Meet the Owls

Mike Merell

Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Mike Merell is an AI Creative Director, storyteller, and production innovator with over 35 years of experience across 3D animation, live action, visual effects, advertising, and emerging media. Throughout his career, he has consistently worked at the forefront of creative technology—from the rise of CGI and 3D character animation to digital filmmaking, performance marketing, and now AI-driven production. Mike spent more than 15 years at Disney as a 3D Character Animator, Supervisor, Story Development, and Pre-Vis artist, bringing both feature animation and live action film IP to life through character-driven storytelling and cinematic craft. He later brought that foundation into advertising and performance marketing, leading an international team of 40+ creatives and overseeing the production of more than 26,000 ads for industry leader Consumer Acquisition. Today, Mike combines big-studio storytelling instincts, large-scale creative leadership, and AI-native workflows to create human-led, cinematic work for brands, performance campaigns, & narrative IP.

Dunya Djordevic

Co-Founder and AI Creative Director

Dunya is an AI Creative Director and narrative creative lead with 25+ years of experience across film, marketing, and storytelling. Her background in acting, directing, and writing for feature films gives her a deep foundation in character, performance, and emotional story craft, shaped by formal studies in film and theatre arts at UC Santa Cruz and the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. She is also the Founding Director of Girls IN Focus, a nonprofit all-girls filmmaking program dedicated to empowering the next generation of female storytellers. Today, Dunya brings together narrative depth, creative leadership, and emerging AI tools to craft story-driven work with heart, humanity, and purpose.

Ana Maria Alvarado

AI Creative Director

Ana Maria Alvarado is an AI Creative Director and accomplished 3D Character Animator with a deep passion for storytelling, performance, and next-generation creative technology. With experience spanning feature film, television, games, VR, and real-time production, she has contributed to major studio projects at Disney, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Warner Brothers, Pixomondo, and The Third Floor. Rooted in character, emotion, and cinematic storytelling, Ana is known for her meticulous eye for shot design and her ability to craft images and performances that truly move the emotional needle. Today, she brings that story-first foundation into AI-native workflows, collaborating across disciplines to create emotionally resonant, visually compelling work across a wide range of mediums.

Sheryl Sackett

AI Creative Director

Sheryl Sackett is an award-winning Animation Director, and Character Animator with leadership experience spanning feature films, episodic television, gaming, and music videos. She has directed animation and layout pipelines for premier studios, including Disney Animation and DisneyToon Studios where she was an Animation Director for the theatrical feature Planes and the blockbuster Tinker Bell franchise, helping pioneer the studio's early transition into CG pipelines. She also led the animation team for DreamWorks' popular Netflix series Dinotrux. Recently, she served as Animation Supervisor at AMGI Studios for high-profile game and music video projects, and as Previs and Animation Lead at Pixomondo for major franchises like Mandalorian, Star Trek, and Tom and Jerry. A graduate of Toronto's esteemed Sheridan College, she launched her career with legendary teams at Bluth Studios, Chuck Jones Productions, and Amblin Entertainment on Steven Spielberg's An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

Howard Baker

AI Creative Director

Howard E. Baker is a three-time Emmy Award-winning animation director with extensive experience across feature films, television, commercials, and immersive theme park attractions. Most recently, he served as Animation Director on Piece by Piece, the acclaimed LEGO-animated Pharrell Williams documentary. His directing credits include beloved series such as Rugrats, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Æon Flux, Duckman, and Sheriff Callie's Wild West, along with LEGO productions, feature films, and attractions for Universal, Warner Bros. World, LEGOLAND, and other major entertainment destinations. A collaborative leader with expertise spanning story development, design, storyboards, animation, voice direction, and post-production, Howard is known for delivering exceptional creative work while fostering talented teams and maintaining the highest production standards.