Brandon SmithLive tonight · 600 seats · one producer
I direct the show. And build what's on the screen.
Emmy Award–winning producer and 3D animator. I run Briggs & Stratton's global video studio, animate engines from CAD and build AI production pipelines.
Tonight's program
Twenty years, four acts
Live news
Primary morning editor at CBS 58 in Milwaukee: three hours of live television a day.
See live news → Act IIThe studio
Built Briggs & Stratton's global studio, produced 1,600+ videos and a weekly live technical show.
See the studio → Act IIIThe engines, in 3D
Taught myself Cinema 4D and brought animation in-house: 4-stroke theory, carburetors, CFR's blending system.
See 3D work → EncoreAI production
Training video with no studio shoot, plus the pipeline proposal and playbook to scale it.
See AI production →Featured
All work →The quality and realism of his work surpassed that of previous outsourced 3D animation professionals.John Piechowski, AVP of Marketing & Customer Experience, West Bend Insurance · former Director of Global Dealer Support, Briggs & Stratton
The full program
Work
4-Stroke Engine Theory
Briggs & Stratton
Gravimetric Blending System
CFR Engines
Advanced Carb Theory
Briggs & StrattonPlays here · excerpt
Category X
Band promotionPlays here · 0:40
Building the Studio
Briggs & Stratton
Live Technical Show
Briggs & Stratton
The Great Photo Search
CBS 58 News · 2015Plays here · 2:13
Kayla's Park
CBS 58 News · 2014Plays here · 2:36
CBS 58 Morning News
CBS 58 News · January 26, 2015Plays here · full show · 23:51Coming soon
New AI-produced work is in review. Check back.Nothing in this category yet.
3D animation · Briggs & Stratton
4-Stroke Engine Theory
A ten-minute 3D training film that shows dealers and technicians exactly what happens inside a running engine.
- Client
- Briggs & Stratton Customer Education
- Role
- Producer, 3D animator, editor
- Tools
- Cinema 4D, After Effects, Premiere Pro
- Length
- 10:05
The problem
Briggs paid outside studios for every animation, which was slow and expensive. Technicians still needed to see moving parts they can't watch in a real engine.
What I did
I taught myself Cinema 4D, rebuilt the engine from CAD and animated the full cycle in-house, then produced and edited the training film.
The result
Animation moved in-house for good. A former director said the realism surpassed the outsourced studios', with faster turnaround and lower cost.
3D product film · CFR Engines
Gravimetric Blending System
A product film for CFR Engines' blending system, which mixes three fuels on demand with high precision.
- Client
- CFR Engines (freelance)
- Role
- Producer, 3D animator
- Tools
- Cinema 4D, Octane, Premiere Pro
- Published
- CFR Engines on YouTube
The brief
Show a precise piece of lab equipment clearly enough to sell it, without a film crew in the lab.
What I did
Built the machine in 3D, lit and rendered it photoreal in Octane, and cut the product story to CFR's brand standards.
Also for CFR
The looping fuel-splash animation on the cfrengines.com homepage is my work too.
Studio & live · Briggs & Stratton
Building the Studio
From a closet, to a classroom, to a warehouse studio I designed on a budget worth about $500K today. Plus live events in a 600-seat auditorium and a weekly live technical show.
- Employer
- Briggs & Stratton
- Role
- Senior Video Producer, studio lead
- Gear
- Blackmagic ATEM, PTZ, mirrorless cameras
- Since
- 2015
Where it started
Video at Briggs began in a closet, then moved to a classroom as the work grew.
What I built
When the company gave us a warehouse space and a budget, I designed the studio. I also replaced two outside contractors and standardized scripting, review and recording company-wide.
What it does now
1,600+ videos, more than double the previous output, live events, a weekly live show and a 5,000+ asset library.
About
I make machines easy to understand.
I'm Brandon Smith, a Milwaukee producer, director and 3D animator with 20 years in video. I started in live television, editing three hours of morning news a day at CBS 58.
Since 2015 I've run the global video studio at Briggs & Stratton. It started in a closet, moved to a classroom and became a warehouse studio I designed. Along the way I've produced more than 1,600 videos seen by over a million people, and direct live events in a 600-seat auditorium.
When the company kept paying outside studios for animation, I taught myself Cinema 4D and brought it in-house. Today animation is most of my work, and I'm building AI production pipelines that make training video without a studio shoot.
Through Badger Video LLC I also produce for manufacturers like CFR Engines and Messer Cutting Systems.
- NATAS Chicago/Midwest Emmy® Chapter, College Award for Excellence, Best Newscast (2011)
- Best Newscast (2011): Northwest Broadcast News Association · SPJ Region 6 · Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
- B.A., Journalism, Advertising & Media Communications, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Brandon possesses a rare combination of speed and quality.John Piechowski, AVP of Marketing & Customer Experience, West Bend Insurance · former Director of Global Dealer Support, Briggs & Stratton
Resume
Brandon Lee Smith
Senior Video Producer · 3D Animation · AI Video Production
Summary
Emmy Award-winning video producer with 20 years in broadcast and manufacturing. Runs Briggs & Stratton's global video studio and directs live events in its 600-seat auditorium. Brought 3D animation in-house and now builds AI production pipelines that deliver training video without a studio shoot. Makes complex machinery easy to understand, from script to final render.
Experience
Senior Video Producer
Aug 2015 – PresentBriggs & Stratton, Customer Education · Wauwatosa, WI
- Built the company's $500K global studio from a converted closet; direct live events in its 600-seat auditorium.
- Produced 1,600+ videos, seen by over a million people across internal and external metrics, including a weekly live-streamed technical show for the dealer network.
- More than doubled video output while raising quality; standardized script, review and recording company-wide.
- Brought 3D animation in-house by learning Cinema 4D, eliminating an outsourced budget of tens of thousands of dollars a year; animation is now about 70% of the role.
- Expanded the role to company-wide production, replacing two outside contractors; manage 5,000+ video assets.
- Scripted a motion graphics kit of 150+ animated templates in After Effects for company-wide use in Premiere.
AI video production
- Built an AI explainer pipeline for the Briggs Basics series: maintenance videos with AI narration and captions, made with no studio shoot or presenter.
- Wrote the company's AI video pipeline proposal, producer playbook and roadmap for leadership.
- Built a local AI background-removal tool for product photography that replaced a paid subscription.
Founder, Producer & 3D Animator
Badger Video LLC · Milwaukee, WI · freelance production
- Clients include CFR Engines, Messer Cutting Systems, Park Shore Condominiums and Je Suis Talent.
Video Editor
2014 – 2015CBS 58 News · Milwaukee, WI
- Primary morning-news editor in the 34th-largest US TV market: 3 hours of live TV a day, about 300 pieces a week.
Graphic Artist
2013 – 2014University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Visual Design Services
Editor, Producer, Reporter & Anchor
2011 – 2012UWM Panther-Vision; won UWM's first Emmy Award
Camera Operator & Floor Director (Intern)
2011 – 2012Time Warner Cable SportsChannel 32
Core skills
Production & Direction: producing, directing, scriptwriting, storyboarding, talent direction, live events, livestreams, webinars, virtual training, podcasts, explainer and training videos
3D & Post: Cinema 4D, Octane, X-Particles, CAD-to-animation, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Illustrator
AI & Tools: AI narration and explainer pipelines, After Effects scripting, web apps, workflow automation
Studio & Field Equipment: Blackmagic ATEM switchers, PTZ cameras, mirrorless cameras, camcorders, wireless lav and podcast microphones, drones (FAA Part 107)
Awards & education
- NATAS Chicago/Midwest Emmy® Chapter — College Award for Excellence, Best Newscast (2011)
- Best Newscast (2011): Northwest Broadcast News Association · SPJ Region 6 · Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
- B.A., Journalism, Advertising & Media Communications — University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, 2012 · Dean's List
Book me
Your event. My crew.
Hiring for a senior producer, 3D or AI video role, or have a machine that needs explaining? Email is fastest.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/blsmith2112 ↗
Milwaukee, WI · 414-331-0452