Meet the gifted Approved Unreal Instructors at CG Spectrum—artists, innovators, and {industry} execs. Every of our gold and silver-tier instructors brings distinctive experience and a ardour for Unreal Engine that goes past educating. They’re right here to share insider information and gasoline your creativity with hands-on expertise {and professional} insights, from crafting immersive sport worlds to bringing cinematic visions to life by their code. Uncover the tales and abilities of the consultants guiding the subsequent wave of Unreal creators!
Meet CG Spectrum’s Approved Unreal Instructors
CG Spectrum’s Gold Unreal Instructors
Erica Penk | Actual-time 3D Mentor
Erica Penk is an Unreal Approved Teacher keen about storytelling, mentoring, and appearing. Her journey started in a sport lab at Georgia Tech, the place she found her love for movement seize and the intersection of artistic and technical problem-solving. Since 2015, she has been working with Unreal Engine, specializing in previsualization, technical animation, and blueprints. Erica presently teaches and mentors for the Unreal Fellowships, empowering creators to deliver their visions to life by real-time expertise.
She’s labored with purchasers resembling Epic Video games, Trick 3D, and Profile Studios and took part within the Tribeca Movie Pageant: Writing In Unreal occasion. Her objective is to equip present filmmakers and the subsequent era to inform their very own inspiring tales with real-time expertise.
“It is an honor to equip the subsequent era to inform their very own tales that encourage. Unreal Engine democratized the media and leisure house by providing their software program totally free. You now not need to be plugged into a large big-budget studio to inform a narrative from begin to end. There’s a lot you are able to do as an indie developer. You simply want the correct instruments and assist.”
Filip Krstevski | Sport Programming Mentor
Filip, a Sport Programming mentor with experience in Unreal Engine, has been sharing his information since 2011. A graduate with a B.Sc. in Pc Science with Honors from Toronto Metropolitan College, Filip has been lively within the {industry} since 2007, contributing to studios resembling Halfway Video games, Robomodo, and Phosphor Video games.
“Being a licensed Unreal Engine teacher from Epic Video games has been transformative for my educating and work. It’s empowered me to deliver industry-level practices on to my college students, deepening their understanding and enthusiasm for sport improvement. Unreal Engine itself has develop into a vital instrument in my work, with its energy and suppleness permitting me to implement. One of many issues I really like most about UE is its capability to mix high-quality visuals with sturdy, scalable gameplay structure, making it a real innovation platform for interactive experiences. Educating with this engine means I get to share not solely technical abilities but additionally the artistic freedom and potential UE provides, sparking ardour and talent within the subsequent era of sport builders.”
Scholar work: Marc Caratala and Benjamin Oman
Jason Barlow | Sport Design Mentor
Jason Barlow is an educator and {industry} knowledgeable with expertise in sport design and digital actuality. Because the Director of J Barlow Coaching and a Mentor at CG Spectrum, Jason blends his deep {industry} information with sensible educating to encourage future sport creators. Beforehand, he held roles as Senior Lecturer at Staffordshire College, Video games Growth Lecturer at Kidderminster School, and Studio Supervisor at TalkOut VR, the place he honed his experience in immersive applied sciences and curriculum improvement. Jason is devoted to bridging the hole between schooling and {industry}, empowering college students to excel of their artistic careers.
“As a badge, it means being recognised by Epic as delivering distinctive coaching of their Engine, however on a private stage It’s a motivation to maintain serving to others to get into Video games Design and utilizing Unreal to have the ability to create their very own dream content material. It’s an encouragement to proceed sharing information and eradicating the obstacles individuals need to make one thing superior.”
Ryan Laley | Sport Design Mentor
Freelance sport developer Ryan Laley has labored in schooling for over ten years, educating online game improvement throughout a number of disciplines, with a concentrate on sport programming. He’s additionally an Unreal Approved Teacher, working with Epic Video games to assist prepare college students and future trainers. When he is not educating, Ryan continues to develop his personal video games.
Scholar work: ‘Misplaced Civilization’ by Colin Farthing, rendered in UE5.
Stuart Butler | Dean of Artistic Industries
Stuart serves because the Dean of Artistic Industries for CG Spectrum’s accredited packages, the place he combines his experience as a car and laborious floor artist with almost twenty years of expertise educating 3D modeling, 3D animation, and sport improvement at Staffordshire College. He is additionally an Epic Video games Unreal Approved Teacher Companion and Instructional Content material Creator. Stuart is devoted to driving innovation in curriculum improvement and fostering an inspiring studying setting.
“Receiving the Gold UAI authorization certificates was a welcome affirmation that each my technical abilities utilizing Unreal Engine, and my strategy to educating it, are assembly the excessive requirements that Epic Video games expects. I all the time attempt to supply glorious studying experiences for my college students; the Gold certification is a acknowledged acknowledgment of that effort.”
CG Spectrum’s Silver Unreal Instructors
Harshit Penamata | CGS Actual-time 3D Mentor
Harshit is an Unreal Engine Technical Artist and Director with a background in each artistic design and technical improvement. He has labored with purchasers like Disney, Amazon, and the NHL, creating digital manufacturing pipelines and instruments for tasks resembling These About to Die and Right here at DNEG 360. As a mentor and educator, Harshit has skilled professionals worldwide and collaborated with establishments like CG Spectrum and the Saudi Design College.
At the moment, Harshit serves as an Unreal Engine Mentor at CG Spectrum and a Technical Director at DNEG 360. He additionally holds the title of Epic Video games Unreal Approved Teacher, educating programs on Unreal Engine and real-time applied sciences.
“Being an Approved UE Teacher has taken me to locations I’d have by no means imagined to be within the first place, proper from broadcasting channels to educating lighting in Unreal Engine to VES members LA chapter.”
Logan Pinney | CGS Actual-time 3D Mentor
Logan is an Unreal Engine developer, educator, and mentor with expertise in sport improvement, world-building, cinematics, and 3D animation. A graduate of Queen’s College with a level in Pc Science, Logan lends his technical and artistic abilities to his instructional endeavors and private tasks.
As an Unreal Engine Approved Teacher and Mentor at CG Spectrum, Logan equips aspiring builders and real-time artists with the instruments and information wanted to thrive within the {industry}. Logan extends his educating by his standard YouTube channel, the place he gives accessible tutorials on Unreal Engine, Unreal Engine for Fortnite, and sport improvement instruments.
Past schooling, he serves as an envoy for KitBash3D and Leartes Studio, making certain the standard and utility of their asset packs, reflecting his dedication to fostering creativity and innovation in digital content material creation.
“Credibility and certification confirm actual information and greatest practices. As an Unreal Approved Teacher, I emphasize sensible educating strategies grounded in accuracy and {industry} requirements, steering away from shortcuts or plugins that may hinder foundational studying. This strategy ensures college students purchase the abilities wanted for long-term success of their careers.”
Cesar Maestre | CGS Actual-time 3D Mentor
Cesar is a 3D designer specializing in info-architecture, interactive environments, and digital actuality, and a coach specializing in Unreal Engine. He’s an Unreal Approved Teacher accomplice for Epic Video games and a Actual-time 3D in Unreal Engine mentor at CG Spectrum.
“I am a 3D generalist, so in my job, I normally have to do all kinds of belongings or environments. However since I began educating, it is my favorite exercise. What I get pleasure from probably the most, and for me is probably the most useful factor about educating and mentoring, is being pushed removed from my consolation zone. As I develop into extra skilled, I feel that I lose the talent of seeing issues with a “contemporary view”, that is the form of view {that a} pupil has and that pushes you to make and study new issues”.
Scholar work: ‘Sanctuary’ by Shannon Flint.
Rob Brooks | Sport Programming Mentor
Rob has intensive expertise creating video games and interactive experiences throughout varied platforms, together with cell, desktop, and digital actuality. With a concentrate on crafting partaking gameplay mechanics and speedy prototyping, he has contributed to tasks for each small indie groups and main corporations.
What started as a ardour for sharing information on YouTube advanced into educating—Rob’s top-rated Udemy course guides college students by creating a whole sport prototype from scratch. He additionally boasts a number of the highest-rated Unreal Engine programs on Pluralsight. Now a full-time freelancer, Rob dedicates his efforts to empowering new builders, making their transition into sport improvement seamless and rewarding.
Will Masek | Sport Programming Mentor
Immersed on the planet of video games from an early age, Will grew up captivated by Function-Enjoying Video games and 4X Empire Builders. His ardour led him to spend his teenage years working in native sport shops, introducing clients to cutting-edge consoles and AAA titles. With two levels in sport improvement beneath his belt, Will started his skilled journey at Rebel Developments, contributing to the acclaimed Sniper Elite sequence.
After a stint as a college lecturer educating sport programming, Will returned to the {industry}, becoming a member of Firesprite, a PlayStation Studio, the place he labored on the Horizon franchise. In the present day, he helms his personal firm, Bitwise, collaborating with modern studios like Illuvium Labs, bringing contemporary concepts and experience to the ever-evolving gaming panorama.
“Being an Unreal Authorised Teacher means a terrific deal to me. It displays a dedication to high quality and to staying on the forefront of {industry} requirements with Unreal Engine. It’s one thing I’m genuinely happy with, because it permits me to assist others construct their abilities and confidence with the engine.”
Cliff Sharif | Sport Programming Mentor
As a programmer, Cliff has been coding since 1989. At the moment, he works as an Unreal Engine VR developer, specializing in tasks inside the medical and navy industries. In September 2020, Cliff earned the distinguished Unreal Approved Teacher certification from Epic Video games and has been mentoring sport design and improvement college students since 2018. When he is not programming, Cliff channels his creativity into VJ performances, a interest that brings collectively gentle, kind, and colour in dwell improvisations.
“Being a licensed teacher, licensed by Epic Video games, for educating pc sport programming is an thrilling function! You have to be up-to-date with the most recent variations of the engine, be part of the Epic Video games conferences for instructors and in addition, ‘lead’ the progress and technical qualities, of scholars’ tasks and experiences inside Unreal Engine. Offering prime quality sport programming coaching utilizing a complicated sport engine brings extra vitality and inspiration for college kids in my classes throughout their journey in CG Spectrum as sport programmer college students.”
Able to study Unreal Engine from the most effective?
At CG Spectrum, an Unreal Approved Companion and Coaching Heart, our Unreal instructors don’t simply educate abilities—they share invaluable insights gained from years of {industry} expertise, equipping you with the experience to thrive in movie and video games. Whether or not you’re involved in sport programming, sport design, or real-time 3D, our specialised programs provide a hands-on path to mastering Unreal Engine. Take step one towards your dream profession—be part of us and begin creating!
