Co-Founder and CEO of Animal Logic
Zareh Nalbandian was born in Cairo, Egypt to Armenian parents. Mr Nalbandian was six years old when his parents migrated to Sydney, where he grew up in Sydney’s inner west and attended Canterbury Boys High School.
Driven by his passion for photography, he began his career as an intern at Australia’s leading film post-production company, Colorfilm. Training in all aspects of film post-production, he was drawn to the craft of optical effects, which he specialised in for several years, eventually taking on the role of the company’s group general manager.
In 1991, he co-founded Animal Logic, with a vision to build a company where designers, animators and developers could explore the opportunities offered by emerging digital technologies for design, animation and visual effects. His continued advocacy of new technologies combined with innovative digital production processes underpins Animal Logic’s reputation for creative and technical excellence. Today, Animal Logic is an independent Australian company and one of the world’s leading digital visual effects and feature animation studios, employing more than 650 artists and technicians across Sydney, Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Zareh’s credits include executive producer on Academy Award-winning Happy Feet, directed by George Miller; producer of the animated adventure Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, directed by Zack Snyder; executive producer of The LEGO® Movie and The LEGO® Batman Movie; and, most recently, producer of the hybrid live action and animated movie Peter Rabbit.
In 2014, Animal Logic was named the inaugural NSW Creative Laureate, along with being named the 2014 Ambassador for NSW Creative Industries to help promote NSW as a global creative centre. In the same year, Animal Logic was awarded the GQ Creative Force of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Mr Nalbandian is the Deputy Chair of Ausfilm and a board member of the Sydney Film Festival. In 2017 he was named National Cinema Pioneer of the Year. He has been a member of UTS’s Vice-Chancellor’s Industry Advisory Board since 2012 where he has recruited many UTS graduates and has provided students with internships and other valuable industry experience.
In 2015, Animal Logic created a special animation for the UTS Data Arena. In 2016, UTS partnered with Animal Logic to create the UTS Animal Logic Academy. The academy’s Master of Animation and Visualisation, now in its second year, is a groundbreaking industry-led postgraduate program. Animal Logic’s professional and production teams have also engaged in industry-led discussions for the development of the UTS Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation degree.
Zareh Nalbandian has been managing, developing and producing large-scale screen projects for over 25 years. He has collaborated with iconic directors, producers and artists on some of the most successful feature films of our time. Since leading Animal Logic’s expansion into feature film visual effects in 1996 and feature animation in 2006, Zareh has guided one of the most respected and admired artistic and technical cultures in the industry, earning his reputation as a world leader in the fields of animation, VFX, film development and production.
In addition to the continued day-to-day leadership of the Animal Logic Group, Zareh guides the development of an exciting slate of feature film properties and continually pushes the boundaries of storytelling. Zareh was Executive Producer on The LEGO Movie 2, Academy Award winning Happy Feet, The LEGO Batman Movie, The LEGO Ninjago Movie and Producer on Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.
Zareh is the Deputy Chair of Ausfilm, a board member of the Sydney Film Festival and a member of the Producer’s Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Zareh is committed to building a successful, globally competitive digital production industry in Australia and enjoys strong personal relationships with key US Studio Executives and leading Directors and Producers in Australia and around the world.
