Access: VFX Podcast

For this weeks episode of The ACCESS:VFX Podcast we've gathered recruiters and talent managers from the visual effects, animation, and games industries to tackle 15 killer career questions sent in via our community on social media.

In this two-part episode, we’re celebrating International Womens Day and Women's History Month by chatting with four excellent guests from four of the newest additions to the ACCESS: VFX membership, including Annie Shaw from Realtime, Monica Garcia at Dimension, Rose Holt Matthews at Dupe VFX and Abi Klimaszewska from Black Kite.

On the evening of Thursday 21st September, XVFX, the ACCESS: VFX community for people of colour, held their ‘End the Summer with XVFX’ event kindly hosted at Framestore's London studio, and sponsored by Foundry. In addition to hosting a wonderful networking opportunity and event, we also had a dynamic panel discussion on the night with 'near peer' industry guests from our members' studios, in creative, production and tech positions.

The ACCESS: VFX Podcast is back with another special episode discussing all things artificial intelligence and machine learning! Joining Nene Parsotam for this conversion on the 'darker side' of AI are: creative communicator, artist and a social media producer at Unfold Stories, Savena Surana, Global Head of Creative Strategy at Automated Creative, Amy Wright and Co-Founder & Head of Video Production at Univid, Jide Johnson.

The ACCESS: VFX Podcast is back with this special episode discussing all things artificial intelligence and machine learning! Joining Nene Parsotam for this conversion are Caroline Sheila Rouge, a Junior Compositor at Vine FX, Kalle Everland, freelance creative director in the advertising industry and Malachi James, Blue Zoo storyboard artist.

We meet with Ace Ruele, Actor and Director of Creature Bionics. We have such an interesting conversation covering Ace’s journey from aspiring dancer, escaping a life of crime, his teaching work, all the way through to entering the uber-creative world of creature bionics and of course, visual effects.

We speak to Ere Santos, Animation Supervisor at Walt Disney Animation Studios. A conversation packed with incredible stories, advice and one of our best 'geeky sections' yet for budding animators!

We speak to Alisha Huxtable, Senior Production Coordinator at DNEG. We discuss work/life balance, STEM careers, some excellent industry advice and how there is more to creativity than drawing! This an advice-packed conversation that we hope you enjoy.

We speak to Declan Cassidy, the Chief Executive of Into Games, the UK’s largest non-profit dedicated to providing better career pathways into the games industry. If you have even an inkling of interest in the games industry, please get involved at intogames.org

On this episode we announce and celebrate the launch of ACCESS: VFX EUROPE! To tackle the big ‘20 questions’ on this episode we meet AVFX EUROPE co-chairs, Caroline Garret from Netflix, and Chris Kiser from Glassworks! You can sign up to be a mentee or an industry mentor at accessvfx.org/mentors

We welcome Senior Games Artist at Naughty Dog, Del Walker to take on the A:VFX Vaults 20 questions. A great episode packed with advice and insight. An essential listen.

With the rapid increases in energy costs, fuel, food, and accommodation, it is getting harder to pay rent, and simply exist whilst holding down entry-level roles on entry-level salaries. For episode 22 we meet industry financial experts who offer some guidance on how to navigate this challenging time for the next generation of talent coming through.

It's our Summer Special episode and we review the last 20 episodes of career advice 'golden nuggets' with Harriet Edge Partington Talent & Recruitment Manager, from Union VFX and Engy Jarrouj, Outreach and Inclusion Talent Partner at Framestore. If you're looking to get into VFX, Animation, or Games, this episode will give you the toolkit you need!

We meet Robin Chowdury, Chief Operating Officer at dupe, the world’s first visual effects B Corporation! We discuss growing up in Sweden, a 12-year career in Retail Operations, traveling, barista rejection, a rewarding stint as a painter/decorator, and then helping out at dupe, quickly taking on a role setting them up as a B-Corp to COO of the studio! A wonderfully untraditional route into the industry and essential listening!

We celebrate our partnership with 3Dami, Screenskills and NextGen Skills Academy for this years Young Animator of the Year competition. Our guest is Josh Palfrey, 2020’s best 3D Animation winner in the 15-18 age group, and now Blue Zoo Animation's youngest ever 3D Artist! A super inspiring conversation with a rising star in our industry!

We speak to the brilliant Director/Producer HaZ Dulull! Fresh from his role as program chair at FMX we hear how he transitioned from a traditional VFX Artist career path to directing and producing movies and a unique insight into his journey so far, from growing up in East London to breaking into Hollywood and of course we discuss RIFT, his dual video game, and companion feature made entirely using Unreal Engine 5.

We chat with VFX Producer at Milk VFX Noga Alon Stein! With a career that kicked off with a short stint at New Black Films in 2010, closely followed by an 11-year tenure at Union VFX working her way up from Production Coordinator to VFX Producer working on such titles as The French Dispatch, Trainspotting 2, Three Billboards, Stan & Ollie and Operation Mincemeat.

We chat to DNEG Resource Manager Chanel Belliveau and hear about her career journey starting in production, her transition into "people management", and the importance of being assertive, but kind. With a passion for leadership training, people, and an advocate for mental health support, this is a great listen!

We meet Luke Grieg, Junior VFX Editor at Freefolk who only got into the industry last Summer! We hear about his career path so far which has included a short stint as a primary school teacher and working for a South London record label. A great 'near-peer' conversation and one for those interested in non-traditional routes into the industry!

It's our 'Mothers Day Special' on episode 14 where we meet with Leanne Loughran, Senior Recruiter at ILM. With a background in interior design, Leanne started out as an art teacher, then worked at a number of studios as a 3D Artist, co-founded an animation studio, then to specialise as a Talent Manager and Recruiter for some big name studios!

In episode 13 we are joined by Mark Pinheiro! From beginning as a runner and in the libraries of TV stations, Mark has worked for 30+ years across TV, film, and stage production. Often named by the people who know, as the world's best VFX coach, Mark takes us through his amazing story so far.

We chat to Jason Halverson, VFX Supervisor at Goodbye Kansas, who has worked with some of the biggest studios, on the biggest shows. We discuss Star Wars cameos, Matrix sequels, lunch with Ray Harryhausen, and the importance of collaboration and staying curious.

On episode 11 we are joined by a Digital Compositor, Laraib Atta who has worked for most, if not all of of the big names in Visual Effects & Animation! We discuss growing up in Pakistan, how her love for art, drawing, movies and storytelling eventually clicked into a career in visual effects, and how her brother gave her the best advice! Enjoy!

We chat with BlueBolt VFX Supervisor, Richard Frazer, discussing his life as a VFX Supe and his route into the role. We talk about "colouring in monsters", his aspirations growing up in Leicester, (yes, another guest from Leicester!), a mid-life career change, and being paid to be a nerd!

On episode 9 we invite Head of VFX at Ghost VFX, Annie Gordon to the A:VFX 'vault'. We discuss her production journey to date that includes, among others, credits on The Hobbit trilogy, and that you don't need to be a full 'VFX geek' to carve out an incredible career in the industry.

On episode 8 we meet Niall Smith, former VFX apprentice and now a firmly established Compositor at Jellyfish Pictures. This is essential listening for anyone interested in applying for a VFX apprenticeship. We discuss setting milestones, self-development and surrounding yourself with incredible mentors.

On episode 7 we meet with Jasmine Katatikarn, CG Lead, Creativity Coach and Co-Founder of The Academy of Animated Art. We open the AVFX 'vault' and discuss breaking down creativity, 'pre-vizzing' your life, getting industry ready and creating photo-real tomatoes!

We promised 'near-peer' guests on the podcast and we have delivered on episode 6 where we meet Steph Preston, Digital Marketing Apprentice at Blue Zoo Animation Studio. We hear about their application experience, their role at Blue Zoo and the importance of representation and role models.

In episode 5 we meet Chris Fryer, Digital Compositor at Industrial Light & Magic. We hear about his career to date, some 'near-peer' top tips, how confidence is a skill, 'killer lizards', and his experience at a seasoned ACCESS: VFX Mentor! If you are starting out in the industry this is a must-listen.

Simon chats to Suraj (Sid) Harrington-Odedra, Head of CG at Unit VFX. Sid talks us through his career journey from the worry of mischoosing his A-levels, then heading off to Uni, breaking into The Mill via Escape Studios, going on to work on amazing projects such as The Chemical Brothers music videos. Don't miss the invaluable advice that he would love to go back and tell his teenage self!

In this episode, we hear from Alwyn Hunt, Co-Founder of The Rookies, a platform that helps digital artists get discovered without having to compete with professionals for attention. We hear about Alwyn's work from starting out as a chef, through to building CG dragons, and his work as a Texture Artist. We also get a sneak peek at what is coming soon from The Rookies! Find out more at www.therookies.co

Hear Mark's golden advice on how he career-journeyed from living in a small farming village, seemingly a million miles from the world of TV, from working in a nursing home, verrucas plaster factory, a production manager, a university course leader and a live-action feature film director to eventually become the Head of Aardman Academy!

We're back! Welcome to a new season of the ACCESS:VFX Podcast. In this new season, we're doing things a bit differently; interviewing a different member of the VFX, Animation & Games community. In this episode, we chat with the mighty VFX executive producer Gin Godden! For more information about the XVFX initiative, visit www.accessvfx.org/xvfx

ACCESS:VFX is proud to announce the launch of an antipodean chapter for those living in, working in or hoping to live or work in Australia & New Zealand. We hear how the chapter hopes to help diversity, inclusion and opportunities within their local industry, including matters of gender, indigenous peoples, LGBT and neurodiversity.

With the current state of the world, young people face a bleaker outlook than ever, so in this podcast, we deep-dive into ways the industry is helping young people, what more can be done and how teachers and parents can nurture blossoming creative passion.

In episode 43 we catch up with our Chicago chapter and welcome Sandrine Gaillot (Immigration Attorney) to the pod. Ever thought about working in the USA or Canada and don’t know where to start? This session, recorded with a live, virtual audience will answer your questions on the VISA process and more!!

Ahead of our link up with the Film & TV Charity for the Spider-Man: Behind the Web tweet-along and fundraiser on 6th August we gathered industry participants to discuss their involvement with the event. Please text FILM to 70507 to donate £5 to the Film & TV Charity. You will be charged £5 plus standard rates and the charity receives 100% of the donation.

A 'new chapter' special. We have historically spoken at great length about an LA chapter of ACCESS:VFX, and often those conversations started off with best intentions and then slowly lost traction. We are pleased and proud to announce that ACCESS:VFX West Coast has launched with with membership from Framestore, The Mill, Luma Pictures, Zoic Studios, Fuse FX and Pixomondo, exciting times lie ahead!

With the recent news of significant numbers of industry redundancies as well as the continued furloughing of many members of the visual effects community, we wanted to pull together an episode that focusses on offering support to both those people and offering hope to emerging talent who may have questions about the stability of the VFX industry.

On episode 39 of the ACCESS:VFX podcast we welcome back our Industry Connect team for the second part to the conversation we kicked off in part-one with black and ethnically diverse members of the visual effects and animation community, responding to recent events and sharing their experiences of racism working in visual effects and animation.

On this episode, we gather Black and ethnically diverse members of the visual effects and animation community to put out a recording as a response to current events - namely the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota police department and the subsequent rallies and protests that have erupted globally against police brutality and racism.

The third episode in our careers advice series, 'Standing Out While Staying in', with special guest, Royal Television Society!

Our ACCESS:VFX Chicago Chapter hosted episode 36 of the pod assembling a group of freelance VFX artists discussing a whole host of tips and supportive advice for anyone working as a freelancer or considering it. Hosted by Kate Soczka, Head of Production at Carbon VFX.

The feel good episode to lighten your spirits! Hardcore members of the Q (Queer) VFX team come together for a casual chat about favourite activities and entertainment in lockdown.

Following up from our episode, 'Standing Out While Staying In', we assemble a group of marketing and PR experts to help you nail self-promotion and how you present yourself online at this pivotal time. With special guest, Motivational Speaker and Owner of Spark Creativity, Reuben Milne.

Another special ‘celebrity squares’ episode of the ACCESS:VFX podcast! The fifth part of our new STAY AT HOME series continuing to address our ‘new normal’ …and the second part of STAYING WELL WHILE STAYING IN where we check in with our guests two weeks after the first instalment where we discussed resilience, mental health.

Regular podcast subscribers will know that we discussed the subject of parenting and caring responsibilities in last year’s VFX Mums and Dads episodes. The combo of parenting and homeschooling is more prevalent now more than ever – all whilst continuing to deliver of projects, jobs and shows. In this episode entitled ‘The ACCESS:VFX Guide to Caring in Lockdown’ we hope will offer some support to those of you out there performing this balancing act!

Now that we’ve all been working at home for a while now, we discuss ways we've coped with some of the issues we are all facing on a daily basis. We chat with individuals and studios to hear how both employers and artists are dealing with "the new normal". By working together and sharing ideas between ourselves we hope to help others. You can find the resources page Sanctus put together here: sanctus.io/coronavirus/

Stuck at home? There’s no better time to think about signing up as an e-mentor and support someone who wants to get into our creative industry. In this episode, we find out what it's like, how it works and how you can get involved. ACCESS:VFX Mentoring is kindly sponsored by Foundry and uses Prospela.com.

We discuss how you can best prepare yourself for job hunting when you can't get to a VFX/animation festival to speak to the studios in person. You can watch us chat on YouTube too!

A very special International Women's Day episode of the ACCESS:VFX podcast! Guest host Nene Parsotam (Co-Founder of We Are Stripes & A:VFX Board Member) joins Simon Devereux (The Mill's Head of Learning & Development, and Founder & Director of ACCESS:VFX) to lead a lively discussion on gender equality and representation in the creative sector with a handpicked panel of industry thought leaders.

In light of the recent Film and TV Charity Mental Health survey we were shocked to find out nearly 9 in 10 people working in our industry have experienced a mental health problem. In this podcast, a few Q-VFX board members discuss our upcoming Mental Health Support event, The Q-VFX Picture, which will take place Jellyfish Pictures in Brixton.

This episode we talk neurodiversity and how the variety of neurodiverse conditions can affect people working in the VFX industry. We discuss misconceptions and how individuals, colleagues, employees and parents can embrace the characteristics.

In this podcast Simon chats to three VFX artists who decided to take Apprenticeship route into their careers, they discuss what the experience was like, what their parents thought, how it compares to the University route, and if they would recommend it to others.

In January you may have read the article on Skwigly titled “Inclusion & Diversity in UK Animation Workforce: A Response”, where the author Tanya Scott explained why she was so surprised to read the results of the survey we published last September, which didn’t match her experiences. So we asked Tanya and industry colleague Ash to share their thoughts on the subject.

In this Christmas special, we bring together the international ACCESS:VFX Chapters from New York, Montreal, Chicago and the UK to round up and celebrate all the amazing activities and initiatives put on this year by the Chapters across the world in the name of inclusion and diversity.

It’s one of the biggest events in the ACCESS:VFX calendar! This podcast comes from WorldSkills UK Live at the NEC Birmingham where 80,000 young people discover careers at the pivotal age when they are choosing which qualifications to take, shaping the rest of their lives. What did we do there? Listen and find out!

Kim Ash and Aderianna Williams discuss life working in technical roles in VFX, discussing what the roles involve, how they got into the industry, ultimate goals and dreams and share advice to others wanting to follow their path. Kim is a Senior Software Developer at MPC (who has since moved studios and now works at The Mill). Aderianna Williams is a Systems Engineer at The Mill NYC.

In honour of #BrexitDay on 31st October 2019 (or rather, what was to be Brexit day!) we host a conversation on a subject we usually intentionally dodge: the B-word. Keeping it as politics-free as possible, we discuss how Brexit has affected VFX & Animation studios to date, what it means for people who work in the industry, and how you can best prepare yourself for all outcomes if you want to work in the UK.

For National Coming Out Day, here is a special episode of the ACCESS:VFX podcast recorded LIVE in front of an audience at our September Q-VFX event, kindly hosted by our friends at DNEG. Join us for an interview with some of our Q-VFX members - including a last-minute entry from the audience! - as we talk coming out, mental health and hear each person’s story from their own perspective.

Every summer studios across the world offer short work placements for budding VFX artists who aspire to work in the industry. They are an ideal stepping stone from education into industry, and we wanted to hear what it’s actually like. So we chatted to 8 of the interns who spent 8 weeks of their summer at Framestore, to hear their experience of what goes on. If you’re thinking of applying for an internship this podcast is essential listening!

Coders build the foundation of any modern VFX or CG animation studio, but it’s still a very male-dominated role. So to celebrate #NationalCodingWeek, we spoke to female coders at DNEG, The Mill, Blue Zoo Animation & Outpost VFX to discover what they do, why it’s still not a gender-balanced role and how we can go about fixing that.

In partnership with UK Screen Alliance and AnimationUK we reveal a major new report on Inclusion & Diversity in UK VFX, animation & post-production sectors highlighting unsung progress + areas for improvement. This podcast discusses why the survey was needed, and what the resulting actions are.

At ACCESS:VFX we celebrate and raise awareness of amazing career paths in VFX, animation & games. But with that comes a responsibility to prepare future talent for a client-facing industry, where creative scope can often outstrip resources which can result in demanding hours of work. This potentially could take its toll on stress levels and work/life balance. This is a positive conversation that’s not about criticising any studios; the conversation is bigger than that.

A conversation on balancing two demanding jobs; we chat to Dads working in VFX who share their experiences, how they managed to make it work and what studios can do to help.

A conversation on balancing two demanding jobs; four working mothers who share their experiences, how they managed to make it work and what studios can do to help. With: Elaine Kieran, Judy Barr, Chryssa Sanders and Nene Parsotam

Want to find out more about how they can channel their love for animation into an exciting career in the visual effects (VFX), animation and games industries? Listen to this podcast and then come along to the event at Escape Studios in central London this August (8th/9th/10th)

In this episode, MPC NY VFX artists Ash Yee and Giulia Bartra chat to each other about their experiences of moving to New York and breaking into the industry.

Celebrating a new LGBTQI+ community hub! Big thanks to our panelists, Framestore for hosting, Foundry for sponsoring the event, ILM for the bingo prizes (tickets to Disneyland!!) and our drag queen bingo host Lady Gala! 🏳️‍🌈

In this episode we speak to Cat Gulácsy and Ryan Penny, co-chairs of the newly formed New York Chapter of ACCESS:VFX to discuss their motivations for getting involved, the recent launch event and their plans and ambitions for the coming year.

In this podcast, we speak to some of the industry experts at the event, including Eva Adams, Production Coordinator at Framestore, Paul Wilkes (Global Head of Talent Management at MPC), Tom Knight (Talent Manager at the Mill), Ian Fellows (2D Supervisor)

The VFX Festival EDU is an inspiring event for school and college students who would love to learn more about the world of VFX, Games and Animation during a series of talks and networking sessions.

The fourth instalment in our series of talking to Runners, where we find out the real deal on what it's really like moving to a big city and getting an entry level job at a VFX studio. In this episode DNEG London's Harriet talks to 2D Runner Phil, and MPC New York's Runners Mackenzie & Anthony talk about their experiences.

ACCESS: VFX along with a group of like-minded folks from the VFX, animation and games community are thrilled to introduce ‘Q-VFX’, a new, inclusive LGBTQI+ community hub where both our staff and aspiring talent can access information, events, mentorship and support.

Find out why studios are embracing a new way of super-charging the UK’s talent pipeline and why your studio needs to get involved. We speak to NextGen Skills Academy, UK Screen Alliance and Framestore to get the facts without the fluff.

Talking to Runners where we find out the real deal on what it's really like to join a VFX studio at entry level. In this episode Cinesite Runners Charlotte and Vanessa chat about their experiences.

In this series of episodes, we’re finding out what it’s really like to move to a big city and get a first job in a VFX studio on an entry-level salary.

In this series of episodes, we’re finding out what it’s really like to move to a big city and get a first job as a runner in a VFX studio, sharing tips on how to live on a tight budget. In this episode Simon Devereux chats to Runners at The Mill.

In this podcast, we chat to an apprentice working in a VFX studio, and a parent of an apprentice, to get insights into what it means for both the student and parent, in comparison to more traditional career paths.