---
title: 'Senior Environment Surfacing Artist at Skydance'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-environment-surfacing-artist-skydance-madrid-4akemv1ysvas'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-09'
---

# Senior Environment Surfacing Artist at Skydance

- **Company:** Skydance
- **Location:** Madrid, Spain
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-11-03
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-09
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/skydance/e84cf421-ffe2-4924-8fd9-cb144affe1d1

## Job description

Skydance offers a dynamic, inclusive, and ever-evolving culture where innovative ideas are welcomed, and growth fostered. The partnership between unique creativity and technological advancements are demonstrated within each pillar of the company. At the heart of it all is a commitment to boldly entertaining and relevant storytelling.

While all Animation studios look to hire people who are creative and hard-working, Skydance Animation is specifically looking for pioneers who seek to push the limits of what the world’s most collaborative art form can achieve, and to give those pioneers the space and the resources to build a new studio that’s doing something different.

For more information on how we process your personal information, please review the Privacy policy located at https://privacy.paramount.com/recruitment-privacy-notice.

---

As an Environment Senior Surfacing Artist, you will collaborate with the Production team, Production Designer, Art Director, and Environment Supervisor to develop the visual language and surface aesthetics of environments and props throughout the film. You will create and refine materials, textures, and surfacing solutions across a wide range of artistic styles while maintaining the creative vision of the project. You will work within modern production workflows using tools and technologies such as USD, Substance Painter/Designer, Houdini, RenderMan, and RizomUV.

## Responsibilities

- Creates and develops stylized and realistic textures using photographic references, hand-painted techniques, procedural workflows, and existing texture assets, adapting approaches to different artistic styles and production requirements.
- Researches visual references and develops surfacing solutions independently when concept art or direct visual guidance is unavailable.
- Translates the Production Designer’s vision into cohesive surfacing solutions that support the overall visual language of the film.
- Ensures surfacing quality, consistency, and adherence to the established visual direction across assets, environments, and sequences.
- Creates, refines, and maintains materials using standard and procedural shading workflows, balancing artistic requirements with appropriate physical properties and visual style.
- Troubleshoots technical issues, tracks progress, and follows through to resolution.
- Takes ownership of assigned assets, ensuring quality and timely delivery.
- Collaborates with Supervisors, Leads, and upstream/downstream departments, including Modeling, Set Dressing, Rigging, Lighting, FX, and Compositing.
- Shares knowledge and supports the growth of less experienced artists.
- Proposes solutions to artistic and technical challenges, defining the best ways to proceed.
- Demonstrates strong organizational skills, including task prioritization and effective time management across multiple assignments.
- Maintains clear, proactive, and transparent communication.

## Requirements

- 5+ years of experience in the VFX or animation industry.
- 3+ years in the animation industry is desirable.
- Strong artistic sensibility and/or technical expertise related to 3D animation and VFX are required.
- Experience in Renderman and/or Arnold.
- Experience with Substance 3D Painter, Substance 3D Designer, and/or Mari.
- Strong knowledge of UV creation and layout.
- Understanding of related departments' workflows, including Modeling, Set Dressing, Lighting, FX, and Compositing.
- Experience optimizing complex scenes and rendering workflows.
- Experience managing large scenes, complex environments, and demanding sequences.
- Knowledge of Houdini, Solaris or Katana is desirable.
- USD and/or OSL knowledge is a plus.
- Knowledge of vegetation workflows (instances and scatters) is a plus.
- Understanding of displacement workflows (maps and geometry output).
- High English level desirable.

#Animation #LI-Hybrid

Skydance is a diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The Company brings to life stories of immersive worlds across its feature film, television, interactive, and animation divisions.

Recruitment Fraud Alert It has come to our attention that there may be fraudulent activity by individuals impersonating our Talent Acquisition team. Skydance will only contact you from an official “@skydance.com” email address. If you suspect that you are being contacted by an unauthorized person or believe that the correspondence you have received is suspicious, please do not click on any links or attachments in such emails and submit any questions or concerns to our information security team at https://skydance.com/report-suspected-fraud/.

## About Skydance

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Skydance Media is a diversified independent studio creating high-quality live-action, animated, interactive, and sports content for global audiences.
- **Entity Type**: Private (raised $275M in strategic capital from RedBird Capital Partners, CJ ENM, and others)
- **Headquarters**: Santa Monica, California, USA (with additional offices in Madrid, Spain and San Carlos, CA)
- **Founded**: 2010
- **Founders**: David Ellison

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Film & Television Production, Animation, Interactive Entertainment (Video Games/VR), Sports Media
- **Target customers**: B2B (streaming platforms like Apple TV+, Prime Video, Netflix, Paramount+; theatrical distributors) and B2C (consumers of movies, TV series, games)
- **Mission / Purpose**: To create high-quality content and engaging experiences for a global audience, pushing the forefront of where entertainment is heading.

## Products & Services
- **Live-Action Film & TV**: Produces blockbuster franchises (Top Gun: Maverick, Mission: Impossible, Terminator) and popular TV series (Reacher, Foundation, Grace and Frankie, Jack Ryan). Distributed through partnerships with Paramount, Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+.
- **Skydance Animation**: Full-length animated features (Luck, upcoming Spellbound) and series (WondLa). Studios in Los Angeles and Madrid with over 350 animation colleagues.
- **Skydance Interactive**: VR/immersive game development (The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, Archangel). Also licenses IP for other developers. Hybrid-remote team across California, Texas, Washington.
- **Skydance New Media**: Story-focused interactive experiences using real-time CGI, led by industry icon Amy Hennig. First announced project is a Marvel action-adventure game.
- **Skydance Sports**: Produces premium sports documentaries and series (Good Rivals, Air). Partnered with NFL Films for multi-platform sports programming.
- **Nocturna**: A horror label launched with Andy & Barbara Muschietti for high-quality horror features.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed.
- **Key Metric**: Raised $275M in strategic capital (led by RedBird Capital Partners and CJ ENN, announced in 2021). Over 500 employees across two continents.
- **Notable Investors / Partners**: RedBird Capital Partners, CJ ENM / Studio Dragon, Tencent, Paramount Pictures, Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, NFL Films.
- **Growth Signals**: Became the first independent studio to reach #1 on two streamers in the same weekend (The Family Plan on Apple TV+, Reacher S2 on Prime Video). Rapid expansion into animation, sports, and interactive divisions. Partnerships with Marvel Entertainment for a AAA game.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Independence**: As an independent studio, Skydance retains creative control and can move quickly across multiple platforms.
- **Multi-Platform Reach**: Simultaneously produces for theatrical, streaming, TV, gaming, and VR, maximizing IP value.
- **Top-Tier Partnerships**: Long-term distribution deals with every major streamer and studio, ensuring global audience reach.
- **Artist-Driven Culture**: Attracts visionary filmmakers (Ben Affleck, Amy Hennig, Vicky Jenson) and fosters a collaborative environment.

## Strategic Focus
- **Expand Animation & Interactive**: Building a world-class animation studio and pioneering VR/immersive gaming.
- **Deepen Sports Content**: Leveraging NFL partnership and expanding into premium sports documentaries.
- **Grow APAC Presence**: Through CJ ENM partnership, collaborating on content for Asian audiences.
- **Horror Label (Nocturna)**: Tapping into the high-demand horror genre.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: “A rising tide lifts all boats” – collaborative, artist-driven environment where every team member is valued. Emphasis on creativity and teamwork.
- **Work Model**: Hybrid and on-site roles available. Headquarters in Santa Monica (Film, TV, Interactive, Corporate). Animation offices in Miracle Mile (LA) and Madrid. New Media in San Carlos, CA. Interactive team is hybrid-remote across multiple states.
- **Benefits**: Comprehensive medical, mental wellness resources. Union benefits for animation staff (IATSE). Paid internships offered (Fall, Winter, Summer) with hands-on experience and access to top leadership.
- **Notable Perks**: Opportunity to work on iconic franchises (Marvel, Terminator, Mission: Impossible), cutting-edge VR, and original animation. Access to industry veterans and top-tier distribution partners.

## Sources
1. [skydance.com/about](https://skydance.com/about/)
2. [skydance.com/careers](https://skydance.com/careers/)
3. [jobs.lever.co/skydance](https://jobs.lever.co/skydance)
4. [skydance.com/faq](https://skydance.com/faq/)
5. [skydance.com/teams](https://skydance.com/teams/)

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