marisa

rafter

Multimedia producer and visual storyteller with over a decade of experience making complex subjects accessible and engaging. I've worked with scientists, educators, and creative teams to turn research and expertise into videos, animations, and stories that connect with people.

SELECTED WORK

INTERVIEW-LED VIDEO | BRILLIANT

Finding stories 

At Brilliant, I helped develop an unscripted interview format featuring our in-house education experts. Instead of starting with a script, we started with questions, looking for candid reactions and unexpected insights that could make ideas about learning feel immediate and relatable. One response to “What's hard about teaching math?” became the starting point for a new ad.

I shaped these conversations into short-form video ads, using audience engagement data to refine hooks, pacing, and edits. AI-assisted transcript review helped me locate promising moments; I selected and shaped them into the final edits. The format produced three of Brilliant’s highest-performing Meta ads and helped drive a fourfold increase in monthly Meta advertising spend.

I also traveled to Chicago with a colleague to film interviews with Brilliant's CEO and a board member, handling camera, lighting, and audio setup and conducting the interviews.

INTERVIEW-LED VIDEO | BRILLIANT

Finding stories 

At Brilliant, I helped develop an unscripted interview format featuring our in-house education experts. Instead of starting with a script, we started with questions, looking for candid reactions and unexpected insights that could make ideas about learning feel immediate and relatable. One response to “What's hard about teaching math?” became the starting point for a new ad.

I shaped these conversations into short-form video ads, using audience engagement data to refine hooks, pacing, and edits. AI-assisted transcript review helped me locate promising moments; I selected and shaped them into the final edits. The format produced three of Brilliant’s highest-performing Meta ads and helped drive a fourfold increase in monthly Meta advertising spend.

I also traveled to Chicago with a colleague to film interviews with Brilliant's CEO and a board member, handling camera, lighting, and audio setup and conducting the interviews.

PATIENT EDUCATION | UCSF

Explaining the unfamiliar

Anesthesia can be difficult to understand, especially when patients are preparing for a medical procedure. At RogueMark Studios, I led animation on five patient-education videos for UCSF, each explaining a different type of anesthesia and what patients could expect.

Working with a UCSF anesthesiologist and our creative team, I researched visual approaches and developed storyboards to help translate medical procedures into clear, approachable explanations. I illustrated the patients, clinicians, medical equipment, and other animated assets, combining them with painted environments by our in-house illustrator.

I animated and edited the videos, then adapted them for Spanish and Cantonese narration, adjusting timing and pacing to accommodate the different languages.

PATIENT EDUCATION | UCSF

Explaining the unfamiliar

Anesthesia can be difficult to understand, especially when patients are preparing for a medical procedure. At RogueMark Studios, I led animation on five patient-education videos for UCSF, each explaining a different type of anesthesia and what patients could expect.

Working with a UCSF anesthesiologist and our creative team, I researched visual approaches and developed storyboards to help translate medical procedures into clear, approachable explanations. I illustrated the patients, clinicians, medical equipment, and other animated assets, combining them with painted environments by our in-house illustrator.

I animated and edited the videos, then adapted them for Spanish and Cantonese narration, adjusting timing and pacing to accommodate the different languages.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION | NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Turning research into action

Channel Islands National Park is home to species found nowhere else on Earth, but invasive species brought by visitors threaten its fragile ecosystems. The National Park Service needed to turn a detailed biosecurity plan into practical guidance for visitors traveling to the islands.

Working with park scientists and communications staff, I developed the concept, storyboards, visual style, illustrations, and animation for a short educational video. Designed to work in public spaces without relying on sound, it used on-screen text to communicate simple, concrete actions while keeping the scientific details accurate.

I proposed separate versions for day visitors and private boaters, and delivered social-friendly formats, partner-branded versions, and an audio-described version for blind and low-vision viewers.

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION | NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Turning research into action

Channel Islands National Park is home to species found nowhere else on Earth, but invasive species brought by visitors threaten its fragile ecosystems. The National Park Service needed to turn a detailed biosecurity plan into practical guidance for visitors traveling to the islands.

Working with park scientists and communications staff, I developed the concept, storyboards, visual style, illustrations, and animation for a short educational video. Designed to work in public spaces without relying on sound, it used on-screen text to communicate simple, concrete actions while keeping the scientific details accurate.

I proposed separate versions for day visitors and private boaters, and delivered social-friendly formats, partner-branded versions, and an audio-described version for blind and low-vision viewers.

LIVE ACTION | BRILLIANT

Learn by doing

At Brilliant, our creative team partnered with production studio Lumenati on live-action commercials built around the idea of “learn by doing.” We wanted to bring Brilliant's hands-on approach to math and science learning into the physical world.

I contributed to concept development and storyboarding, worked with our education experts to ensure scientific and mathematical accuracy, and collaborated with illustrators and Lumenati's set designers to bring Brilliant's visual world onto the set. I also created handwritten math notes and other practical props for the Denver shoot.

In postproduction, I animated math and science problems and composited them into the live-action footage, connecting the physical world of the commercials with Brilliant's interactive learning experience.

ANIMATED NOTES | STANFORD–MIT HEALTHY ELECTIONS

Clarity under pressure

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, the Stanford–MIT Healthy Elections Project needed a timely explanation of how mail-in ballots are verified and counted.

Working with a producer, I translated an expert's explanation into illustrated visual notes and simple animation. I developed a straightforward visual approach that made the process clear and approachable while supporting a fast production schedule.

I created the storyboards, illustrations, and animation, delivering the finished video in just one week.

ANIMATED NOTES | STANFORD–MIT HEALTHY ELECTIONS

Clarity under pressure

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election, the Stanford–MIT Healthy Elections Project needed a timely explanation of how mail-in ballots are verified and counted.

Working with a producer, I translated an expert's explanation into illustrated visual notes and simple animation. I developed a straightforward visual approach that made the process clear and approachable while supporting a fast production schedule.

I created the storyboards, illustrations, and animation, delivering the finished video in just one week.

EDUCATIONAL FILM | MIT COMMUNITY INNOVATORS LAB

Making history visible

Class and Race is a five-minute educational film exploring how race has shaped class divisions in American history. Drawing on W. E. B. Du Bois's ideas about the American working class, the film moves from Reconstruction and the New Deal to more recent elections, examining how racial divisions have undermined working-class solidarity.

At RogueMark, we combined time-lapse ink-wash illustrations, stop-motion cut paper and handmade puppets, and animated typography to bring these historical ideas to life. I handled the complete edit and sound, along with animation, After Effects compositing, and animated typography. The challenge was to give a dense historical argument a clear visual rhythm, using movement, transitions, and the relationship between narration and imagery to help the story unfold.

EDUCATIONAL FILM | MIT COMMUNITY INNOVATORS LAB

Making history visible

Class and Race is a five-minute educational film exploring how race has shaped class divisions in American history. Drawing on W. E. B. Du Bois's ideas about the American working class, the film moves from Reconstruction and the New Deal to more recent elections, examining how racial divisions have undermined working-class solidarity.

At RogueMark, we combined time-lapse ink-wash illustrations, stop-motion cut paper and handmade puppets, and animated typography to bring these historical ideas to life. I handled the complete edit and sound, along with animation, After Effects compositing, and animated typography. The challenge was to give a dense historical argument a clear visual rhythm, using movement, transitions, and the relationship between narration and imagery to help the story unfold.

VISUAL NOTES | SALESFORCE, EY, SANDISK

Live synthesis

I got my start at a small multimedia animation studio where in addition to animation and video production, I spent years doing live graphic recording at tech conferences — synthesizing complex topics into visual narratives in real time, blank canvas and permanent marker in hand. That environment taught me how to listen closely, process information fast, and find the core story.

VISUAL NOTES | SALESFORCE, EY, SANDISK

Live synthesis

I got my start at a small multimedia animation studio where in addition to animation and video production, I spent years doing live graphic recording at tech conferences — synthesizing complex topics into visual narratives in real time, blank canvas and permanent marker in hand. That environment taught me how to listen closely, process information fast, and find the core story.

CREATIVE OPERATIONS

Making the work work

My work extends beyond producing individual videos. At Brilliant, I helped shape creative strategy for marketing and in-product campaigns, wrote briefs to align teams around project goals, and built systems to support production. I established naming and versioning conventions, helped migrate our shared media library from Dropbox to Air, and maintained reusable animations for creator partnerships as our product and brand evolved.

I also helped other creatives do their work. At Brilliant, I built shared character rigs that enabled three animators to work in parallel and coordinated external sound designers and voice talent. Earlier, at RogueMark, I led two illustrators through their first animation projects for eBay, assigning scenes, reviewing their work, and documenting shared workflows.

CREATIVE OPERATIONS

Making the work work

My work extends beyond producing individual videos. At Brilliant, I helped shape creative strategy for marketing and in-product campaigns, wrote briefs to align teams around project goals, and built systems to support production. I established naming and versioning conventions, helped migrate our shared media library from Dropbox to Air, and maintained reusable animations for creator partnerships as our product and brand evolved.

I also helped other creatives do their work. At Brilliant, I built shared character rigs that enabled three animators to work in parallel and coordinated external sound designers and voice talent. Earlier, at RogueMark, I led two illustrators through their first animation projects for eBay, assigning scenes, reviewing their work, and documenting shared workflows.

THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM

My work also spans motion design, creative strategy, product storytelling, and performance marketing. Explore my full portfolio for a broader look at the projects and creative challenges I've taken on.

Get in touch with me at marisa.rafter@gmail.com.

View my full portfolio →

Working together

She’s the member of the team who asks the questions that keep everybody focused on what matters most: ‘What's our actual goal here? Who are we talking to? What resonates with this audience?’ That instinct has repeatedly kept our team in line when a project started to drift, and it's the kind of mindset that quietly makes everyone else's work better too.

COLE BOLTON | MANAGER @ BRILLIANT

Marisa is a kickass leader!! She is organized, thoughtful, and is an incredible and encouraging teacher. She never makes anyone feel like they are wasting her time.

JULIA CONE | COLLEAGUE @ ROGUEMARK