About

Sans Strings Studio is building the future of transmedia storytelling — worlds that travel seamlessly across interactive, linear, and live formats.

Powered by F.E.L.T., our real-time pipeline, we bring characters to life with fidelity and feeling, without sacrificing the human performance behind each one.

Digital characters with true soul.

MEET OUR SENIOR LEADERS

Sans Strings Studio Sebastien Deguy Co Founder CEO

Sébastien Deguy

Co-founder and CEO

At Sans Strings, Seb defines the studio’s creative ambition and long-term strategic direction, steering its growth across content and technology.

Previously, Seb founded Allegorithmic, the team behind Substance, where he redefined how 3D content is made—technology now embedded across games, film, and design worldwide. He received an Academy Technical Achievement Award in 2023 and an Emmy Award in 2024. He's also a musician, writer, and dad.

Ryan Corniel

Co-founder & CCO

Ryan oversees creative vision and R&D at Sans Strings, shaping the studio’s visual language and advancing its real-time character technology.

He's a multidisciplinary artist and designer with 20 years spanning graphic design, UX/UI, 3D, and real-time tools. He taught himself 3D and game engines and eventually transitioned into tech art and VR, building immersive experiences along the way. His experimental character work on social media has sparked creative partnerships and a dedicated following.

Andrew Sommerville

COO

Andy oversees operations, business development, and creative strategy at Sans Strings.

He's a creative and studio leader with over 20 years in animation, visual effects, and entertainment, having held executive roles at top studios worldwide. He's led award-winning teams and delivered work for major entertainment brands while helping pioneer next-generation production pipelines. Previous collaborators include Nickelodeon, SXSW, Apple, MSG Sphere, BBC, BAFTA, Nintendo, NFL, HBO, and Google.

Vik Sohal

CTO

Vik steers Sans Strings’ technical strategy, leading the development of the studio’s real-time tools, systems, and pipeline innovation.

He's a technologist and founder who's spent his career at the edge of real-time systems and visual effects. He worked on LynxOS—a UNIX-compatible real-time operating system used in high-stakes environments like space systems, medical scanners, and robotics. He co-founded Pixelux Entertainment, and later co-founded Modrokkr, developing geometry streaming tech for real-time 3D. Previous collaborators include Lucasfilm, Tippett, MPC, Sony Imageworks, Pixar, and Adobe.

Annabelle Penloup

Finance & Operations Senior Advisor

Annabelle is Finance & Operations Senior Advisor at Sans Strings Studio, supporting strategic growth as the company scales its creative and technology ambitions.

She built her career in media and entertainment strategy, with roles at Deloitte and Technicolor Group—where she served as COO of The Mill and VP of Business Development. She recently co-founded HELEN (OuiDo Media Group), where she develops original IP designed to travel across film, animation, audio, and immersive experiences for global audiences.

Colin Benoit

Executive Director, Creative Technology

Colin bridges storytelling and real-time production, helping shape the studio’s narrative voice and translate creative vision into technical execution.

He's a visual storyteller with 25+ years across film, games, and real-time production. Colin spent 15 years at Industrial Light & Magic, then most recently on Epic Games' Special Projects team, he helped pioneer virtual production on The Mandalorian and led virtual cinematography on The Matrix Awakens. He earned a VES Award for Outstanding Virtual Cinematography.

Bekah Hamilton

Executive Producer, Gaming

Bekah oversees game production across Sans Strings, building strategy and ensuring creative excellence.

She brings senior production experience from 343 Industries, Activision and Sony, where she managed complex productions with major publishers. She is known for strong production strategy, smart resource planning, and aligning creative vision with flawless execution to ship market-ready games.

Joel Veitch

Executive Creative Director

Joel leads creative development and project direction, helping shape the voice of the studio’s work and original IP.

He's the co-creator and showrunner of Bad Dinosaurs, and creator of cult web classic Rathergood.com—home of singing kittens and the Spongmonkeys. He's been writing, directing, and performing comedy for TV and the web since the turn of the millennium.

Nathaniel Tapley

Executive Creative Director

Natt leads creative development and project direction, helping shape the voice of the studio’s work and original IP.

He's a two-time BAFTA-winning comedy writer, performer, and voice director. His credits include Have I Got News For You and Gigglebiz—a pioneering sketch show for preschoolers that’s still running 16 years later.

Jon Reynolds

Lead Game Designer

Jon is a lead game designer at Sans Strings, collaborating closely with the team to bring the game’s vision to life.

He's a 25-year game industry veteran with credits including Ultima Online (EA), Dungeons & Dragons Online (WB), The Lord of the Rings Online (WB), Infinite Crisis (WB), and New World (Amazon).

Mars Jokela

Lead Game Designer

Mars is a lead game designer at Sans Strings, working across gaming projects as well as architecting studio systems.

Mars has 20 years of experience across VR, AR, immersive and interactive technologies, including six years at Penumbra developing the REAL System — a fully immersive VR platform for healthcare and rehabilitation — and leading VR/AR titles at Big Fish Games across PlayStation VR, HTC Vive, Oculus, and more.

Let's make something unforgettable.

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