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Director of Technology Walt Disney Feature Animation Michael Jedlicka's consuming passion for knowledge earned him a diversified portfolio of degrees: a combined Bachelor of Science degree in BioChemistry and Economics from UCLA was followed by a third Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the California State University at Hayward, and an MBA from Pepperdine University. Not content to end his educational pursuit there, Michael studied law at the Whittier College of Law in Los Angeles, and spent an additional two years studying architecture in the Masters program at Cal Poly Pomona. Michael began his professional career at some of the country's top computer corporations. Initially, at Cray Research, Inc., he was a systems and applications analyst working on Cray-1, X-MP, Y-MP and Cray-2 architectures, primarily supporting top secret government installations. Upon leaving Cray Research, Inc., he worked for Thinking Machines, again as a systems and application analyst on the massively parallel CM-2 and CM-5 supercomputers, again supporting top secret government and defense projects. Following his tenure at Thinking Machines, Michael moved to the Supercomputer Systems Division of the Intel Corporation, where he worked on ipsc-860 and Paragon supercomputers as a Site Manager, responsible for numerous government accounts in the Southern California region. Michael came to Walt Disney Feature Animation in March of 1995, as Manager of Systems. While providing management leadership to the technical support, systems and infrastructure teams of such animated films as Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tarzan, he also managed the migration of the company's production crews from their original location at 1420 Flower Street in Glendale to the Richard Meier-designed "Sorcerer's Apprentice Hat" facility adjacent to the Disney studio lot. As Senior Manager of Systems, Michael oversaw the design team which created Northside, the company's new digital studio and home to the production for Dinosaur, Disney's first CG film. In June of 1999, Michael was promoted to Director of Technology, where he oversees all groups responsible for back-end and desktop systems, all areas of technical support, resources, licensing, networking, rendering resources, A/V, editorial support and services and videoconfencing. Overall, his responsibilities in these areas span two California studios (Feature Animation Southside and The Secret Lab) and the animation studios in Orlando, Florida and Paris, France. About his Disney experience Michael notes "Working at WDFA is phenomenal. It is truly where great technology meets great art, to produce the world's best animation and live-action visual effects. In technology, we are always looking to push the envelope . . . it is the constant need for better, faster, more efficient systems and processes, that results in a work environment that is both rewarding and challenging." "It always amounts to great people. At WDFA, I am surrounded by incredible artists, production management personnel, operations and financial personnel and technologists, all of whom are focused on producing the best.
"No other animation facility has taken on the scope of work we have. In technology, I truly feel this is the place to be. It's where we embrace change and we architect change, providing the best engineered solutions within our business model."
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