In this episode of the podcast, Allan McKay sits down with Olivio Sarikas, a renowned AI expert and YouTuber, to dive deep into the world of AI image generation. Olivio shares his extensive knowledge and experience working with various AI tools, providing valuable insights for both beginners and advanced users. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, from getting started with AI image generation to exploring the latest advancements in the field. Olivio offers practical advice on...

In this episode, Allan McKay interviews Roxana Baldovin, an esteemed music video and commercial director known for her vibrant visual style. Roxana discusses her creative journey, from her early aspirations of being a screenwriter to becoming a sought-after director collaborating with major artists like Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, Doja Cat, Bella Poarch and Maluma. She shares insights into her creative process, the challenges of directing, and how she finds inspiration. Roxana also opens up about...

In the latest episode, I'm excited to spotlight David Wahlberg, an esteemed 2D Pipeline Supervisor and Comp Supervisor at Important Looking Pirates VFX in Stockholm, Sweden. With an expansive career of over 17 years, David has traversed the globe, contributing his vast skills to studios in Stockholm, Oslo, London, Sydney and Wellington. His work encompasses roles as a comp supervisor, senior compositor, and a pioneer in developing tools and plugins for Nuke, leveraging his programming...

Quick updates on many things happening in 2024 and on the Podcast! Resuming back to the normal Podcast starting next week but thought I would share views on AI, the industry as it is right now in Q1 of 2024 and more!

Karen Heston is a VFX Supervisor on feature films and episodic tv. They began their VFX career at commercial houses in NYC on the night shift; while finishing their MFA in computer art by day.  Starting as a Flame artist, they led VFX teams and engaged with creatives from storyboards to finals. On-set supervision and taking projects from pre-production through post remains their passion today. Karen’s projects include titles like GREEN LANTERN, BEASTS OF NO NATION, OCEAN’S EIGHT, and most...

Josh Rosenbaum is a Producer at Waypoint Entertainment.  Josh majored in Business Administration at the USC Marshall School of Business and minored in Music Industry through the USC Thornton School of Music. Before he joined Waypoint Entertainment, he worked as an Agent Trainee at William Morris. After joining Waypoint Entertainment in 2015, he worked his way up from being a Production Coordinator to now a Producer. Since joining Waypoint, he worked on titles like THE FAVOURITE, CUCKOO,...

With 15 years in the VFX business, Jonas Ussing has  supervisor credits on several feature and television titles, including the Netflix series THE RAIN. Jonas has furthermore earned nominations for an Emmy and a Danish Academy Award. In 2012, Jonas was nominated for an Emmy for his work on INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY. In 2014, he directed a short film ZOMBIEHAGEN which he also wrote.  During 2023, Jonas launched his own YouTube Channel The Movie Rabbit Hole. He released two videos that have...

Infinite-Realities (IR) specializes in digital humans. Founded in 2007, IR has been developing static and motion scanning systems for over 15 years. Lee Perry-Smith is the original Founder of Infinite-Realities. As CEO, he has led various large scale project developments. He has a deep passion for human scanning and the ongoing pursuit of the perfect digital human. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Founder of Infinite-Realities Lee Perry-Smith about his passion for digital humans and...

Kat Montagu is the Head of Writing for Film, Television and Games Program at the Vancouver Film School. She has taught for over 20 years in VFS’s Writing and Film Production Departments. Her Career Launch class has prepared countless VFS graduates to work on feature films, in the writers’ rooms of tv series and in video game studios. Kat has been named a VFS Instructor of the Year three times. Kat is also the author of the best stilling book The Dreaded Curse: Screenplay Formatting for Film...

Kris A. Truini was born in Middletown, Connecticut, and was raised in Italy until the age of 15. There, he first discovered his passion for film when he was 8 years old and has been making videos ever since. With little to no help for his first videos, he had to explore and learn as much as possible on every aspect involved in completing a film from start to finish. He acquired a good knowledge of software such as 3DS Max, After Effects, Photoshop, Premiere, Final Cut Pro X, FL Studio, along...

Rob Nederhorst is a veteran of the VFX industry. As a VFX Supervisor, he’s worked on titles like JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM, THE CONJURING, GHOSTBUSTERS, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, and so many others. Rob has deep knowledge in compositing, lighting, 3D, 2D and programming. In addition, he does his own photography (https://www.flickr.com/photos/71678094@N00/) and teaches at University of Southern California.  In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Robert...

Eric Wachtman is a CG / VFX Supervisor and Art Director at LAIKA where he’s been working for nearly 20 years. Prior to that, he served as the Director of CG / Visual Effects and Art Director at the Cartoon Network. LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon and is guided by the vision of its President & CEO Travis Knight. Located just outside Portland, Oregon, LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® for its innovation in 3D printing in 2016.  Its five films – MISSING LINK (2019);...

Alex Wang is a VFX Supervisor. He started his career in visual effects at The Orphanage on THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW, right after graduating from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2003. He then joined Image Movers Digital to work on THE CHRISTMAS CAROL and MARS NEEDS MOMS. In 2010, Alex joined Digital Domain for TRON LEGACY, and then he worked on TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, JACK THE GIANT SLAYER and FURIOUS 7. He also served as a CG Supervisor on FAST AND FURIOUS 7 and then VFX...

Freelance is such a big topic in visual effects! For those of you starting in the industry, you’re probably wondering how to get your foot in the door. Ultimately, 2024 will be a very busy year. That means that those of you who are good should be ready to turn down work.  The first thing you need to think about is how you’re positioning yourself in the business: What are the special skills that you have that allow you to stand out from others? We are in a problem solving business....

Chris LeDoux is the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, a VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur.  Born and bred in Alaska, Chris earned Bachelor’s degree in both psychology and sociology, but his fascination with filmmaking led him to the world of visual effects. He began his career in VFX as a compositor at The Orphanage in 2004. He worked at numerous studios such as Uncharted Territory, Cafe FX and Scanline. Now a veteran of the film industry, his impressive resume includes compositing and VFX...

Chris LeDoux is the Co-Founder of Crafty Apes, a VFX Supervisor and an Entrepreneur.  Born and bred in Alaska, Chris earned Bachelor’s degree in both psychology and sociology, but his fascination with filmmaking led him to the world of visual effects. He began his career in VFX as a compositor at The Orphanage in 2004. He worked at numerous studios such as Uncharted Territory, Cafe FX and Scanline. Now a veteran of the film industry, his impressive resume includes compositing and VFX...

Mark Spindler is a Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixomondo in Frankfurt, Germany. He’s worked on feature films such as Midway, Justice League, Star Trek: Into Darkness, as well tv shows like The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones for which he received two VES Award nominations. His most recent work on House of the Dragon has also been recognized with an Emmy nomination. He began his career path as a Compositor after finishing his Master of Arts in Media Production in 2012, then became a Lead...

Eric J. Robertson is the Executive Vice President of ReDefine, as well as a Producer, Cinematographer and Entrepreneur. As part of the DNEG Group, ReDefine leverages an incredible legacy of creative and technical innovation to cater to projects that benefit from their agile boutique approach. The studio designs solutions that are tailored to the requirements of each show and always delivers to the highest levels of quality. The list of their credits includes DUNE: PART II, BORDERLANDS, WACO:...

Ghost Robot is the creative studio of the future based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. They work with a global community of artistic talent to create content for forward thinking clients. Ghost Robot was founded in 2002 by Zachary Mortensen. The company derived its name from the theme of a music video Ghost Robot was producing at the time. The video was for the song "In The Waiting Line" by the band Zero7. "In The Waiting Line" was the first commercial use of machinima using the animation...

Zacharias “Zach” Reinhardt is a 3D Artist, as well as Founder and Lead Instructor at CG Boost. CG Boost provides Blender tutorials and resources for 3D artists, in order to make creating passionate 3D projects achievable for anyone. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Founder of CG Boost Zach Reinhardt about starting his YouTube Channel and gaining traction, the inspiration behind launching his company, alternative packages to study Blender, which area of the industry uses Blender...

Tim Simmons is an experienced media producer with a demonstrated history of creating short and long form video to create engaging content.Tech Savvy, people savvy, and self motivated creator with a successful track record of building a brand from scratch, Tim is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others – and exploring the intersection of creative content and AI. In 2022, Tim created Theoretically Media, a channel focusing on creative AI imagery. The Channel dives into filmmaking,...

Melinda Ozel is an Expression Scientist, Consultant and Educator of all things face related.  Before pioneering a career path in expression science, she worked as a Researcher at Meta and Affective where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now helps companies in film, game and tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology. In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Expression Scientist...

Activision Blizzard’s history goes back more than 40 years. Two incredible gaming brands Activision and Blizzard Entertainment merged, bringing together the best creative talent in gaming. The acquisition of King in 2016 further strengthened the company’s vision to bring the world together through epic entertainment. Their professional gaming properties include the Overwatch League™, the Call of Duty League™, Hearthstone® Grandmasters, and the World of Warcraft® Arena World Championship,...

A veteran facilitator with over 25 years experience in VFX and animation, Jep Hill is an Executive Creative Director at Alkemy X, an award-winning global creative company at the intersection of advertising, brands and entertainment. The company is a creative partner for the biggest names in film and television, such as Fear of the Walking Dead, Wednesday, The Whale, Westworld, Power, Dear White People, Hunters, Mr. Robot, and many more. Since 1981, Alkemy X has been a pioneer in a...