About

3D and motion artist, photographer and filmmaker. Over a decade of visuals for broadcast, digital and live events.

I'm Ricky Mantilla. I make ads designed to be tested and scaled, built on over a decade of work behind the camera, in the edit and in 3D.

At ARMRA I run growth video, shipping up to 300 performance variants a month across TikTok, Meta, YouTube and TV. The volume only matters because of the system behind it: each variant isolates one variable, whether that's the hook, angle, format or talent, so the results tell us something. Winners get iterated, losers get cut, and the learnings feed the next brief. Through Motioncraft, my studio, I bring the same approach to brands like C4 Energy.

Video I shoot, direct and edit, which means I plan footage for the cut before we roll. On paid social that matters: the first two seconds, the pacing and the number of usable alternates all get decided on set, not in post. I also produced, lit and edited 55 episodes of the Fill Your Cup podcast, reaching more than 500,000 listeners.

3D lets me show what a camera can't: cutaways, impossible product moves, and clean hero shots that can be re-rendered into new formats without a reshoot. I've built photorealistic product work for Frida and 3D for Cirkul's Super Bowl commercial, and in performance creative it's become one of the fastest ways to generate fresh variants from a single asset.

Photography is where it started. I've shot fashion at New York Fashion Week, along with swimwear, sports, live events and portraits, and since 2019 I've developed books and portfolios for more than 400 models, work that put me on Peerspace's list of the best lifestyle photographers in Los Angeles. That's where I learned light, casting and directing talent, which is most of what makes an ad stop the scroll.

Based in: Tampa Bay, FL
Focus: 3D · Motion · AI · Video · Photography · Strategist · Creative Director
Since: 2014
Availability: Limited availability

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Competencies & capabilities

AI-assisted production

AI where it earns its place: faster concepts, more variants, the same finish.

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3D and AI asset pipelines, 60% faster from concept to first cut
Generative concepting, boards and animatics
Image and video generation for campaign variants
Upscaling, cleanup and voice
AI-assisted development of sites and tools

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3D & CGI

Photoreal product and hard-surface work that holds up from a phone to a tower in Times Square.

Photorealistic product animation
Hard-surface modelling and rendering
Look development, lighting and materials
Fluid, particle and dynamic simulation
Visual effects and compositing

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Motion design

Launches, keynotes and large-format screens.

Launch and brand films
Large-format and digital out-of-home
Stage, keynote and event visuals
Kinetic type and lyric video
App Store and product explainers

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Performance creative

Paid social at volume, built with growth and media buying.

60–300 video variants a month
Hooks, iterations and creative testing
TikTok, Meta, YouTube and TV delivery
Creative strategy from brief to delivery

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Photography & film

Lifestyle, events and product, on set and in real time.

Lifestyle and fashion photography
Events, published in real time
Product and e-commerce
Cinematography and directing

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Brand & design

Identity systems and campaigns for launches and venues.

Identity systems
Art direction
Campaign and launch design
Game art and production assets

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Creative technology

Sites, real-time graphics and tools, with AI in the loop.

Web builds in Next.js and React
Real-time WebGL and shader visuals
Unity, iOS and web assets to platform spec
Unreal Engine
Real-time interactive visuals

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Software & tech stack

AI

Claude Code
Midjourney
Runway
Kling
Google Veo
Adobe Firefly
Topaz Labs
ElevenLabs
ComfyUI
ByteDance
Higgsfield Marketing

3D

Cinema 4D
Redshift
X-Particles
Greyscalegorilla

Motion & compositing

After Effects
Red Giant
Illustrator

Edit & colour

Premiere Pro
DaVinci Resolve

Photo & design

Lightroom
Photoshop
Figma

Code & web

Claude Code
Next.js
React
TypeScript
Supabase
Vercel
WebGL / GLSL
Framer

Experience

Full resume ↗

Sep 2025 — PresentFull-time

Manager of Growth Video · Editor

ARMRA · Remote

Performance video across TikTok, Meta, YouTube and TVC, 60–300 variants a month, with creative strategy set alongside Growth, Media Buying and Brand. Led launch content for ARMRA Colostrum Soda, the brand's first ready-to-drink product, and built 3D and AI-assisted asset pipelines that cut concept-to-first-cut time by 60%.

Aug 2026 — PresentContract

Motion Designer

SUNO

Apr 2024 — PresentContract

Motion Graphic Designer

Real

Large-format animation for Real's Nasdaq bell-ringing, run on the Times Square tower display. 3D and motion for executive presentations, including CEO keynote visuals at RISE Las Vegas for 1,000+ attendees, and the stage and promo package for the inaugural Banff Springs Summit.

2017 — PresentFreelance

Founder & Creative Director

Motioncraft

My studio. Nutrabolt / C4 Energy's NYC digital billboard for the Knicks' 2026 championship; paid static and video campaigns for DedCool and Everyday Dose, built for Meta and TikTok; creative strategy, brand build-out and organic and paid video for Lace Health; the App Store promo for B.Spot.

Jun 2024 — Feb 2025Full-time

Motion Graphics & Multimedia Designer

Cirkul · Tampa, FL

3D animation for Cirkul's 2025 Super Bowl commercial with Adam Devine, seen by 20M+ viewers. Led motion design for a MrBeast collaboration that lifted YouTube and social engagement 45%.

Feb 2022 — May 2024Full-time

3D Motion & Graphic Artist

Frida · Miami, FL

50+ 3D motion videos in Cinema 4D and Redshift for product storytelling across digital campaigns. Turned early-stage concepts into high-impact renders for the product teams, designed static and motion brand assets for e-commerce, social and advertising, and developed social video concepts that raised retention and engagement 8x.

Jan 2020 — Jan 2022Full-time

Senior Designer

Breakwater Hospitality Group · Miami / Fort Lauderdale

Directed a cross-functional design team on 100+ marketing assets for South Florida venues: grand openings, seasonal campaigns and brand activations. Full branding and identity systems for new restaurant and nightlife concepts, 3D motion graphics in Cinema 4D and Redshift for launch events, official lifestyle and event photography for The Wharf Miami and Fort Lauderdale, and paid video behind 100+ events and promotions.

Jul 2016 — Feb 2018Full-time

Production Artist

High 5 Games · New York, NY

Production art across 30+ game titles on Unity, iOS and Facebook: 100+ build-ready assets to platform spec, retouching and optimisation of character and environment art for mobile and web, and 3D concept art pitched for new game features.

2016 — 2018Contract

Freelance Photographer

Times Square Alliance · New York, NY

Web and New Years Eve event coverage

Photographed New Year's Eve in Times Square, from the talent and celebrities on stage to the crowd, processed and published in real time on the night. Storefronts and environments around the square for social and web.

Apr 2016 — Jul 2016Full-time

Digital Media Producer

Ascentus · Orlando, FL

Digital media production and distribution end to end: marketing materials, website spotlights, e-mail marketing and the social media plan.

Oct 2014 — Dec 2014Freelance

Designer / Animator

Sony Music Entertainment

Lyric video for a Dillon Francis single, in partnership with agency MRY and Adobe. Concepts developed directly with the artist's team, then styled and animated in 2D.

Jul 2013 — Jun 2015Internship

Adobe Student Representative

Adobe · Full Sail University

Drove awareness and engagement for Creative Cloud on campus: workshops training students in design techniques, aesthetics and tools, social campaigns across personal channels, and sponsored events.

Education

2013 — 2015