Weather Hunters

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Project Details

Weather Hunters is an animated educational television series produced for PBS, inspired by an original concept from weather presenter, journalist, and author Al Roker. I worked as a Lighting Artist on the show, contributing to a broad range of shots across multiple episodes. The production utilized Maya for lighting and rendering, alongside a heavily integrated Nuke pipeline that played a central role in the show’s final look.

The series followed a 2.5D hybrid approach, combining fully 3D interior environments with 3D characters and props composited over 2D background cards for many exterior scenes. This workflow presented unique challenges, particularly in how lighting and shadows translated through our Nuke templates and how 2D and 3D elements interacted visually. Careful consideration was required to ensure cohesion between layers, especially when managing depth, shadow behavior, and overall readability.

In addition to lighting responsibilities, I regularly supported the compositing team by proactively identifying and proposing Nuke-based solutions to technical and aesthetic issues as they arose. This collaborative approach helped maintain visual consistency across episodes while keeping the pipeline efficient under tight television schedules. Strong lighting fundamentals were essential throughout, but the hybrid nature of the show also encouraged problem-solving at the intersection of lighting and compositing.

Weather Hunters has been well received, earning the American Library Association’s Award for Excellence in Early Learning Digital Media, as well as receiving a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Animated Series; a testament to the strength of both the creative vision and the execution behind the series.