# STERN APPOINTS NEW STUDIO ART DIRECTOR

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2025-04-14  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2025/04/14/stern-appoints-new-studio-art-director

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## Analysis

Stern Pinball has appointed Jeremy Packer (aka Zombie Yeti) as Studio Art Director, a full-time position he takes after working as a contractor and project artist since 2016. Packer's appointment follows the brief tenure of Sebastian Napoli and comes one day before the reveal of King Kong: Myth of Terror Island, which features Packer's artwork. Packer has created art packages for numerous major Stern titles including Ghostbusters, Iron Maiden, Deadpool, TMNT, and Godzilla.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jeremy Packer debuted with Stern in 2016 with Ghostbusters artwork — _Direct statement from Stern announcement; consistent with KB records showing Packer's long tenure_
- [HIGH] Packer became a full-time employee at Stern in February 2023 with title of Project Artist — _Pinball News article cites Stern's August 2023 announcement_
- [HIGH] Sebastian Napoli was appointed Art Director after Greg Freres' October 2024 retirement but departed after only a few months — _Direct statement in article with timeline provided_
- [HIGH] King Kong: Myth of Terror Island features a complete art package created by Jeremy Packer — _Stated in article; Packer's appointment announcement explicitly references this game_
- [HIGH] George Gomez stated Packer 'continues to provide the best artwork in the industry' — _Direct quote from official Stern announcement_

### Notable Quotes

> "Jeremy continues to provide the best artwork in the industry with his work receiving numerous accolades. We're excited for him to lead the way with the entire art studio here at Stern Pinball and showcase his incredible art collaboration on the newly announced King Kong: Myth of Terror Island pinball machine."
> — **George Gomez, Chief Creative Officer of Stern Pinball**, April 14, 2025 announcement
> _Official endorsement of Packer's promotion and explicit positioning of King Kong as a flagship collaborative project_

> "Jeremy has cemented himself as a top-tier talent in the illustration business."
> — **Stern Pinball official announcement**, April 14, 2025
> _Formal characterization of Packer's industry standing in official capacity_

> "His innovative approach to creating cohesive, story-driven artwork helped modernize pinball's aesthetics and reintroduce hand-drawn techniques to a market often reliant on photo-based or digital collage."
> — **Stern Pinball official announcement**, April 14, 2025
> _Articulates Packer's strategic contribution to Stern's artistic direction and market positioning_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jeremy Packer | person | Appointed Studio Art Director at Stern Pinball; professional alias Zombie Yeti; created artwork for 9+ major Stern titles since 2016 |
| Zombie Yeti | person | Professional alias of Jeremy Packer; established brand identity in pinball art community |
| Stern Pinball | company | Major pinball manufacturer; appointed Packer as Studio Art Director on April 14, 2025 |
| George Gomez | person | Chief Creative Officer of Stern Pinball; provided endorsement statement for Packer's appointment |
| Greg Freres | person | Previous Art Director at Stern; retired October 2024 |
| Sebastian Napoli | person | Appointed Art Director after Freres' retirement; brief tenure lasting only a few months before departure; continues contractual work with Stern |
| King Kong: Myth of Terror Island | game | New Stern Pinball game launching April 15, 2025; features complete art package by Jeremy Packer; officially announced one day after Packer's appointment |
| Ghostbusters | game | 2016 Stern title; Jeremy Packer's debut artwork for Stern |
| Iron Maiden | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Deadpool | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| The Avengers: Infinity Quest | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Godzilla | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Venom | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| The Uncanny X-Men | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Foo Fighters | game | Stern title featuring Jeremy Packer artwork |
| Pinball News | organization | Industry news outlet publishing announcement of Packer's appointment and King Kong reveal |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Personnel changes at Stern Pinball, Artistic direction and visual design in pinball, King Kong: Myth of Terror Island announcement, Jeremy Packer/Zombie Yeti career progression
- **Secondary:** Stern Pinball organizational structure, Art department leadership transitions

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.85) — Announcement celebrates Packer's appointment and achievements; language is congratulatory and emphasizes his expertise and industry standing. No negative or critical elements present in the announcement.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Stern demonstrates confidence in Packer through promotion to leadership role, signaling that his artistic contributions are central to the company's product strategy (confidence: high) — Promotion from contractor/project artist status to full-time leadership position; George Gomez's explicit endorsement of Packer's artistic contributions
- **[design_philosophy]** Stern officially endorsing Packer's artistic approach of hand-drawn, comic-inspired techniques as strategic modernization of pinball aesthetics (confidence: high) — Stern statement: 'His innovative approach to creating cohesive, story-driven artwork helped modernize pinball's aesthetics and reintroduce hand-drawn techniques to a market often reliant on photo-based or digital collage'
- **[event_signal]** King Kong: Myth of Terror Island reveal scheduled for April 15, 2025, one day after Packer's appointment announcement, creating coordinated marketing messaging (confidence: high) — Article states King Kong reveal is 'due to launch tomorrow, April 15th' and appointment announcement was April 14; George Gomez explicitly references the game in his endorsement
- **[personnel_signal]** Leadership gap in Stern art department filled after brief tenure of Sebastian Napoli; Packer's appointment restores continuity and direction to the studio (confidence: high) — Article documents Sebastian Napoli's appointment after Greg Freres' retirement and his subsequent departure within months, with Packer's appointment filling the void
- **[personnel_signal]** Jeremy Packer promoted from Project Artist to Studio Art Director at Stern Pinball, representing internal advancement and confirmation of leadership confidence (confidence: high) — Official Stern announcement on April 14, 2025 of Packer's appointment as Studio Art Director

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## Transcript

[Stern Pinball](https://sternpinball.com/) today announced the appointment of Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) as their new Studio Art Director.

[![Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), Stern Pinball's new Studio Art Director](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jeremy-packer-stern-art-director/01-jeremy-packer-stern-art-director-904x1024.jpg)](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/jeremy-packer-stern-art-director/01-jeremy-packer-stern-art-director.jpg)

Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti), Stern Pinball’s new Studio Art Director

Jeremy, who also goes under the name Zombie Yeti, has worked on Stern Pinball titles since 2016 when he debuted with the art package for Ghostbusters.

Despite creating the artwork for many more Stern titles as a contractor, including *Iron Maiden*, *Deadpool*, *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles*, *The Avengers: Infinity Quest* and *Godzilla*, it wasn’t until February 2023 that he became a full-time employee at Stern, [taking on the title of Project Artist](https://sternpinball.com/2023/08/02/stern-pinball-welcomes-jeremy-packer-as-project-artist/).

Many people thought Jeremy would be in the running to take over from Stern’s Art Director, Greg Freres, when Greg [retired from the company in October last year](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2024/07/11/greg-freres-retires/). However, Stern appointed Sebastian Napoli instead.

Sebastian’s tenure only lasted a few months before he departed to work on alternate projects. He does still work with Stern on a contractual basis, but his departure left the art department without a head.

The announcement of Jeremy’s appointment as Studio Art Director fills that void and comes one day before his latest work for the company is revealed. Stern’s *King Kong: Myth of Terror Island* is due to launch tomorrow, April 15th and it features a complete art package created by Jeremy.

Here’s how Stern Pinball made the announcement of Jeremy’s appointment.

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| **Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) Appointed Studio Art Director**  **CHICAGO, IL – April 14, 2025** – Stern Pinball, Inc. (SPI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeremy Packer (Zombie Yeti) (aka Zombie Yeti) as Studio Art Director.   With his impeccable draftsmanship, innate sense of balanced composition and commendable attention to detail, Jeremy has cemented himself as a top-tier talent in the illustration business.   His portfolio features a vast array of iconic Stern Pinball games, including Foo Fighters, Ghostbusters, Deadpool, Avengers: Infinity Quest, Godzilla, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Iron Maiden, Venom and The Uncanny X-Men.  Jeremy is an award winning illustrator who gained recognition in the pinball industry for his dynamic, comic-inspired art style. Early influences such as comic books, gig posters, and street-art culture shaped his bold use of colors, highly detailed character work, and playful visual narratives.   His innovative approach to creating cohesive, story-driven artwork helped modernize pinball’s aesthetics and reintroduce hand-drawn techniques to a market often reliant on photo-based or digital collage.  “*Jeremy continues to provide the best artwork in the industry with his work receiving numerous accolades. We’re excited for him to lead the way with the entire art studio here at Stern Pinball and showcase his incredible art collaboration on the newly announced King Kong: Myth of Terror Island pinball machine,*” said George Gomez, Chief Creative Officer of Stern Pinball, Inc. |
|  |

Congratulations to Jeremy on his new position. Catch the reveal of *King Kong: Myth of Terror Island* here at Pinball News as soon as it is announced tomorrow.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: e309432a-14b9-4161-b930-7bc3a5b934f9*