Spend your lunch hour with the Epic Games Senior Art Director and CIA alum Tim Elek ’04 as he discusses working in the game industry, career readiness, and his own career trajectory and work.

Elek's talk will take place during Lunch on Fridays from 12:15 to 1:30pm Friday, January 16 in CIA's Peter B. Lewis Theater.

Speaker Bio

Tim Elek '04

Tim Elek is the Senior Art Director at Epic Games. His passion for video games and interactive storytelling began in the 1990s, when he started creating maps for Quake. Recognizing the need for formal art training and access to professional hardware and software, he pursued a career that would merge artistic vision with cutting edge technology. Elek’s professional experience includes roles at EA Chicago and Raven Software. For the past 15 years, he has been a key contributor at Epic Games, working on acclaimed titles such as Gears of War, Infinity Blade, Paragon, Fortnite Save the World, and Fortnite Battle Royale. With a background in visual effects, Elek transitioned into art direction, leading the artistic execution of iconic in-game events like The Rocket Launch, Travis Scott’s Astronomical and The Black Hole. Today, he serves as the Art Director responsible for high-level strategic direction across all Shooter Modes at Epic Games.

Elek graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 2004 and majored in Technology + Integrated Media Environment—Digital Arts (T.I.M.E.).

Parking: Lunch on Fridays attendees may park in CIA's Lot 73 and Annex Lot, both of which surround our campus. Please note that signs posted around those lots correctly state that parking typically requires a CIA permit or visitor pass and that violators will be ticketed. However, to accommodate our valued Lunch on Fridays attendees, that policy won't be enforced during the program. Have questions? Please contact Reinberger Gallery at reinbergergallery@cia.edu or 216.421.7407.

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