Ali Jafargholi

Pipeline Technology Leader

15+ years leading pipeline teams and architecting production workflows at Netflix, ILM, MPC, and beyond. Specializing in Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid) consulting and scalable pipeline strategy for animation and VFX studios.

Contact Ali Connect on Linkedin

Pipeline Technology Leader with 15+ Years at Studios Including Netflix, ILM & MPC.

I specialize in pipeline architecture, team leadership, and strategic technology decisions that align production infrastructure with creative goals.

From hands-on tool development to organization-wide pipeline strategy, I bridge the gap between artists, production, and technology — ensuring the pipeline works for the team, not against it.

Areas of Expertise

I lead pipeline strategy, architecture, and teams for animation and VFX studios. Whether building from the ground up or modernizing existing infrastructure, I align technology decisions with production goals — and build the teams that deliver them.

Pipeline Leadership & Strategy

Leading pipeline teams, architecting scalable production infrastructure, and aligning technology decisions with studio goals — from individual productions to organization-wide strategy.

Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid)

End-to-end ShotGrid implementation: schema design, event-driven automation, DCC integrations (Maya, Blender, Nuke), and team training to drive successful adoption.

Pipeline Consulting

Auditing existing pipelines, identifying bottlenecks, and modernizing architecture for animation and VFX studios — from targeted workflow fixes to full pipeline redesign.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

Building, managing, and growing pipeline teams — setting technical direction, establishing standards, mentoring TDs, and fostering a culture where artists and engineers collaborate toward a common production goal.

Career

Download CV

2025 - present
Pipeline Developer, Series Animation
Netflix

Partnering with supervisors, producers, and cross-functional technology teams to align pipeline capabilities with production schedules and creative goals. Building and maintaining production infrastructure supporting Series Animation, with a focus on efficiency, consistency, and scalable delivery.

Pipeline Supervisor
Mindshow

Led pipeline strategy and architecture from asset creation through delivery, managing and mentoring a team of Pipeline TDs across multiple simultaneous productions. Owned the full Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid) implementation including schema design, DCC integrations, and team onboarding.

2022 - 2025
2020 - 2022
Senior Pipeline Technical Director
Industrial Light & Magic, Vancouver

Developed and maintained pipeline and asset management tools across multiple high-profile VFX productions. Contributed to architectural decisions on asset management systems and cross-department workflow improvements. Collaborated closely with show and technical supervisors to ensure facility-wide pipeline consistency across global ILM standards.

Pipeline Consultant
Li & Fung Limited, Hong Kong

Engaged as an external pipeline consultant to assess existing infrastructure, identify gaps, and deliver a custom pipeline architecture for a global fashion company rolling out 3D technology at scale. Collaborated with international teams across time zones to drive technology adoption and workflow integration.

2019
2017 - 2019
Senior Pipeline Developer
THR3D CGI, Detroit

Led the pipeline team designing, building, and maintaining a high-volume production pipeline for multiple clients with unique delivery specifications. Architected a full Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid) integration — including custom apps, event server automation, and DCC hooks for Maya, Deadline, and Photoshop — from initial configuration through team training and rollout. Grew team capabilities through hands-on mentorship and established pipeline standards that scaled with production volume.

Pipeline Developer
3DEXCITE (Dassault Systèmes), Detroit

Designed and built a new asset management pipeline replacing an inefficient legacy system for a high-volume automotive visualization operation. Implemented emerging rendering technologies including Deep Image compositing workflows. Collaborated with artists and supervisors to ensure the new system reduced overhead and improved throughput.

2016 - 2017
2014 - 2016
Senior Pipeline TD — Layout
MPC, Vancouver

Embedded developer within the Layout department, partnering directly with artists to design and build tools, automate repetitive tasks, and maintain production-critical workflows. Developed custom pipeline tools that measurably improved department throughput on major VFX productions, with a strong focus on user experience.

Senior Environment TD
MPC, Vancouver

Created photorealistic virtual environments and 3D matte paintings using Maya, Nuke, Mari, and Photoscan for major studio VFX productions, building foundational expertise in production-critical workflows that now informs pipeline design decisions.

Lighting & Compositing TD
3DEXCITE (Dassault Systèmes), Detroit

Delivered photorealistic automotive shading, lighting, and compositing for global advertising campaigns using Maya and Nuke. Developed personal efficiency tooling and scripts to accelerate shot delivery and maintain visual consistency across high-volume projects.

2012 - 2014

Artists and the production team can only do their best work when the pipeline works for them, not against them.

Recommendations

" Everything is fully integrated "

Ali was hands-on with everything from the initial config setup, to spinning up event servers running custom events, to created custom apps, to creating documentation and training materials. Everything is fully integrated. Maya, Deadline, Photoshop, and Shotgun all talk to each other.

Brandon B.
Thr3D
" A driven leader "

His expertise of pipeline development through various DCC tools, cloud infrastructure, programming skill and knowledge are always helpful. I highly recommend Ali as a driven leader, creative thinker and a problem solver on a global scale.

Samuel C.
Li & Fung Ltd.
" Eagerly embraces every challenge "

Ali was with us for 2 years full-time, and we continue to leverage him as a contractor whenever possible. Anyone that's worked with him knows that his devotion is second to none and that he eagerly embraces every challenge.

Brandon B.
Thr3D
" loves to solve problems "

Ali is a multi-talented individual who loves to solve problems. His positive attitude and zen like focus are contagious in a good way.

Jacob Elkins
3DEXCITE

Pipeline Consulting

Is your studio adopting Flow Production Tracking (ShotGrid)? Looking to modernize your pipeline architecture or resolve workflow bottlenecks? Let's talk. I offer consulting on pipeline architecture, ShotGrid integration and customization, DCC workflow optimization, and team training for animation and VFX studios.

Schedule a Consultation

Contact Me

Phone
CA +1.250.268.0706
US +1.312.834.7260
Email
ali.jafargholi@gmail.com
Current residence:

British Columbia, Canada