Marc Russo
Associate Professor of Media Arts, Design and Technology
Bio
Marc Russo is a comic artist and animator based in the Triangle of North Carolina. He is an Associate Professor of Media Arts, Design, and Technology at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. Marc holds a BS and an MEd from Rutgers University and a Master’s of Art+Design with a specialization in Animation and Interactive Media from NC State.
Marc’s animated films have received widespread acclaim, having been featured in numerous local, national, and international film festivals. He is a two-time recipient of the Pixie Platinum Award and a CINDY award for his exceptional contributions to the field. His comics have been published independently. online, and in nationally distributed zines. One of his notable collaborations was with Triangle Wind Ensemble (TWE), wherein they jointly created the film “Sheltering Sky”. The film was first screened in 2019 during a Fantasia-style event by TWE and is now distributed to community wind bands and has been performed around the world.
As an animator, illustrator, and interaction designer, Marc has also contributed to educational games for several NSF and Gates Foundation grants. Moreover, he participated in an animation competition celebrating the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon”, wherein he created an animated short for the track “On the Run”.
Marc’s scholarship interests lie in storytelling and the choices creators make to enhance the narrative. As a storyteller himself, he believes strongly with Christopher Vogler, that “… [stories] have tremendous power to heal … and make the world a better place.” Marc applies his research in storytelling and the cartoon form to his animations, comics, and interactive pieces.
Education
Bachelor of Science and Master of Education Rutgers University
Master of Art + Design NC State University
Area(s) of Expertise
Animation and New Media
Publications
- 6 Word Novel Narrative Timeline , Visualizing Objects, Places, and Spaces: A Digital Project Handbook (2021)
- Kinetic Typography - Documentary Quote , A Digital Project Handbook (2020)
- ASPECT sinking and floating , Proceedings of the first ACM SIGCHI annual symposium on Computer-human interaction in play (2014)
- Mapping Focus , Spaces and Flows: An International Journal of Urban and ExtraUrban Studies (2013)
- Towards a Computational Model of Narrative Visualization , INT4 workshop at AIIDE (AI and Interactive Digital Entertainment Conference) (2012)