Sunil Thankamushy

Sunil Thankamushy is a video game-industry based animation director and creative executive who was one of the core leads that developed highly acclaimed, and successful video game franchises such as THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK™, MEDAL OF HONOR™, CALL OF DUTY™: FINEST HOUR™, etc. This he did while working at, or collaborating with DreamWorks Interactive, Electronic Arts, Spark Unlimited, and Activision among several others.

In his teens growing up in India, his deep interests in science, politics, and nature took shape as several political and science themed cartoon columns in prominent Indian newspapers and magazines – Indian Express, The Week, and Psychology and Human Behavior Digest etc.

He came to the US with an international scholarship from the Rotary Foundation and the INLAKS Foundation, to study animation at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Sunil was hired by DreamWorks Interactive studio as one of its first animators.

After several years of working at DreamWorks Interactive, and later Electronic Arts, Sunil joined hands with other game veterans to co-found Spark Unlimited™, a game studio based in Los Angeles. Spark developed CALL OF DUTY™: FINEST HOUR™, TURNING POINT™: FALL OF LIBERTY™, LEGENDARY™, LOST PLANET 3™, among others.

After his first child was born, Sunil decided to change his life direction and make knowledge-based games and products. With this as the goal, he launched companies, and formed teams to create smart and fun products that expand the mind. Forming broad coalitions with fellow creative entrepreneurs across the world, he designs and produces innovative game-like products using virtual reality, mobile, and animation technologies.

Sunil holds patents to several game related technologies. Blending technology and animation has been a passion for Sunil. In every stage of his career, he has successfully created animation paradigms and technology to improve the level of immersion in the virtual environment of the game, and heighten the experience of realism for the player. State based animation systems, custom game engine designs, robotic motion design systems, and animation-AI interaction systems are some of the various interdisciplinary systems he enjoys designing and implementing; while still staying rooted to good old-fashioned storytelling through animation and game design.

These days he is busy with creating Virtual Reality systems to treat patients in hospitals; directing the development of a unique game for kids that encourages reading, under the banner of MAGICAL I AM – SKY VILLAGE™; and tinkering with patents in the works linked to his innovations.

Entrepreneurial ventures aside, Sunil is a faculty at Mt. San Antonio College (Mt.SAC) near Los Angeles, helping lead the animation and gaming program.

He lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.