JoeBertrand.com- Joe Bertrand

Ryland placed Yaz on the back of my hovercycle and tied her unconscious body to mine with his leather jacket.

Robin’s head cocked sideways. Her entire head spun around, picking up speed like it was mounted on an electric drill. Her body mechanically popped and clicked, shifting shape into a hovercycle! Kai got on her back.

Ryland hopped on his bike. “I’ll get Nakamura – you need to get out of here.” He flipped down his visor and gunned his engine! He went right, I went left. The guards went after Ryland, Kai and Robin went after me.

As I skidded from rooftop to rooftop, an imposing red hue took over the Upper North Side. The advertisements on the multicolored billboards shifted into wanted posters with my, Ryland’s, and Nakamura’s face on full display:

“WANTED: KIDNAPPING 17 YEAR OLD YAZ ANOKI”

BANG – my bike was hit! Small machine guns popped out of Robin’s shoulders. “You think you can take my ring and get away with it?“ yelled Kai!

about joe

Joseph Bertrand-Azzari is a seasoned animation professional whose work spans feature film and acclaimed television series, including Space Jam: A New Legacy, Final Space, Dino Ranch, Dino Ranch: Island Explorers, Bubble Guppies, Abby Hatcher, and 3Below: Tales of Arcadia.

With hands-on studio experience, Joseph understands the realities of production—delivering high-quality work under tight deadlines, collaborating across departments, and adapting quickly in fast-paced pipelines. He brings a balance of creative instinct and production reliability that directors and teams can count on.

Beyond the studio, Joseph is a dedicated educator who believes that teaching strengthens craft. By mentoring emerging artists and sharing industry-tested knowledge, he continues to refine his own artistic voice while helping shape the next generation of talent.

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Dino Ranch: Island Explorers (action, pre-k)

Episode 102B

Synopsis

The Cassidy Family saddle up for their biggest adventure yet - summer on Dino Island—a lost world filled with new dinosaurs, mysteries, and lessons in teamwork and bravery.

I had the privilege of storyboarding 10 episodes for Dino Ranch: Island Explorers Season 1 at Industrial Brothers, where I helped bring the wild and adventurous world of Dino Island to life.

Episode 102B- part 02

Episode 107B

when in Rome eat Gelato (Comedy, horror)

animatic

Synopsis

Based on a real-life story that happened to my wife on a trip to Rome.

A Canadian tourist looking for adventure in Rome stumbles upon a gelato shop, what happens after no one could have predicted.

design

thumbnails

Something is killing the children: SPEC STORYBOARDS (action, horror, drama)

animatic

thumbnails

Synopsis

Based on the critically acclaimed graphic novel series from BOOM! Studios.

Netflix recently announced an adaptation of the comic, which inspired me to create a short sequence pulled straight from the original pages—reimagined for streaming.

I started reading the series in 2022 and immediately connected with the story. Erica Slaughter, the central anti-hero, is distant yet deeply driven to protect others—despite working for an organization that doesn’t always share her priorities.

short-hand

Atari Hotels: story campaign (action, sci-fi)

I just stood there for a second, thinking of what to do, where to go. But there was only one path to take. The second I stepped into the hall, the elevator doors shut behind me. I was exposed on all sides.

My careful footsteps rang out, echoing through the entire walkway as I walked to the door on the other side. When I finally got the courage to open up the door, I saw an expansive warehouse. A labyrinth of hallways created by boxes and crates laid before me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see someone walking towards me. I pivoted, walking to the closest door I could find. “Are you looking for anything?” I ignored the question and picked up the pace.

SLAM – I shut the door behind me and practically tripped up the stairwell, throwing myself onto the roof of the building! There was nobody up here… The only structure I could see was a small glass skylight that protruded slightly.

When I looked down, I saw the maze of halls on the floor below. Guards stood in every row. I studied the layout. I looked at every guard and every path to take. But something caught my eye – a glass cube in the center of it all. I could see her. Trapped inside… it was Yaz.

I could tell that Ryland was flattered, but I’m not sure how far that’ll get me with someone like him. It’s not in his interest to help me… but he hasn’t slammed the door in my face yet. Maybe it’s the desperation in my voice that’s keeping this whole interaction afloat?

“And if I don’t help you?” asked Ryland.

“Then I go to the cops and tell them everything…” Ryland stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “Tell them what?”

“Can we stop blipping pretending? The Jin. I’d tell them about–!”

“–Shh! Do you know what they would do to me if they found out?”

“Yes. I do.” I responded.
I could tell by the way Ryland looked at the floor that he was conflicted. He said, “I’ll contact you tomorrow…” I moved my boot, and he shut the door, leaving only a crack, “And by the way Aurora… The cops already know I work with the Jin.”

SLAM.

The soles of the guard’s sneakers teetered over the edge of the walkway. Glass rained down, slicing Mr Nakamura’s back. This should buy us some time. The glass cube was filling up with coolant – I could barely see Yaz anymore. The holophone was still working on cracking the lock… Blip. Yaz was losing air, fast. I took off my helmet and SLAMMED it into the glass! “YAZ!” I choked on the coolant, but kept smashing my helmet repeatedly – BANG, BANG, BANG! But nothing formed… not even a crack. I could feel myself getting dizier, going in and out of consciousness. My vision blurred, and I blacked out… Muffled banging started to pull me out of my unconscious state. Between every bang, I drifted back into the blackness until I heard the loud SHATTERING of glass! I jolted up, but my head stuck to the floor with magnetic attraction. My head was being weighed down by the weight of Ryland’s helmet. He broke through the glass, and was carrying Yaz who was now wearing my helmet! BEEP – the holophone finally cracked the lock on the broken glass cube! Great timing… As Ryland and I climbed the stairs, I made sure to support Yaz’s limp head. When we opened the door to the rooftops, our hovercycles were still there. We’re getting out of here! VROOM, a sharp rumble caught my ear… The guards were all on hover cycles in a V formation on the rooftop across from us. At the head of their arrangement was Robin the robot concierge and Kai… The LEDs in Robin’s yellow eyes turned red. Kai smiled with missing teeth. Oh no.

Ryland placed Yaz on the back of my hovercycle and tied her unconscious body to mine with his leather jacket.

Robin’s head cocked sideways. Her entire head spun around, picking up speed like it was mounted on an electric drill. Her body mechanically popped and clicked, shifting shape into a hovercycle! Kai got on her back.

Ryland hopped on his bike. “I’ll get Nakamura – you need to get out of here.” He flipped down his visor and gunned his engine! He went right, I went left. The guards went after Ryland, Kai and Robin went after me.

As I skidded from rooftop to rooftop, an imposing red hue took over the Upper North Side. The advertisements on the multicolored billboards shifted into wanted posters with my, Ryland’s, and Nakamura’s face on full display:

“WANTED: KIDNAPPING 17 YEAR OLD YAZ ANOKI”

BANG – my bike was hit! Small machine guns popped out of Robin’s shoulders. “You think you can take my ring and get away with it?“ yelled Kai!

“Matthews, are we headed towards the exit point?” Ryland asked into his holophone. We ripped down the streets of the UNS on Ryland’s bike, sending name-brand purses and white button ups flying in our wake.

“Turn right, and you’ll be off the island!” As Ryland made his way around the corner, my fingertips gripped the back of his bike even tighter. Before I could even process what was in front of us, my body jolted forwards, and we stopped short.

“...Blip.” All of the Jin’s guards were in front of us, sitting on hovercycles. Worst of all, they all had Yaz’s boosters on them. “Turn around,” whispered Nakamura!

I took out my holophone, “Matthews, change of plan!” Ryland whipped the bike around, “Hold off on the forcefield deactivation!”

“Why, what happened?”

“I said change of plans!” Ryland traced our steps, looking for a way off the island, darting around the labyrinthine cityscape until we made it – the edge of the island! We made a beeline for the edge, about to go straight off the cliff, “Matthews, deactivate segment K28-A, now!”

“This might take a second!” responded Matthews. The guards trailed closely behind us. I looked back and saw them all reach for their boosters. They pushed their joysticks forward… We’re done for.

Nothing happened? The guard’s bikes continued to coast forward... The guards looked around confused. Yaz smiled…

BOOM – the guard’s bikes were engulfed in balls of flames emanating from the booster devices. Hovercycle parts ricocheted off the cobblestone, flying in all directions. The shockwave from the explosion launched us off the edge of the island!

“You didn’t think I’d actually build them boosters?” said Yaz. Nakamura smiled, “You redirected the power supply!” CLANK – shrapnel from one of the guard’s hovercycles was propelled through our bike, piercing our regulator!

Synopsis

I illustrated the social campaign for Atari Hotels, creating 1:1 ratio story illustrations based on short scripts.

This campaign was designed to promote the Atari Hotels project, visually capturing its unique concept and exciting potential.

Dino Ranch: Season 03 (action, pre-k)

Episode 312A

Synopsis

Dino Ranch Season 3 follows the Cassidy family as they continue their adventures on a ranch where dinosaurs roam. The season features 26 episodes filled with challenges and fun as the young ranchers learn about teamwork, caring for dinosaurs, and navigating the great outdoors.

I had the privilege of storyboarding 12 episodes for Dino Ranch: Island Explorers Season 3 at Industrial Brothers, where I helped bring the wild and adventurous world of Dino Island to life.

Episode 324A

Episode 326A

MORE WORK

Storyboard artist /Director

about joe

Dino Ranch: Island Explorers (action, pre-k)

Episode 102B

Episode 102B- part 02

Episode 107B

when in Rome eat Gelato (Comedy, horror)

animatic

design

thumbnails

Something is killing the children: SPEC STORYBOARDS (action, horror, drama)

animatic

thumbnails

short-hand

Atari Hotels: story campaign (action, sci-fi)

Dino Ranch: Season 03 (action, pre-k)

Episode 312A

Episode 324A

Episode 326A

joseph.bertrand94@gmail.com