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BRANDON CESTARI
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BRANDON CESTARI
GAMEPLAY ANIMATION MENTOR

15+ years of industry expertise. Tailored mentoring for gameplay animators looking to level up their skills.

MENTORING FOCUSED ON GAMEPLAY ANIMATION

Unlike most other animation mentorships we will focus solely on gameplay animation and how to be adaptable to work on any style of project and always deliver incredible animation that not only looks great but is responsive, feels alive and contains tons of personality. 

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We will also make an added effort to develop other crucial skills to being successful in game-dev such as how to communicate with other departments, how to manage your time, estimate tasks more accurately and how to confidently be the owner of animation on any feature.

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Looking to become a lead, want to improve your leadership skills or want to know what leads look for? I can help with that too. We can discuss leadership and management methodologies or feedback and communication skills for teams.

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Together I can help you not only become a stronger animator and game developer but also an invaluable member to any studio.

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MENTORSHIP SESSIONS

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ABOUT ME

I am Brandon Cestari, an animator coming from South Africa with more than 15 years in the game industry. I have specialized in gameplay animation for the majority of my career but have experience in animated films and TV as well.

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I have lived in 7 countries chasing my dreams of being an animator and have been extremely fortunate to have worked at a number of studios along the way on a range of projects. I am currently working on The Witcher 4 but previously I also worked on titles such as Call of Duty, Lego Star Wars, The Cycle Frontiers and many more. I have developed a versatile skills set in animation, being not only technically capable to work in engine but also in any animation style whether it be cartoony or realistic.

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From first person to third person, whether it was hand key, facial animation or mocap, I have done a bit of it all. I have also lead multiple teams across different studios, both internal and external, where I managed the teams, provided reviews and workshops, set up entire animation pipelines and processes, as well as defined animation styles on some projects such as The Cycle Frontiers.

 

Now I wish to take my extensive experience, knowledge, insights and tips to help you take your craft in gameplay animation to the next level. I can help tailor the mentorship sessions to your goals and help guide you on how to best build the skills studios value. 

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Whether you are a student, an animator with a few years experience or seasoned veterans I can help you!

 

So let's jump in together and set you on a path to take your skills to the next level!

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SHOW REEL 2026

TESTIMONIALS

What past mentees and professionals have to say:

  • "I found Brandon as a mentor by pure luck and I still can’t believe how far I’ve come thanks to him!

     

    He helped me so much in a short amount of time to improve my animation skills. I learned an easier animation workflow, how to animate for games and putting it into a game engine to see how the animation feels and looks.

     

    Brandon is very patient and always gave me accurate feedback to all the animations I worked on and what was important to focus on when I was building my animation reel. I’m very happy that I had the opportunity to have him as my mentor!"

    Arielle Lichtman
    Animation Student
    Howest University of Applied Sciences

  • "I had the pleasure of working with Brandon Cestari at YAGER Interactive from 2020 until the end of 2021, where he was my Lead Animator.

     

    Brandon is one of the most approachable and supportive leads I’ve worked with. He has a great eye for animation and an impressive ability to quickly identify what will make a performance stronger. His feedback was always clear, practical, and helped all of us improve.

     

    His first person animation work is exceptional and set a very high standard for the team. Thanks to his experience across many areas of animation, he was always able to offer valuable advice, whether it was about the animations themselves or the game as a whole.

     

    On top of that, Brandon is simply a genuinely good person who always goes the extra mile for his team. I’d happily work with him again and would recommend him without hesitation."

    Richard Panholzer
    Senior Animator
    CD PROJEKT RED

  • “Brandon Cestari is, without a doubt, the reason I am a Senior Animator today. When he took me in as a mentor, he saw potential, appeal, but I needed help with fundamentals, letting go of dogmen learned in my studies and guided me into discovering my full potential.

     

    Not just animation itsef, but he also taught the vocabulary used to give and receive efficient and easily to understand feedback in a professional context. That all to a point where I myself got to mentor someone, where I applied all the things Brandon had taught me.

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    If you can get him as a mentor, you should."

    Saskia Wolf
    Senior Animator
    Raw Power Games

  • "I had the chance to have Brandon as my lead animator a few years ago and every review session with him was fantastic.

     

    Within little time he pushed my skills and understanding for animation to the next level. Brandon is a very passionate animator with lots of experience and just a great person to talk to.

     

    If you are looking for a mentorship I recommend checking this out."

    Philipp Dörl
    Senior Animator
    Deck 13 Interactive

  • “Brandon was an excellent lead during our time working together.

     

    His talent and eye for animation consistently pushed me to level up my craft, and his knowledge and expertise in game engines were instrumental in expanding my abilities beyond animation.

     

    If you’re serious about the craft of animation and game development, Brandon will get you where you need to be to stand out amongst the crowd.”

    Cody Martin
    Gameplay Animator
    Superseed Studios

PERSONALIZED FEEDBACK • 1 ON 1 MENTORING • ANIM WORKSHOPS •

GET IN TOUCH

Ready to level up your gameplay animation skills? Send me a message and let's start your journey.

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