Member Profile: Rogelio Hernandez
1. What do you do, and how long have you been doing it?
I’m a 3D Character Artist! I’ve been interested in it since I was 16 but have been doing it in a more professional capacity for three years.
2. What was your first job?
I was a Video Production Intern for HEB’s Corporate Communications team. I’m really grateful to have been given the opportunity, as this high school internship opened doors that I didn’t know existed.
3. Where did you complete your formal education?
I graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Visualization. My major was Animation focused; my Minor in Art History focused on Race in Contemporary Media.
4. How did you first get involved with ACM SIGGRAPH?
I heard about the SIGGRAPH Conference through my university’s local chapter. I’d urge everyone to get involved both locally and at the conference, it’s one of the best choices I’ve made.
5. What is your favorite memory of a SIGGRAPH conference?
It’s difficult to choose just one, but I’d say making friends in Vancouver has to be it. It was my first conference and I was blown away by the kindness of everyone I met be it student or industry vet.
6. Describe a project that you would like to share with the ACM SIGGRAPH community.
I got to Co-Direct a team of 20 students on a thesis film, Cascade. Although COVID stopped the project, I am insanely proud of what the team was able to accomplish in the time that we worked on it.
The film follows a young girl who gets caught in an upcoming storm and makes an unlikely lifelong friend and mentor – an umbrella repairman. The animatic and characters for the short as well as some lookdev are finished, I hope to complete the project one day and be able to share a final product with the world.
7. If you could have dinner with one living or non-living person, who would it be and why?
I would have dinner with Jorge R. Gutierrez. As a Mexican in animation, I’d love to talk to him about his journey and experiences in our industry. I’d also love to discuss where he sees Mexican animation going in the future and how we can empower People of Color in our industry.
8. What is something most people don’t know about you?
I’ve never had meat. I was raised vegetarian and remain so to this day!
9. From which single individual have you learned the most in your life? What did they teach you?
Daniil Leiderman, an art history professor at A&M. Taking an independent study with him helped me grow and changed how I approach life. We explored questions of art, culture, race, philosophy, identity, and how to approach and think about such topics. It helped me a lot in my self-discovery and how I approach and interact with the world around me.
10. Is there someone in particular who has influenced your decision to work with ACM SIGGRAPH?
Michelle Dominado, one of the first friends I made at SIGGRAPH. Meeting her showed me that volunteering as a student was about more than industry, it made SIGGRAPH feel more like a family to me. Ben Rosado was a huge influence to me becoming a TL and continuing to work with the conference.
11. What can you point to in your career as your proudest moment?
Group meetings with the Cascade Crew. Seeing a group of people collaborate together like they did to bring this vision alive was amazing. It made me extremely proud to work with all of them. Seeing anyone on that team be successful in their own career brings me tremendous pride to have worked with them on a project so personal to all of us.