the gaps. Your portfolio is your first priority. You have to be good to get through the door and you have to keep challenging yourself to stay relevant and in demand. That in itself is challenging, but if this is what you focus on opportunities will present themselves. The wonderful thing about being a concept artist in this industry is that if your good enough work will find you.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a concept artist, but primarily I focus on creature design, and costume concept work. Essentially, I am a problem solver. Every time I start a job, I either read the script or get a description of the character or creature I have to design. Then I generate options. Depending on who I’m working with, I can do concepts in Photoshop that are loose or tight or I can build those concepts in 3-D using a program called Zbrush. My process depends greatly on who I’m working with. If I’m working with a client, that can read a sketch, then I will draw everything until we find something that works within the story and within the budget. If a client struggles to read a sketch, then I have to do more refined concepts throughout the entire process and design in a photo-realistic way using Photoshop and Zbrush. For creatures that are very complicated, I will often just build them in 3-D and will turn in turntables, and 3-D renders every step along the way. You have to be flexible and be able to convey these ideas to anyone, so technique really matters.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have quite a few things on screen, and work on projects that I am very proud of. On Avengers Endgame and Infinity War I was able to contribute quite a bit to the villains in those films. I got to design Thanos’s warrior armor. I’m very proud of that because Endgame marked the end of a big chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and to be able to design the look of the main villain was a huge honor. Also, the team at Marvel Visual Development is one of the best in the industry and to be able to contribute And work with these amazing artists was an absolute privilege. The project was led by literally one of the best in the industry Ryan Meinerding. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Ryan on a couple of projects. He was kind enough to bring me on board.

Another accomplishment that I’m very proud of is that I’ve been able to work on four Batman suits from Batman V Superman and Justice league with costume designer Michael Wilkinson. Working on those Zack Snyder films was just a phenomenal experience and being able to work on Batman. It was a childhood dream come true. I also got to work on all of the villains in Zack Snyder’s Justice league. I’m very proud of my work on Steppenwolf, Darkseid and Dassad.

The funny thing is both Justice league and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame were very big chapters in both the DC and Marvel cinematic universes. Having the opportunity to work on both of them and make such an impression is an accomplishment that I doubt I’ll be able to match in the future.

What’s next?
I love being a concept artist and creature designer. I know that will always be a part of my life. Currently, I’m developing my own stories and IP’s. I’m in the process of pitching an animated series right now that I’ve created. I absolutely love writing and fleshing out my own stories. That’s why I started on this journey. All of my original work was based on these stories that I had written. It was a great way to flesh out my portfolio when I was a kid, and it kept me motivated to create.

I’ve also directed a few short films, and that is definitely another passion of mine. I love making movies.