Born and raised in Japan, after graduating from high school, Nakashima made a solo move to the U.S. to attend art school.
After graduation, he joined Dreamworks, a major American production studio, before later moving to Rhythm & Hues. In addition to acting as Chief Designer for attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Nakashima has also worked as an art director / character designer for many major U.S. TV commercials, creating icons such as Coka Cola’s Polar bear and Geico’s Gecko, etc. He’s best know for his feature film design work on Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone, Mouse Hunt, Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Night at Museum, etc. More recently, Nakashima was VFX Art Director for the sci-fi blockbuster film The Seventh Son and Alvin and the Chipmunks film series, the sequel to the hugely popular television series.
He has also worked on concept design/art for many Japanese animated films such as character design for “Haruka,” the protagonist of Oblivion Island and the Magic Mirror, characters for Expelled from Paradise, and color art direction for Pokemon: Mew Two Strikes Back Revolution, CG animated films.
He currently resides in Los Angeles.