Lead / Director Special Effects Artists and Animators salary in California
Roles that direct strategy, lead teams, or hold full functional ownership. Typically ten or more years of experience or a Director-class title with budget responsibility.
Lead / Director Special Effects Artists and Animators in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 49 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $176,717. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level IV — fully competent | 49 | $176,717 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Special Effects Artists and Animators in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | Human Interface Designer | 25 | $176,717 |
| BYTEDANCE INC. | Interactive Engineer | 5 | $235,000 |
| ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC | SENIOR EXPERT FX ARTIST | 4 | $174,350 |
| SNAP INC. | Sr. AR Designer, VFX (5) | 3 | $152,734 |
| BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC. | LEAD CHARACTER ARTIST | 2 | $169,125 |
| Tencent America LLC | Senior Technical Artist | 2 | $179,118 |
| DEUTSCH LA, INC. | MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR | 1 | $162,000 |
| CALLIOPE EXPERINCES LLC | Production | 1 | $161,907 |
| Zoox, Inc. | Technical Artist | 1 | $152,000 |
| VITRUVIUS EXPERIENCES LLC | AR/VR Software Development | 1 | $197,400 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Human Interface Designer at Apple Inc.$197,205CupertinoWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317306
- Interface Designer (5) at SNAP INC.$197,205Palo AltoWage Level IVDecided Aug 15, 2025I-200-25220-231966
- MOTION DESIGN DIRECTOR at DEUTSCH LA, INC.$162,000LOS ANGELESWage Level IVDecided Jun 12, 2025I-200-25156-058527
- LEAD CHARACTER ARTIST at BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.$168,300IRVINEWage Level IVDecided May 23, 2025I-200-25137-988451
- SENIOR EXPERT FX ARTIST at ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC$215,000WOODLAND HILLSWage Level IVDecided May 22, 2025I-200-25135-981824
- Senior Technical Artist at Tencent America LLC$165,600Los AngelesWage Level IVDecided May 21, 2025I-200-25135-978108
- LEAD, MP ANIMATION at ACTIVISION PUBLISHING INC$163,300WOODLAND HILLSWage Level IVDecided May 21, 2025I-200-25134-977920
- SENIOR VFX ARTIST II at BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.$169,950IRVINEWage Level IVDecided May 21, 2025I-200-25135-978167
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.