Dariush Derakhshani is an award-winning Digital Effects Supervisor and author of several best- selling Maya books, including Introducing Maya 6: 3D for Beginners and Maya Secrets of the Pros. For almost a decade, he has worked on feature films (Fantastic Four, The Visitation, The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl), national TV commercials (BMW and Lexus), TV series (South Park), and music videos (Cake and Linkin Park). Dariush shares the 2003 London Advertising Award for commercial effects, won the Bronze Plaque from the Columbus Film Festival, and a fellowship from Paramount Pictures. With an MFA from USC Film School, Dariush has been teaching Maya and animation classes for the past seven years.