Joe Rider

Joe Rider is an honours graduate in design from St Martins School of Art and Design in London and holds a postgraduate diploma in computer graphic design and animation from the Centre for Advanced Studies in Computer Aided Art and Design (CASCAAD) at Middlesex University. While at college, Joe won a national design competition sponsored by the European car manufacturer Renault and was the only student to be sponsored by Phillips Electronics and Phillips Interactive Media.

Joe was initially employed as a 2D/3D designer for the design consultants Dawson Meadows. While at the company, Joe worked as a graphic and interior designer and used 3D animation to successfully illustrate his interior designs for a cruise ship and a leisure centre.

Following an offer from one of the design consultant's clients, Joe went on to co-found, as creative director, the first UK based magazine dedicated to interactive media for the publishing company Harington Kilbride Plc.

In 1993 Joe joined a team of two to initiate a new media company called Zone UK. The primary focus of Zone was to produce and promote commercial interactive computer based media for the UK. The company designed, manufactured and leased a console based software system called Vid Zone, to Tower Records and HMV stores in the UK. The product featured a sophisticated procedural animation system and an innovative user interface through which the user accessed an audio/video music sampler, a film preview section and a multimedia lifestyle magazine sponsored by Sony Electronics and Coca-Cola. The company was selected to exhibit at the ICA in London and subsequently went on to develop applications on behalf of MTV Europe, MCA, EMI, Carlton Television, Propaganda Film, IPC Magazines, Hachette Publishing and the Ministry of Sound. As Zone was one of the first companies in London to work in the area of applied interactive media, Joe became a consultant to a number of advertising and PR agencies, (JWT, BBH and Saatchi) and assisted those companies in developing a new media strategy for some of their clientele.

In November 1994, Joe was employed by The Box Music television primarily to create an internal graphics department and to advise on a system capable of assisting the development of a new mixed media identity for the station. However, while at the Box, Joe also became a member of the postproduction and programming team where he worked on many programmes, trails and idents using a Betacam Camera and Media 100.

In April 1995, Joe joined Bullfrog Productions as the head of the aux. art department. Joe was directly responsible for production related technology research, video production, graphic design and interface design as well as fulfilling the role of a senior 3D graphic artist and game designer. Joe worked on Populous, Dungeon Keeper and most of the projects in development at Bullfrog, but became a dedicated member of the team responsible for the successful 'Theme' series of games.

Software Highlights from Credited Titles

Joe Rider's first video game work that SPOnG is aware of is the 2000 title, "Urban Chaos" (PlayStation) as Artist/Animator/Modeller.

Know something we don't? Let us know!