Creative Directors

A Dallas native and graduate of the esteemed Booker T. Washington arts magnet, Jackson attended Pratt in NYC before returning to Dallas and beginning his career at Corgan Media Lab. He joined Reel FX in 2008 where he helped them grow their commercial division, and gained a deeper knowledge of 3D working on interactive campaigns during the company’s transition to Flight School. With a reputation for seamlessly blending artistic beauty and technical complexity in his scenes, he views his projects as opportunities to push the creative limits of both the software he’s utilizing and his capabilities as an artist. An illustrator adept at both complex motion graphics and traditional illustration, Jackson’s a dynamic driving force of our Republic Design team.

Known for his sleek ultramodern look, Jesse began his career in Dallas before spreading his wings on the West Coast with Prologue Films, followed by an international move over to KMS Blackspace in Munich. Returning stateside, he collaborated with Imaginary Forces on several main titles, commercials, and rebranding projects before joining our Republic Design roster in 2022. From film to commercials, from VR to AR, from environmental to music videos, Jesse does it all, always with his signature visionary slant.

Barrett is an Emmy award-winning creative director and composer. After receiving his degree in CG animation from the Art Institute of Houston, he began his career at a growing studio in Dallas named ReelFX in 2001. He quickly transitioned from character animator to VFX Supervisor and finally Creative Director, where his leadership impacted multiple divisions of a much larger ReelFX studio, including sister companies ATK PLN and Flight School. He has directed and composed music for countless award-winning projects. Barrett joined Republic Design in 2023, and his creative leadership frequently reminds us that “There’s an incomparable magic and joy in creating experiences and memories that connect us as humans.”

Invoking the warmth of childlike wonder and the power of nostalgia, Elijah has created an endearing and signature style under his moniker, SweetBoy. With a degree in advertising that he swore he’d never use, he went on to get his master’s in animation from SCAD before coming full circle and utilizing his degree with us in the advertising industry. An incredibly talented storyteller who shares a deep appreciation for the complexities of his craft, Elijah is actively involved in the animation community, leveraging the R&D of his large-scale side projects to educate others across social media channels, YouTube, and in collaboration with School of Motion.

Growing up in New Orleans the son of an engineer, Patton dove into the industry while still in high-school, working at 3D Model HouseTurboSquid (where he once fielded a call from a plumber requesting to purchase a physical plunger from their website). After attending Full Sail in Orlando, he returned to New Orleans, working at Bayou FX as a compositor before joining his wife in Dallas at animation powerhouse, Reel FX, in 2012. Working as a digital artist and CG supervisor, he pushed the limits of their entertainment, commercial and ‘special-ops’ divisions, before leaving in 2021 to build his own company, WhammyFX. A modern renaissance man who loves to “use technology to create pretty cool things”, Patton joined our Republic Design roster in 2023.