Behind the Scenes of Love, Death + Robots with AGBO
Time
Thu, Oct 16, 2025
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM PT
Location/Platform
Dell Stage + Gnomon Twitch and YouTube
Join us on Thursday, October 16th at 7:00 PM on the Dell Stage at Gnomon for a behind-the-scenes presentation with the team from AGBO, exploring their work on Netflix’s Love, Death + Robots.
We are thrilled to welcome Ryan McNeely (Creative Director), Natalie Villarreal (CG/UE Generalist, Lighter, and Compositor and Gnomon graduate), and Rain Rouhani (Concept/Modeling Generalist and Gnomon graduate) as they walk through the creative and technical aspects of the show, from concept to final render. Their talk will highlight key challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons learned along the way.
The presentation will begin with introductions from each panelist. Ryan will share how the project originated and dive into the research and development behind rendering fur in Unreal Engine. Rain will discuss her approach to character texturing and look development, and Natalie closes with a breakdown of the lighting and rendering workflows that helped bring the world of Love, Death + Robots to life.
Together, the panelists will offer an inside look at the collaborative pipeline and real-time techniques used at the studio.
Don’t miss this chance to ask questions during a live Q&A, connect with other artists, and enjoy complimentary pizza for in-person attendees. Campus tours with a Gnomon representative will also be available before the event. If you can’t make it to campus, the event will livestream on Gnomon’s Twitch and YouTube channels. The livestream will be available to watch as VOD on Gnomon’s YouTube channel once the event concludes.
Panelists
Ryan McNeely
Creative Director
Over the past two decades, Ryan McNeely has become an accomplished multihyphenate, adeptly blending live-action filmmaking with animation across film, television, commercials, and video game projects. McNeely began his career in the story department at DreamWorks and went on to animate for companies like Blur, MTV, and Relativity Media. Later, he branched off from animation and began working in live-action directing for Funny or Die with talent like Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and Billy Crystal while developing his own projects like Comedy Central's The Gorburger Show starring T.J. Miller.
In 2010, he started Visual Creatures with partner John Cranston with the goal of creating an artist-driven creative studio. What started as a small operation out of their homes grew into a state-of-the-art multifaceted virtual production studio, with clients like Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Allstate, Apple, and Epic Games to name a few. The company developed a unique approach to the animation process, leading to a partnership with The Russo Brothers and AGBO, where he now sits as Creative Director. There, he collaborates with an exceptionally talented team to expand the boundaries of what's achievable when cutting-edge technology is propelled by artist-driven storytelling.
Rain Rouhani
Concept/Modeling Generalist
Rain Rouhani is a Gnomon alumna who specializes in 3D character modeling, CG generalist, and visual/look development. She currently works as a Concept/Modeling Generalist at AGBO, where she contributes across multiple disciplines within the production pipeline.
Rain has contributed to high-profile projects including the The First Berserker: Khazan trailer for The Game Awards 2024, as well as Netflix’s acclaimed animated anthology Love, Death + Robots. On Love, Death + Robots, she wore multiple hats throughout production, with a primary focus on look development and surfacing.
Natalie Villarreal
CG/UE Generalist, Lighter, and Compositor
Natalie Villarreal is a Los Angeles–based CG and Unreal Engine Generalist specializing in lighting, compositing, and layout for episodic, feature film, and real-time projects. Her credits include Love, Death & Robots (Netflix), 1923 and Fire Country (Paramount), The Creator, and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. A 2022 Gnomon Digital Production graduate, she currently works at AGBO Labs as a lighting lead, where she supports production and real-time pipeline development across Unreal Engine, Maya, and Nuke.
Before the event begins, the Gnomon Student Store will have limited quantities of Marvel Studios’ Thunderbolts art books available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, three copies will be raffled off to attendees at the end of the event.
Attendees will be able to ask questions during a live Q&A, connect with other artists, and enjoy complimentary pizza. Campus tours with a Gnomon representative will also be available before the event.
Please note: This event will not be livestreamed or recorded. It is in-person only.
Sponsored by
Gnomon events are sponsored by Dell.
Dell Precision has over 25 years of innovations, driving the work of power users, designers, and creators. The Precision product team works directly with customers and strategic partners to deliver the most reliable and powerful PCs from Dell. The intelligent performance is driven by AI-based software, Dell Optimizer for Precision, and the professional-level components, such as Intel® Core™ and Xeon® processors, fast memory (including ECC memory options), scalable storage, and professional graphics from NVIDIA that drive many of the creative applications and workflows, as well as exclusive technologies such as Reliable Memory Technology Pro and, patented thermals and the Dell Optimizer.
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