A woman with blonde hair, smiling with eyes closed, holding a colorful party horn near her right eye.

Jordan Bruner is an Emmy-nominated Director and Art Director with over 15 years of experience leading creative across animation, motion, advertising, and illustration. She's built her career telling stories that are visually distinctive, emotionally resonant, and made to move people, for brands like Google, Warby Parker, The New York Times, and agencies including BUCK, Imaginary Forces, and m ss ng p eces.

She's the kind of director who can concept, direct, and execute, equally comfortable pitching a campaign idea in a deck and obsessing over a frame in After Effects. Her work has been recognized by the ADC, D&AD, CLIO, Society of Illustrators, and American Illustration, and her films have screened at festivals around the world. Jordan is currently based in Richmond, VA and open to freelance and full-time creative leadership roles in animation direction, art direction, and motion. She's represented in the US by Sunday Afternoon and in Europe by Troublemakers.

Get in touch: jordan@jordanbruner.net +1.804.387.7862

US Representation — Sunday Afternoon Audrie Poole | audrie@sundayafternoon.us

Europe Representation — Troublemakers James Hagger | james@troublemakers.tv

Animated character with long legs wearing a pink dress with a yin-yang symbol, pink boots, and a yellow hair bun, standing against a black background.

Awards & Recognitions

  • Solo Exhibitions
    Wild Women in the Wild | Pairos Gallery | Richmond, VA | May 2023

    Group Exhibitions
    Reframing Authority | The Walls | Richmond, VA | 2025
    Made In Virginia Biennial | Virginia MOCA | Virginia Beach, VA | 2024
    Cabin Fever | 1708 Gallery | Richmond, VA | 2024
    Grand Central Madison Station | MTA Arts and Design | NYC | 2023
    Yungspace Gallery | NYC | 2020
    Fulton Center | MTA Arts and Design | NYC | March 2020
    CADAF | Miami | December 2019
    ANNY Best of Fest AR Exhibit | NYC | 2019
    ANNY Best of Fest AR Exhibit | NYC | 2018
    Women Who Draw | University of Indianapolis | 2018
    Then We Were Animating | Fine Arts Building Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA | 2014

  • Charlottesville Design Week | 2025
    VCU School of the Arts | Commencement Speaker | Richmond, VA | May 2023
    San Francisco International Film Festival | 2020
    University of Indianapolis | January 2018
    Pictoplasma NYC | November 2017
    Playgrounds Festival | Amsterdam | November 2016

  • RiverRun Film Festival Jury | Winston Salem, NC | 2024
    ADC Young Guns 21 Jury | NYC | 2023
    Scholastic National Art Juror | Film & Animation | NYC | 2019
    ADC Young Guns 16 Jury | NYC | 2018

  • American Illustration | AI44 Chosen Winner | 2025
    D&AD | Google Pixel | Wood Pencil | Crafts for Advertising | Animation & Illustration for Digital Marketing | 2018
    Asifa | Craft Award : Excellence in Design | Honorable Mention | 2018
    Asifa | Commissioned Films over Two Minutes | 2018
    American Illustration | International Motion Art Awards 6 | Conception | 2018
    D&AD |Crafts for Advertising - Sneaker Dreams Campaign | 2016
    D&AD |Outdoor Advertising - Sneaker Dreams Campaign | 2016
    Society of Illustrators 58 | ADC Rare For a Reason | 2016
    CLIO Silver |Sneaker Freaker – Sneaker Dreams Campaign (Rockets, Adorable, Float, Grip, Soft) – Print Technique Illustration | 2015
    CLIO Bronze |Sneaker Freaker – Sneaker Dreams Campaign (Rockets, Adorable, Float, Grip, Soft) – Print Technique Art Direction | 2015
    CLIO Bronze |Sneaker Freaker – Sneaker Dreams Campaign (Rockets, Adorable, Float, Grip, Soft) – Out Of Home Poster | 2015
    KINSALESilver | Sneaker Freaker - Print Campaign | 2015
    KINSALE Bronze | Sneaker Freaker - Poster | 2015
    ADC Young Gun | 2013
    Best Animated Film, Commissioned | Tourniquet by Hem | SoDak Animation Festival, Billings, SD | 2013
    Special Mention Award | Tourniquet by Hem | Fest Anca | Zilina, Solvakia | 2013
    Best New Media | Music Video Category | Tourniquet by Hem | World Arts Film Festival, Jacksonville, FL | 2013
    Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Individual Achievement In A Craft | Graphic Design And Art Direction | 2008 | New York, NY

  • Visual Arts Center | 2D Character Design and Animation | Richmond, VA | 2024 - 2025
    VCU School of the Arts | Adjunct Professor, Animated Storytelling | Richmond, VA | Spring 2024
    VCU School of the Arts | Adjunct Professor, Animated Storytelling | Richmond, VA | Fall 2020
    School of Visual Arts | MFA Thesis Advisor | NYC | 2015 + 2016

  • Selected Screenings
    Conception
    Pictoplasma | Berlin | May 2018
    AFI Festival | LA | November 2018

    And Then We Were Jumping
    Northwest Animation Festival | Portland, Oregon | May 2015
    CutOut Fest | Querétaro, Mexico | 2014
    Animation Block Party | Brooklyn, NY | 2014
    SoDak Animation Festival | South Dakota | 2014
    London International Film Festival | 2014
    Fest Anča | Žilina, Slovakia | June 2014
    Pris Ars Electronica | Linz, Austria | 2014
    World Festival of Animated Films Animafest Zagreb | June 2014
    Pictoplasma | Berlin | April 2014
    Anima Festival | Brussels | Feb 2014

    Tourniqet
    Short Shorts Film Festival | Tokyo, Japan | May 2014
    Northwest Animation Festival | Portland, Oregon | May 2014
    World Festival of Animated Films Animafest Zagreb | June 2014
    Anima Festival | Brussels | January 2014
    CinAnima | Espinho, Portugal | 2013
    anim'fest | Bucharest, Romania | 2013
    CutOut Fest | Querétaro, Mexico | 2013
    Zwiebeln Animation Festival | Düsseldorf, Germany | 2013
    Córdoba International Animation Festival | Córdoba, Argentina | 2013
    SoDak Animation Festival | South Dakota | 2013
    Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival | Bristol, UK | September 2013
    Fest Anča | Žilina, Slovakia | June 2013
    LA Film Festival | Los Angeles, CA | June 2013
    World Arts Festival | Jacksonville, FL | April 2013 | Winner - Best New Media
    Speakeasy Cinema | Melbourne, Australia | February 2013
    Festival de Cine CreatRivas | Madrid, Spain | February 2013
    Transitions Film Festival | Melbourne, Australia | January 2013

    Anklebiters
    World Festival of Animated Films Animafest Zagreb | June 2014
    Anima Festival | Brussels | January 2014

    Travelbird
    Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film | Stuttgart, Germany | April 2014

    The Leaf Woman and the Centaur
    Filmwerkplaats | WORM | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 2013
    Animation Block Party | New York | 2011
    James River Film Festival | Richmond, VA | 2011
    Wassaic Summer Festival | Wassaic, NY | 2011
    SoDak Animation Festival | South Dakota | 2011
    Best of Animation Block Party | Los Angeles | 2011

  • 2024 | RVA Mag
    2023 | MTA Arts + Design
    2023 | VCU
    2022 | NYTimes
    2019 | Nasdaq
    2018 | Stash
    2017 | Variety Magazine Nov 2017
    2015 | Creativity Online
    2014 | Communication Arts Magazine | Design Taxi | Tin House | Stash
    2013 | Fubiz | Girl Crush  | IMVDb | 1.4 | Motionographer | Creative Review
    2012 | Boooooooom | Citylikeyou
    2011 | Style Weekly