10 years
50+ customers
150+ projects

Our mission

Since its inception in 2014, Raconteur has been instrumental in customers securing $10s of millions in sales and fundraising.

Collaborating with industry trailblazers such as Meta, Festo, Daikin, ULC Technologies and Underwriters Laboratories, Raconteur continues to help push the boundaries of cutting-edge innovation.

Testimonials

“We've managed to build our waitlist of 1,000 companies, partly thanks to the video that gives people a quick and easy way to understand the product. I think it stands out dramatically from other videos out there, and it gives us an edge in terms of user acquisition.”

“[Meta] used the animation in presentations to stakeholders. The video helped facilitate the conversation and address concerns about the robotic system since they were able to pause and discuss specific areas of operation.”

"Completely blown away. I've worked with creatives for 18 years and have never seen anyone pick up a vision and deliver on-target results as quickly and efficiently as Joe."

“Joe is able to fill in the gaps of your vision and creativity and give you work that is better than you could ever hope for. We were looking for animation for a client of ours, and the work needed to be photo-realistic, dynamic, and tell a story at the same time. He accomplished all of that for us. Highly recommended.”

"[The animations] were helpful because they communicate complex subject matter to many different, non-engineering audiences. These renders were used for pitches to clients and have resulted in positive traction for new projects due to their realistic 3D quality and rapid turnaround.”

JOE RULE

Owner/Creative Director

In high school, Joe became obsessed with VFX and 3D through creating short Star Wars fan films. That eventually led him to pursuing a BFA in Electronic Imaging at Northern Michigan University with a concentration on 3D animation. His senior thesis film, ”Eat Your Vegetables” won Best in Show at the senior exhibition and went on to win several more awards at film festivals around Michigan.

Joe founded Raconteur Animation in 2014 with the dream to travel the world and create animations to fund his adventures. After a few years on the road, he settled in Austin, Texas and began to expand the Raconteur team.

These days Joe passes the time reading fantasy and sci-fi, practicing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, learning languages, cooking, and cuddling with his cat Jaguar.

DYLAN DROPTINY

Lead 3D Animator

As a kid, there was nothing that Dylan looked forward to more than coming home from school and watching his favorite cartoons. It was that same passion for animation that brought Dylan to NMU where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Art & Design.

In 2020, during his time at NMU, Dylan was given the opportunity to join the Raconteur team as an intern, and has been with us ever since. Still based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Dylan enjoys spending his time at Lake Superior, playing video games, and spoiling his cat Pepper whenever possible.

AJ LAATSCH

3D Animator

AJ has always loved cartoons and video games. As a kid, they inspired him to start drawing and writing short stories. That passion eventually led him to Northern Michigan University where he found an interest in 3D computer art.

He graduated from NMU in 2022 with a Bachelors in Art and Design and that summer began working part-time at Raconteur.

AJ currently lives with his cat Autumn in southeastern Wisconsin. He still loves to play video games, watch animation and draws a lot of inspiration and creative drive from diving deep into the Star Wars universe.