Our Team
Founders
Digital Dragon was born when the founders’ nine-year-old son fell in love with technology, back in 2013. After an exciting summer at tech camp, the family went looking for an after school program in the fall, but none existed. The Finns believed they were like many local parents who want their children to pursue their interest in tech thoughtfully, creatively, and with brainpower. So they launched Digital Dragon.
Their son, now an advanced technologist, is now a college graduate, teaching part time, and the business has grown too. Technology continues to evolve but the vision that started Digital Dragon remains the same: To provide kids with well-rounded exposure to technology so they can find their own passion. The Finns are UCLA grads who run all aspects of the business and strive to make sure every family has a great experience from start to finish. They look forward to taking this tech adventure with you!
Seth Finn
Seth Finn has a background in non-profit having worked in East LA for the Boyle Heights College Institute, as well as a Community Relations Director for the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder). While working for the Sonics, Seth created and managed a technology program offered to Seattle Public School’s 50,000 students. Seth was active in his son’s K-12 education, serving on school site governance at Roosevelt Elementary in Santa Monica, and frequently volunteering in elementary classrooms, as well as various fundraising, and event involvement.
Laurie Kantor Finn
Laurie started her career in the entertainment industry as a segment producer for Entertainment Tonight, followed by creating and producing Access Hollywood. She continued her work with celebrity talent, producing photo shoots and interviews, as West Coast Editor at Stuff Magazine. Most recently she headed up the talent and casting department at cable network, G4TV, which featured a lot of tech and gaming content (in fact it was previously called TechTV). As her son has matriculated through Santa Monica schools, Laurie was and continues to be very active at Roosevelt Elementary, Lincoln Middle School, and Santa Monica High School.
Staff
Teacher: Dylan
Dylan has had a passion for video games since he can remember. His joy for the medium led him to pursue a degree in Game Design & Development from the Rochester Institute of Technology. There he tried to learn about every aspect of the game creation process, from programming and level design, to 3D modeling and graphic design.
He has since used his knowledge to teach various game design classes before coming to Digital Dragon. Not only does he love games, but the history behind them too. He is a huge collector of all things gaming, from obscure consoles, to the coolest hidden gems.
His other hobbies include collecting vinyl records, studying Japanese, discovering and cooking new food, and going on road trips.
Teacher: Angelo
Angelo is a dynamic professional known for his expertise in music, information technology, web development, and game design. With a strong foundation in IT, Angelo adeptly manages intricate information systems, offering unparalleled troubleshooting skills and innovative online communication strategies. His proficiency in web development is evident in his ability to craft seamless digital experiences using HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and Java.
Angelo is not only a skilled music producer, utilizing tools like Pro Tools to create captivating auditory experiences but also a creative game designer proficient in Scratch, Java, and Python. He designs immersive worlds in platforms like Minecraft, captivating players with his imaginative gameplay. Angelo’s versatility extends to his teaching at Digital Dragon, where he imparts knowledge and inspires creativity both as a music and game design instructor, enriching the learning experiences of his students.
Angelo dedicates much time to being a composer, musician, and performing with a few bands.
Teacher: Frankie
Frankie is an experienced artist from the animation industry. His skills range from 2-dimensional drawing cinematic scenes like Batman to the more comedic expressive styles of Teen titans Go! His work as a storyboard artist is most notable in the CG Netflix show Sonic Prime which showcases all of these dynamic styles.
Traditionally trained at San Jose State University, where he learned many forms of art like Charcoal drawing, Acrylic painting, 2D animation, 3D animation and modeling. His experience allows him to create compelling work for TV, comics, emotional or comedic drawings, animation and stunning VFX. He is excited to bring his expertise to Digital Dragon, to share with the future generations of artists!
Frankie is always working on his own artistic projects and indie animations with his colleagues or on his own.
Teacher: Eli
After many years of taking every Digital Dragon class offered, we are lucky that Eli is now part of the teaching staff. Eli has designed and coded apps, created digital designs, shot and edited many media projects, and after endless hours of playing Minecraft – he now passes along all this knowledge and passion to his students.
Eli has been working with Digital Dragon for 6 years as a class and camp instructor, and birthday party host. He has been passionate about technology his whole life and likes to stay up to date on the latest and greatest in tech products and the industry. He recently graduated with his Business Entrepreneurship degree from San Jose State University.
In his free time, Eli enjoys tennis, following sports stats, Pickleball with friends, and testing out fast food menu items labeled “spicy.”
Tech Education Explorer & Consultant: John Balash
John Balash is the Director of Educational Engagement at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center. John has worked on educationally focused initiatives with clients ranging from D.A.R.P.A. to Disney. Working from both sides of the desk, you can find John in classrooms and conferences around the world exploring new uses for technologies in learning environments.
John is an alumnus of Notre Dame College, with degrees in education, fine art, and graphic design. After graduating, he taught creative computer applications for over five years at a private academy in Northeast Ohio. Always eager to learn and constantly surrounded by technology, he continues to forge a path between education and entertainment. With a diverse background of education and art, John hopes to develop entertainment that is engaging, meaningful, and progressive. John has a Master’s of Entertainment Technology, from Carnegie Mellon University and a Ph.D, Educational/Instructional Technology, from Ohio University.
John was instrumental in Digital Dragon’s launch in 2013 as its first Curriculum Director and is now consulting on all the latest and greatest in tech education. You can read his blog, “Tech News From the Frontier” on our blog page.