Who We Are – BRIO Animation

WHO WE ARE

Brio Animation was founded by Oded Edelman, Harel Ben Ari & Eitan Arnon Sabo. Our common history all started in 2007 with a lucky break and resulted in a great friendship. It was a coming together of same interests in moving things forward, being innovative, persevering and creating timeless and beautiful imagery and visual experiences.

Today Brio Animation belongs to Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG), the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry and one of the biggest key players in e-commerce. For over a decade we have been providing all the 3D and image based content for James Allen, the second largest E-commerce Jewelry and Diamond Retailer worldwide. We were able to achieve the quality needed and efficiency that has helped James Allen become one of the biggest retailers in the world.

Brio Animation was founded by Oded Edelman, Harel Ben Ari & Eitan Arnon Sabo. Our common history all started in 2007 with a lucky break and resulted in a great friendship. It was a coming together of same interests in moving things forward, being innovative, persevering and creating timeless and beautiful imagery and visual experiences.

Today Brio Animation belongs to Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG), the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry and one of the biggest key players in e-commerce. For over a decade we have been providing all the 3D and image based content for James Allen, the second largest E-commerce Jewelry and Diamond Retailer worldwide. We were able to achieve the quality needed and efficiency that has helped James Allen become one of the biggest retailers in the world.

We became Expert Virtual jewelry & watch Makers and our goal is to continue innovating the e-commerce market.

We became Expert Virtual jewelry & watch Makers and our goal is to continue
innovating the e-commerce market.

We became Expert Virtual jewelry & watch Makers and our goal is to continue innovating the e-commerce market.

— Brio Animation —

THE TEAM

Harel Ben Ari

Co-founder and CEO

Harel started his working career over 5 years as a journalist photographer for "Yediot Aharonot", the biggest Daily newspaper in Israel 1996-2000 Art Director at "TBWA", one of the leading advertising agencies in Israel. He was responsible for some of the largest campaigns at that time – including printed ads, billboards and TV commercials. 2000-2005 Lead 3D technical director at "Gravity Post Production" which was the first post production company to open in Israel and to this day the leading company in the country with branches in New York and Toronto. There he was working on special effects and 3d animation for international TV commercials and film. Since 2007 to present - co founder and CEO at Brio Animation.

Eitan Arnon Sabo

Co-founder and CTO

Eitan is a seasoned CG supervisor and 3D artist with over 30 years in digital media and animation. He began his career in 1991 as Lead 3D Artist at Interact Multimedia, contributing to award-winning educational content globally. From 1998 to 2000, he led 3D artistry at ORAD, a pioneer in virtual sets for broadcast TV, and then served as Lead 3D Artist and Technical Director at Gravity Post Production (2000-2003), working on international projects.Between 2003 and 2005, Eitan co-directed and led design for Colorz, a film project collaboration with Shanghai TV, showcasing his international talent. He then freelanced from 2005 to 2007, offering his expertise to Israel's top digital media firms.Eitan has consistently bridged technology and art, earning recognition for his innovative projects.

Employees

FURTHER EMPLOYEES

Leon Levakov

Lead 3d Modeler

Leon Levakov is the lead of the modeling deprtment at Brio animation. He is responsible for making sure all the modeling process is done in the most effective and proffesional way. distinguished digital artist and the Head of the Modeling Department at Brio Animation since 2014. As an art school graduate, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts and Communications from the University of Haifa. Expanding his skill set, he acquired diplomas in Computer Animation and Video Game Development from the IAC. Before taking on his current role at Brio Animation, Leon was dedicated to educating others, working as a computer animation teacher. He also explored various artistic avenues, notably as a tattoo artist, where he applied his creative skills in a unique and enduring medium. His multifaceted career reflects a deep commitment to both the artistic and educational aspects of digital arts, demonstrating a strong blend of technical proficiency and creative expression.

Tomer Meseer

Head of R&D

Tomer Messer currently serves as the Tech Lead at Brio, where he has been shaping the technological landscape for over three years. His expertise lies in 3D software development, AI, and AR/VR technologies. During his time, he has played a pivotal role in developing key projects such as the 3D Viewer, VR Store, and AR App, significantly enhancing user engagement and operational efficiency through the integration of Generative AI. With his passion for 3D technology and graphics, particularly in the realms of VR and AR, Tomer continually seeks to stay at the forefront of industry trends. His dedication to innovation is evident in his efforts to create cutting-edge prototypes that demonstrate the potential of emerging technologies. Outside of his professional endeavors, Tomer enjoys spending time at the beach, creating music, and playing tennis. As he looks to the future, he is enthusiastic about exploring new technologies that will be introduced at Brio and is committed to leveraging his skills and experience to drive forward the company’s innovative initiatives.

Working for Brio animation since 2014 - Unreal Engine Community Developer and Engine Contributor

Nir Wolf

Developer

Nir comes from a background of computer science, receiving a degree in Computer Science from Bar Ilan University before serving in the Ofek unit of the Israel Air Force as part of the Atuda program. During his service, Nir also received an MBA from Bar Ilan in the International MBA program.
Nir has been working at Brio Animation for over three years, mainly on the Offline Rendering Pipeline project, but also branching out into the array of other technologies used in Brio's other projects. Gaining an interest in 3D modelling and 3D printing as hobbies shortly after leaving the Air Force, Brio caught Nir's eye due to its connection with these fields.
In his free time, Nir enjoys reading, playing video games and tabletop role-playing games, and making puns.

Liron Druyan

Tech artist, Generative AI specialist

is an art-tech wizard at Brio Animation and a devoted husband to Galit, as well as a dad to Shahar. He's also the unofficial champion of belly rubs for Jackson—the best dog in the universe. When he's not innovating at work, you can find him 3D printing, playing video games with his son, or gazing up at the stars through his telescope.
Liron's journey into art and technology started at age 15 with 3ds Max, igniting a passion that led to a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design. Over the past five years at Brio, he has been instrumental in technical and visual research, significantly contributing to the development and successful launch of innovative product concepts for R2net. In the last couple of years, Liron has ventured into the dynamic world of Generative AI, creating exciting proofs of concept for AI-generated marketing materials. And guess what? He absolutely loves it! This venture not only demonstrates his commitment to merging art with cutting-edge technology but also his enthusiasm for pushing creative boundaries.

Diana Yoav Kozenyuk

Render Artist

I was born in the year 1993, on October 6th in Israel, to parents who immigrated from the former Soviet Union, as such I speak Hebrew, Russian, and English, in addition, I am currently studying Arabic, I see myself as an artist, geek, and a history buff.
I came to Brio Animation in 2019, a little after finishing my studies at the Israeli Animation College. I started in the role of a 3D modeling artist, and over the years expanded my horizons to rigging, shading, and rendering.
I spend my off time doing personal artworks, playing video games, and reading books of the sci-fi, fantasy, and history variety. In addition to organizing board-game, and DnD, nights with my friends, as well as events at geek conventions.
To top it all off I came out as a transgender woman last year which was an interesting ride of self-discovery, that continues to this day

Nir Adato

3D Digital Jewelr

I’ve been working at Brio Animation for 5 years.Currently, I hold the position of Senior Modeling Artist at the company.I studied 3D modeling and animation at IAC College in Israel, with a background in Graphic Design.In my role at Brio, I lead our QA operations and manage the process of converting jewelry CAD models,initially designed for manufacturing, into high-quality, render-ready assets.These assets are then showcased on our websites for marketing and sales purposes.

Michael Yakobashvili

3D Digital Jeweler

Hi, my name is Michael Yakobashvili. I'm 38 years old. I'm a digital 3D artist and animator, specialized in creating 3D models of jewelries of all kinds. I have a Bachelor Degree in Animation and Fine Arts from Bezalel Art and Design Academy in Jerusalem. I work in Brio Studios for almost 3 years, and I love it!

Oded Steinberg

3D Digital Jeweler

Digital Jewelry Artist at Brio animation. I first found interest in digital art by making custom 3D models, textures and animations for game mods, and sharing them in online communities. I started my education at Tiltan college where I took a year long course in three different Adobe software. Then I took a 2 year long course at IAC which taught me everything I know today. During my time at Brio animation I dabbled in the new exciting developments of AI which allowed me to expand our team’s capabilities, making our pipeline faster and more efficient while also greatly eliminating the potential of human error.

Hannan Rosenberg

3D Digital Jeweler

I am a digital 3D artist specializing in digital jewelry craftsmanship. I received my education at the ‘Israel Animation College’ (IAC), and have been an employee at Brio Animation for 7 months. My work includes making sure our high detail 3D jewelry models are presentable and render-ready to ensure the highest quality end product.

Alexander Portnoy

3D Digital Jeweler

I am a digital 3D artist specializing in digital jewelry craftsmanship. I received my education at the ‘Israel Animation College’ (IAC), and have been an employee at Brio Animation for 7 months. My work includes making sure our high detail 3D jewelry models are presentable and render-ready to ensure the highest quality end product.

FORMER ASSOCIATE AND REFERENCE

“The digital imagery and virtual showroom experience created by Brio animation is amazing.”

- Neil Tolaney, head of consumer internet investing at Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global private equity firm focused in technology and technology-enabled services businesses.

R2net (today Signet Jewelers)

R2net was founded in 2007 by Oded Edelman, and is the product of over 30 years’ experience within the diamond industry. What began as a modest trading network to help Edelman sell his diamonds competitively has steadily transformed into a robust e-commerce and supply chain platform that connects the entire span of the diamond industry’s ecosystem, including manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

Founded in 2006, James Allen has pioneered the way consumers shop for fine jewelry online.

- Forbs Magazine 2015

September 2017, Francisco Partners announced the sale of portfolio company R2net.

R2net the owner of fast-growing online jewelry retailer JamesAllen.com and Segoma imaging Technologies sold to Signet Jewelers (NYSE: SIG), the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry. The acquisition brings together Signet’s jewelry retail platforms with R2Net’s world-class innovation capabilities and digital technology to accelerate Signet’s execution of it’s Customer-First OmniChannel strategy. Signet Jewelers Ltd. Is the world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry. The company is domiciled in Bermuda and headquartered in Akron, Ohio, and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. www.r2net.com www.jamesallen.com

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