Biography

With over 25 years of experience, the career of Terry Windell has run the gamut from live action director to 3D visual effects animation supervisor. He began his career at Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic where he honed his skills as a visual effects designer/animator on the Academy Award® winning films, Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi, E.T., Poltergeist, and Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan. Windell's work so impressed Oscar® winning Visual Effects Supervisor Richard Edlund, he asked Windell to leave ILM to join him in building his new company, Boss Film Studios. While at Boss, Windell built, staffed, and co-supervised the animation department where his creative vision helped a number of films earn Academy Award® nominations, including Ghostbusters, 2010, and Poltergeist II. Also during his tenure at Boss, Windell launched his directing career, winning numerous awards for his commercials including: Clios, The Mobius, an Addie, Caddies, The New York Film Festival, and Billboard Magazine's prestigious "Spot of the Year." Recruited in 1996 by Quentin Tarantino's A Band Apart, Windell went on to become one of the industry's top commercial directors. Windell has directed, designed, and supervised the visual effects for over 120 commercials for many Fortune 500 clients including: United Airlines, Budweiser, Miller Lite, DHL, Chrysler-Jeep, Chevy Trucks, Buick, Toyota Racing, Harley Davidson, Dodge, Nintendo, Sears, HBO, and Ford. Windell's commercial work caught the eye of Paramount Pictures executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga who invited him to direct episodes of the television series "Star Trek: Voyager." The two-hour movie special "Dark Frontier" was a highlight of the three seasons that Windell spent as a director on "Voyager." Other directing credits include "Star Trek: Enterprise," "Special Unit 2," and "Shipwreckers" for the Discovery Channel. Windell designed and directed an interactive 3D ride film installed as the featured attraction at the World of Coke theme park in Atlanta, as well as a 3D corporate film for Lockheed Martin. His vast experience in live action, visual effects, and a multitude of film and digital formats give him the creative and technical prowess needed to compete in the ever expanding world of 3D film. Windell is also a sought after lecturer at universities and film schools such as the American Film Institute, USC School of Cinema, The Art Center College of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design, He was the keynote speaker for the 2008 Poppy Jasper Film Festival. In addition, Windell is a member of the Director's Guild of America, the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, and The Visual Effects Society. When his schedule permits, he teaches at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Shari Nash