Chen Zhang and Matt Udvari (Aquifer) on Using AR Tech to Create Instant Animation for Brands & Character IP

The Guest

Chen Zhang and Matt Udvari are co-founders of Aquifer, a company that has developed a SaaS platform to enable creators and teams create studio-level animated video without studios.

Matt is a polymath who has persistently pursued education and work experiences across computer science, music, and storytelling. His career has spanned video game design, executive creative director, CTO at a mobile SaaS startup, and filmmaker. Most recently, Matt started Part Time Evil as a story-based technology studio with leading expertise in VR, AR, video games, and mobile.

Chen spent the early part of her career in project management, marketing, and user experience design at major brands, including three years at Frog Design. She then joined Matt at Part Time Evil as COO before co-founding Aquifer as the CEO. Aquifer originated from Matt’s efforts as a filmmaker and Chen’s insight into customer needs.

Chen Zhang & Matt Udvari

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Aquifer Motion

The Conversation

In this conversation, Chen and Matt describe how they are helping big and small brands leverage the characters they’ve created through high-quality 3D animation, giving them new ways to tell stories across a variety of platforms.

We get into some of the nuances of product management, namely balancing near- and long-term goals, as well as the differences in leading a consultancy vs product-oriented company. We also explore how to ask customers questions about what they really want and need.

Jason McDowallcontent creation, consumer, startup, storytelling