TRIGGER's Hiromi Wakabayashi entered the animation studio business around 2004 when he entered Gainax after hitting it of during his interview Hiroyuki Yamaga (Honneamise) and Hiroki Sato (KareKano & FLCL producer).

Sato noticed his documents where bound by a painting clip so he asked if he was into model kits which he was... and so he got the job.

Not the one he was looking for Production progress, already full at the time at Gainax, but Setting progress.

For a long time i thought he entered around Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking production...

But no he actually started on the Setting progress team on Melody of Oblivion (2004), based on You Yoshinari's design he build a model kit for J.C. Staff who was producing the animation.

His next job was on the production team of the 1st mecha series from Gainax after Evangelion... but he says this project didn't pan out... so i'll assume this could be Bushilord project https://twitter.com/Duune99/status/1145656906826092546

The timeline seems to feet at least. And so this reply my question, they did transform this project into Gurren Lagann. Wakabayashi said when it was canned Imaishi & Nakajima where brought in to restart the process from scratch.

Because he was working on the original project he was transfered on Gurren Lagann project on the setting production team. He does say he did more than that, collecting and manage the setting materials.

After he came with the original idea for Panty and Stocking during a drinking party after Gurren Lagann TV broadcast. And he was the one who pitched it to the boss at Gainax and stayed with it ant took care of the planning stage when the Gurren Lagann movies entered production.

When Imaishi, Otsuka and Matsumoto left to form TRIGGER he was still at Gainax and before leaving he helped on A1 Pictures's Idolm@ster movie. That's when he came back at the office he decided to leato to work outside animation. He was an MC on a niconico monthly program.

Then he entered TRIGGER you must know what he worked on !

You can read the full Wakabayashi itw (jp) https://www.excite.co.jp/news/article/E1381338881604/