Bates is a highly experienced veteran of the IT world. He started applying his skills to the entertainment industry in 1997 at Mainframe Entertainment where he worked on such animated series as REBOOT, BEAST WARS, BARBIE, MAX STEEL, SPIDERMAN and HOT WHEELS. In 2008, he took the position as Head of Systems at Image Engine where he grew the IT department significantly while working on numerous high-end productions, including STARGATE: UNIVERSE, DISTRICT 9, TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, IMMORTALS, and THE THING.