Alex Westerman
Encyclopedia
Alexander Westerman is a United States of America Creative Director
. He began his career as an Art Director having studied at Ithaca College
and New York University
. Westerman is currently the Creative Director for Mattel
Digital and Mattel Marketing & Communications.
. Westerman's experience ranges from television to movie and theater productions. He was Executive in Charge of Development at Bona Dea Productions, a Production Executive of The Weisberger Theatre Group, and a year as an Assistant to producer Fred Zollo. In 2000, Westerman left his job at Disney to found a start-up called RadicalZoo. RadicalZoo was to be a destination for independent film makers. RadicalZoo folded in 2003. Westerman joined the staff of Nickelodeon
in 2004 and went on to create award winning sites and applications for the company. In 2009 Westerman left Nickelodeon to become Creative Director
for the Mattel
.
In 2007 - 2008, Westerman created an Adobe Air application as an Adobe launch partner. The application was the first game to be created using the air runtime. The game allows users to engage in a scavenger hunt, collecting jig saw puzzle pieces and assemble and solve the puzzle offline in the Air runtime.
Westerman is also the publisher of a popular amusement park and roller coaster website; ThrillNetwork.com. ThrillNetwork is large community dedicated to provide news and information about the amusement park
industry. The site contains one of the most comprehensive databases of statistical data on almost every park and ride in the world.
dancer studying at The School of American Ballet
in NYC. While attending Ithaca College
he choreographed ballets for the dance school. Two of which were critical successes; La Belle et la Bete and Flight of Icarus.
. Nicktropolis is Nickelodeon
's massively multiplayer online game
and massively multiplayer online role-playing game
that is part of Nick.com
.
Transformers Game -
A Transformers
Game and area, based on the popular Hasbro
toys, is being developed. Teams will compete for Nickpoints and prizes. Game players will have to choose which team to join, evil DECEPTICONS or the noble AUTOBOTS? These two opposing teams will battle it out for control of the elusive Energon Cubes. The area will contain brand new rooms, features, and gameplay, this is sure to be the next evolution of games in Nicktropolis.
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
. He began his career as an Art Director having studied at Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
and New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. Westerman is currently the Creative Director for Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
Digital and Mattel Marketing & Communications.
Career
Alex Westerman started out as an prop master and art directorArt director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
. Westerman's experience ranges from television to movie and theater productions. He was Executive in Charge of Development at Bona Dea Productions, a Production Executive of The Weisberger Theatre Group, and a year as an Assistant to producer Fred Zollo. In 2000, Westerman left his job at Disney to found a start-up called RadicalZoo. RadicalZoo was to be a destination for independent film makers. RadicalZoo folded in 2003. Westerman joined the staff of Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
in 2004 and went on to create award winning sites and applications for the company. In 2009 Westerman left Nickelodeon to become Creative Director
Creative Director
A creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
for the Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
.
In 2007 - 2008, Westerman created an Adobe Air application as an Adobe launch partner. The application was the first game to be created using the air runtime. The game allows users to engage in a scavenger hunt, collecting jig saw puzzle pieces and assemble and solve the puzzle offline in the Air runtime.
Westerman is also the publisher of a popular amusement park and roller coaster website; ThrillNetwork.com. ThrillNetwork is large community dedicated to provide news and information about the amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
industry. The site contains one of the most comprehensive databases of statistical data on almost every park and ride in the world.
Early work
Westerman's background is diverse. He was classically trained as a balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer studying at The School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
in NYC. While attending Ithaca College
Ithaca College
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs. The college is...
he choreographed ballets for the dance school. Two of which were critical successes; La Belle et la Bete and Flight of Icarus.
At Nickelodeon
Westerman served as Production Director of NicktropolisNicktropolis
The Club is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that is part of Nick.com. Construction of the game began in November 2004, eventually being launched to the public on January 30, 2007. Recently the game has shut down forever and is now called The Club...
. Nicktropolis is Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
's massively multiplayer online game
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
and massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
that is part of Nick.com
Nick.com
Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon, launched in October 1995. The website serves mainly as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offers online games, message boards, and individual websites for each show it has broadcast....
.
Transformers Game -
A Transformers
Transformers
A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another by magnetic coupling.Transformer may also refer to:* ASUS Eee Pad Transformer, an Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet computer manufacturer by Asus...
Game and area, based on the popular Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
toys, is being developed. Teams will compete for Nickpoints and prizes. Game players will have to choose which team to join, evil DECEPTICONS or the noble AUTOBOTS? These two opposing teams will battle it out for control of the elusive Energon Cubes. The area will contain brand new rooms, features, and gameplay, this is sure to be the next evolution of games in Nicktropolis.
Awards for associated websites
- Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
2010 - Online Games - Mattel.com/games - Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
2008 - Social Networking - Nicktropolis.com - Webby AwardsWebby AwardsA Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
2008 - People's Choice Best Youth Site - Nick.com - Parents' Choice AwardParents' Choice AwardThe Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
2008 - Nicktropolis.com - Parents' Choice AwardParents' Choice AwardThe Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
2008 - Nick.com - Webby Award 2007 - People's Choice Best Youth Site - Nick.com
- In 2004, ThrillNetwork.com was named ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Summer 2004 Best of the Web Pick.
Selected online projects
- Mattel.com
- BarbieBarbieBarbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
- Hot WheelsHot WheelsHot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, introduced by American toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand from Tyco.-Models:...
- NicktropolisNicktropolisThe Club is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game that is part of Nick.com. Construction of the game began in November 2004, eventually being launched to the public on January 30, 2007. Recently the game has shut down forever and is now called The Club...
- Nick.comNick.comNick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon, launched in October 1995. The website serves mainly as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offers online games, message boards, and individual websites for each show it has broadcast....
- NickMail
- ThrillNetwork.com
- TurboNick
Selected theater and filmography
- Out of the Box (The Disney ChannelDisney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
: Season 1 and 2) - Peroxide Passion (T. Michael Film)
- Hit and Runway (Lot 47 Films)
- Surprise (The NY Picture Company)
- NickelodeonNickelodeon (TV channel)Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
Pilot “BUS # 9” (MTV Networks) - Frongs for Snakes (The Shooting Gallery)
- The President's Christmas Tree (Shochiku Entertainment)
- Hell's Kitchen (Kushner-Locke Company)
- The Substance of FireThe Substance of FireThe Substance of Fire is a play by Jon Robin Baitz.At its core is Isaac Geldhart, a childhood survivor of the Holocaust, who arrived in New York City an orphan, reinvented himself as a bon vivant, married well, and found fame and fortune as a champion of authors who are passionate about their work...
(Miramax) - Mississippi BurningMississippi BurningMississippi Burning is a 1988 American crime drama film loosely based on the FBI investigation into the real-life murders of three civil rights workers in the U.S. state of Mississippi in 1964. The film focuses on two fictional FBI agents who investigate the murders...
(Orion PicturesOrion PicturesOrion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
) - Oleanna (play)Oleanna (play)Oleanna is a two-character play by David Mamet, about the power struggle between a university professor and one of his female students, who accuses him of sexual exploitation and, by doing so, spoils his chances of being accorded tenure...
(Samuel Goldwyn) - Naked in New YorkNaked in New YorkNaked in New York is a 1993 romantic drama film starring Eric Stoltz, Mary Louise Parker, Ralph Macchio, Jill Clayburgh, Tony Curtis, Timothy Dalton, and Kathleen Turner, and featuring multiple celebrity cameos, including William Styron listing all of his authored, penned and film work, Whoopi...
(New Line CinemaNew Line CinemaNew Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
) - Quiz ShowQuiz ShowQuiz Show is a 1994 American historical drama film produced and directed by Robert Redford. Adapted by Paul Attanasio from Richard Goodwin's memoir Remembering America, the film is based upon the Twenty One quiz show scandal of the 1950s...
(Hollywood PicturesHollywood PicturesHollywood Pictures is one of The Walt Disney Company's several alternate movie divisions. Like Disney's Touchstone Pictures brand, it produces films for a more mature adult audience than Walt Disney Pictures.-History:...
)