Joseph Walker
Head of International Business Development / Producer / Co-Founder

As Co-Founder of Lincoln Butterfield Animation, Joseph Walker is a spirited entrepreneur who blends his passion for films with his technical aptitude with the studio's commitment to create and produce superior animation programming for the global marketplace.

Earning a BA in Earth Sciences from Dartmouth College, Walker went on to receive a Master of Professional Studies from the prestigious New York University - Tisch School of the Arts' Interactive TeleCcommunications Program, augmented by ancillary training in customer centric marketing through the Harvard Business School's Executive Education program.

Moving to Seattle, Walker worked for Starwave Corporation, creating applications and original artwork for its Sting and Clint Eastwood CD-Roms, as well as a CD-Rom adaptation of the Ralph Steadman book I, Leonardo. He also picked up freelance work as a graphic designer for a number of video game projects. From there, Walker went to work for Pacific Interactive, where he designed and created complex 3-D objects and worlds for Bill Nye the Science Guy CD-ROMs.

"I finally wound up at Microsoft, working on an interactive television system," says Walker modestly. "It was a fun experience because Microsoft is really a lot like college. You've got a whole lot of young people who are relatively the same age moving around this campus, which is the focal point of your work and your social interaction."

While a programmer with Microsoft, Walker handled HTML system programming and user interface design on a project basis for Microsoft’s Softimage website. He was also involved in the development of Microsoft's interactive television system and built applications for the Microsoft Network.

Returning to his native Michigan, Walker transitioned from computer programming to business management, joining US Xchange, a long distance telephony and networking service provider in Grand Rapids. Walker was responsible for oversight of a staff of designers and programmers developing web design services while also coordinating all aspects of project management.

From there, he became a marketing manager at Mission Networks, a fiber optic networking firm in nearby Traverse City, Michigan. Charged with executing the company’s sales and marketing strategy, Walker developed marketing materials, wrote and distributed press releases, and researched telecommunications pricing and availability for the installation of a fiber optic backbone for communications, network, and data centers.

During this same time, Walker met Robert Hughes through an animation class Hughes was teaching. After months of discussions, the two—who shared a passion for production—decided to meld their right and left brains to launch Lincoln Butterfield Animation.