Professor/Owner
New England Institute of Technology/ Whooplah LLC
From Early Learning Video Game to Television Series
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Bill Culbertson: began his career at Hasbro, Inc. in 1981 as an industrial designer in Research & Design, creating sculptural patterns for the first series of My Little Pony and G.I Joe. Within a short time, he was made Director of the Sculpture Department, guiding the sculptural creations of the company’s popular toy lines from Mr. Potato Head to My Little Pony and others. Moving into the freelance community in 1986, Bill developed a nationwide clientele including manufacturers, theme parks and cruise lines. Specializing in licensed characters he has extensive experience working with such clients as The Walt Disney Company, Jim Henson Company, Sesame Street Workshop, Nickelodeon and others. As an inventor, Bill is responsible for numerous toy concepts and designs.
As the founder of Whooplah LLC, Bill is committed to creating family-fun entertainment that helps parents meet and exceed their parenting goals. An experienced video game designer and developer, he recently released the large-scale video game environment portal, Pollywog Pond, for early learners. The game was nominated for a 2019 Kidscreen Award “Best New Video Game -Original.” The game is being developed into a children’s television series for national distribution, a co-production with Rhode Island PBS. A graduate of Towson University in Maryland, Bill earned a Master of Art in Art Education degree from The Rhode Island School of Design. Additionally, Bill has created and produced the award-winning puppet show, “Li’l Rhody!” for Rhode Island PBS. As a fine artist, Bill has been recognized internationally for his sculptural work through numerous large-scale public art works world-wide, including most recently, a memorial to Jim Henson in Hyattsville, Maryland. He has the distinction of being named a Copley Master Artist by the Copley Society of Boston. A Professor at New England Institute of Technology, Bill is a faculty member of the University’s nationally ranked Video Game Development and Design Department. With over eighteen years of post-secondary teaching experience, Bill’s teaching emphasis is in 3D modeling, animation and game development. Additionally, Bill has authored two textbooks on 3d modeling, 3ds Max Basics for Modeling Video Game Assets, Volumes I & II.