Midnight Sherpa
- Open roles
- 0
- Founded
- 2015
- Employees
- 1-10
- Offices
- 2
About Midnight Sherpa
Midnight Sherpa is an independent creative studio specializing in motion design, digital animation, visual effects and brand experiences. Founded in 2015 by Miguel Lee, the studio develops visual content for entertainment, technology and commercial clients. Its work spans film and television graphics, gaming cinematics, brand films, interactive content and large-format installations.
The studio combines creative strategy and visual identity with production capabilities across 2D and 3D animation. Services include concept art, style-frame development, character and environment animation, editorial and digital compositing. This range supports projects that extend from early visual development through finished motion content, including title sequences, show packages and spatial experiences.
Entertainment and gaming
Midnight Sherpa’s gaming work includes cinematic marketing trailers and in-game content for Cloud Imperium Games’ Star Citizen. Its contributions include multiple Invictus Launch Week trailers, the Ares Star Fighter Launch Teaser and the Orison trailer and in-game content. For Riot Games’ League of Legends, the studio produced tournament broadcast animation, campaign films and season-launch artwork.
In television and streaming, the studio designed branding and graphic packages for Netflix’s Selling Sunset and Hyperdrive. Its portfolio also includes animation for ABC’s Press Your Luck, connecting its motion-design practice with broadcast entertainment.
Commercial and experiential work
Commercial projects include Applied Materials’ We Work Here, a cinematic visualization of semiconductor materials science, and Dolby Laboratories’ Universe, a theatrical technology demonstration and brand film. Other work includes digital product visualizations for Desktop Metal, a CGI brand film for Bernhardt and a public-service campaign for the American Lung Association.
The studio also creates content for events and physical environments. Examples include Audi motor-show installation content, Google I/O experiential work, Ripple’s Swell conference titles and Nike’s Maxim Awards multimedia content. These projects place animation and visual identity within live presentations and designed spaces.
Originally established in Los Angeles, Midnight Sherpa moved its physical studio to Pasadena in 2023 and continues to serve clients across entertainment, technology, automotive, interiors and consumer electronics.
More about Midnight Sherpa
Creative background
Before establishing the studio, Miguel Lee served as a Creative Director at Imaginary Forces, contributing to title sequences for Transformers: Age of Extinction and Pacific Rim. These are credits from his earlier career. He has also served as an Associate Professor of Motion Design at ArtCenter College of Design.
Production methods and operating model
The studio operates with a boutique core team supplemented by specialized freelance animators, 3D lighters, compositors and producers according to project scale.
For its Applied Materials collaboration, the team spent two years developing photorealistic imagery of semiconductor materials science at a sub-microscopic scale. The production used SideFX Houdini and Maxon Cinema 4D.
Design recognition
The report identifies Gold and Silver International Design Awards for the American Lung Association’s I Can't Wait campaign and a Bronze International Design Award for Bernhardt’s Endless Possibilities.
Notable credits
22 creditsOffices
Where Midnight Sherpa is based
- 177 E Colorado Blvd, Suite 200, Pasadena, CA 91105Pasadena, California, United States
Pasadena office
HeadquartersOpened 2023
Current headquarters and main studio following the relocation from Chinatown, Los Angeles in October 2023.
- Los Angeles, California, United States
Los Angeles office
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