The Creator Curriculum

Recording our thirty ninth episode, the guest of honor today is Aaron Covrett. He is a 3D Designer who has worked for clients such as Microsoft, Squarespace, xFinity and more across studios such as The Mill, Tendril and Man vs. Machine. Aaron's eye for rendering stunning realism has earned him slots as a guest speaker at events such as NAB 2018 and NAB 2019. Calling all the way from Michigan, a very special thanks to Aaron for making the time. Timecodes: 00:01:44 | Living In Michigan, Working Wherever 00:07:23 | Backstory: From Web Developer To ManVsMachine 00:10:52 | Exploring A Subject To Endless Depths 00:16:06 | Do You Outrun or Outwork Everybody? 00:23:46 | Creating Abstract Films (ft. Purple Mattresses) 00:35:47 | A Materials Deep Dive 00:37:41 | Rather, A Lighting Deep Dive 00:45:04 | The Virtues Of Maintaining An Asset Library 00:49:10 | Eliminating Bottlenecks In Production 00:56:10 | Free Plug For Substance 01:04:34 | Independence & NFTs 01:10:16 | What Dreams are Left?

Recording our thirty eight episode, the guest of honor today is Carlos Pecino aka Colorsponge. He is an automotive CGI artist widely known for his photorealistic car renderings. His work has gotten him jobs with clients such as Recom Farmhouse, Realtime UK, and Netflix on shows like Love, Death and Robots. He's one of the most convincingly realistic CG artists in the automotive space and a trusted collaborator with big artists across the industry like Alberto Mieglo and Ash Thorp. Calling all the way from London, a very special thanks to Carlos for making the time. Timecodes: 00:01:12 | The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent 00:04:42 | Being Alberto Mielgo's Lighting Supervisor 00:22:59 | Maybe I Don't Need To Be The Boss After All 00:29:54 | Persevering Despite Great Discouragement 00:43:44 | Cars: Sourcing Versus Scratch 01:05:20 | What's A Colorsponge? 01:08:48 | Freelancing (Sucks In Spain) 01:29:36 | Being Multidisciplinary/ Mud-Wrestling Pixels

The industry knows Cornelius for creating some of the most detailed CG images in the world. His custom scenes are dense with secrets, designed to be admired for a long time. During our chat I learned what a painstaking, arduous process this entailed. It was inspiring, but he also made me laugh. For a CG artist who defines the "labor of love," Cornelius sure is a pretty funny guy. Timecodes: 00:01:11  Ditching V-Ray For Octane 00:06:43   Backstory: Behind The Berlin Wall 00:15:14   GFX Sucked Back Then 00:18:38   Taking As Long as You Need 00:26:57  Amount of Detail in His Work 00:33:35   How Do You Afford To Take So Long? 00:42:18   Nobody Talked About Digital Art Till NFTs 00:46:55   Using Pre-Made Assets 00:50:35 Client Work (NASA!) 00:59:20 The Connected Universe of Delphor 01:11:20 Outro

Stephy Fung is a 3D designer who's found herself a pioneer in the world of digital fashion. Learning Marvelous Designer has allowed her to participate in a space that's poised to grow exponentially bigger as the metaverse intertwines with reality. Timecodes: 00:01:35 | Backstory: Graphic Design Was Not My Thing 00:07:36 | Prior Interest in Fashion 00:10:36 | Use Cases for Digital Fashion 00:16:24 | Creating New Types of Clothes 00:17:44 | Motion Graphics Communities (DIGI-GLX, NFTs & More) 00:23:56 | Breaking Into The NFT Community 00:29:34 | How To Sell Digital Clothing 00:31:27 | Outro

Debra Isaac absolutely loves Houdini. She's was the co-organizer of the Houdini User Group in LA. She ran the series Houdini Battles on Youtube. She taught Houdini at the university level. She still felt like she had more to give, so she founded the online learning platform Houdini School. There she invites instructors across the world to spread their love for Houdini through online education. A truly avid advocate for their software, SideFX should really start paying her at this point... Timecodes: 00:02:36 | Backstory: Falling In Love With Houdini 00:17:00 | Houdini & Code 00:21:32 | Best Way To Learn Houdini 00:25:40 | Career Opportunities With Houdini 00:33:54 | Founding Houdini School 00:38:50 | Economics Of Starting Online School 00:43:35 | Marketing Your School 00:45:48 | Why Do Students Want To Learn Houdini? 00:49:12 | Science Visualization With Houdini 00:50:32 | Human Connection 00:55:55 | Future of Houdini School/ Personal Work 01:01:48 | Typical Day Running Houdini School 01:03:48 | Launch Course Catalogue/ Debra's Teaching Style 01:06:32 | Learn With A Buddy

Visual artist Noemi Schipfer and musician Takami Nakamoto aren't your typical artists. NONOTAK combines electronic music, installation art and optical illusion to create magical performances all over the globe. Timecodes: 00:01:37  Backstory: Noemi & Takami's Origin Story 00:16:56   Creating The Music 00:21:28   Creating The Installations 00:31:00   Their Most Successful Project 00:37:42  Nonotak's Rules of Audiovisual Installation Design 00:43:53   The Nonotak Live Experience 00:48:22   The Economics of Installation Art 00:55:30 Surprises of International Touring 01:11:54 What's Next for Nonotak? 01:14:56 Outro

Leo Esteves is a Venezuelan Art Director & 3D Designer who is known for his amazing automobile renders. He's collaborated with industry heroes such as Ash Thorp & Hydro 74 on various car projects and is just as inspiring with his own aura of hard work, positivity and growth. Timecodes: 00:02:02 | Backstory: Studying Graphic Design In Venezuela 00:05:59 | Automotive Renderings 00:09:30 | The Good Days Of Learn Squared Mentorships 00:13:08 | Learnings From Ash Thorp 00:18:13 | Who Is Hydro 74? 00:24:08 | Was There A Turning Point In Your Career? 00:29:22 | Daily Grinding (For 15 Years) 00:42:04 | (Not) Having A Style As A Designer 00:46:32 | Being A Manager Versus Designer 00:58:49 | Finding Joy In Every Project 01:04:16 | Working Up From The Bottom 01:12:22 | 3D: Past and Present 01:21:31 | Leo Versus Machines (I Hate Computers) 01:26:15 | Venezuelan War Stories 01:37:40 | Outro

Meet Marcelo and Paulina, the husband and wife founders of one of the fastest growing studios in Latin America. Based in Quito, Ecuador and Barcelona, Spain, their work is focused around branding, packaging and web design. Pánico ditches the meaningless corporate marketing bullshit and shows clients what's real. Their distinctive style of simple, unadorned truth has earned them work with clients such as Astro, Prana and Holke 79. Recognition and awards have followed from all across Latin American media outlets. Timecodes: 00:04:30 | Backstory: Fighting For Truth In Marketing 00:13:52 | Our Client Are Our Friends 00:16:23 | Ideal Pánico Client 00:21:17 | Designing Brands Like Bands 00:25:42 | Pánico Work Culture 00:29:26 | Ecuador Design Culture 00:35:30 | Changing & Charging For Brands 00:40:47 | Starting Your Own Studio Isn't For Everybody 00:46:15 | Lessons Learned on Money & Art 00:50:08 | Reframing Social Media & Pánico Itself 00:56:46 | Outro

Derek Elliott is here to convert you to the gospel of 3D. He's already taught over 100K of his Youtube subscribers how to communicate in 3D using Blender, an open source program that's rapidly becoming one of the best. A talented artist and a business-savy designer, check this episode out if you want to turn your design hobby into a business. Timecodes: 00:01:32 | Backstory & Blender Stuff 00:06:26 | Open Source Internet Triumphs 00:12:18 | Derek's Entrepreneurial Approach to Business 00:23:56 | Becoming a Convincing Businessman 00:27:20 | Building Direct to Client Relationships 00:37:16 | Next Steps for Derek 00:41:23 | 3D General Advice 00:45:28 | Spec Project Advice 00:50:11 | Outro

One of the beloved Creative Directors of The Mill, Donnie's enthusiasm for art & design has earned him industry accolades with the likes of AICP and Promax BDA. As dangerous in a pitch room as he is on the box, Donnie is a force multiplier on any project and a master collaborator. Also, he's a nasty DJ. Timecodes: 00:03:14 | Backstory: Korn and Mark Ecko 00:18:52 | Gaining Confidence In the Days of the Internet 00:22:43 | Hanging Loose 00:27:01 | An Abundance of Time to Come Back to Things 00:34:27 | The Virtue of Keeping Art To Yourself 00:38:19 | Give Yourself Permission to Make Something Bad 00:45:45 | Doing A Little Bit of Everything 00:48:06 | The Work, Life, Passion Trifecta 00:49:39 | Communication Your Vision to Others 00:51:55 | Creative Director Defined 00:58:04 | Behind the Scenes of Creative Direction 01:01:44 | The Personality for the Job 01:04:30 | Sourcing & Selling Clients 01:14:15 | Building Your Own Brand Versus Studio Life 01:26:55 | Making Friends With Your Clients 01:38:35 | Outro

Jessica Rossier & Bastien Grivet are a husband & wife team of concept artists behind the style for Into the Spiderverse and Love, Death and Robot's jaw-dropping short The Witness. Under their alias Wardenlight Studios they have worked with the best of the best across film and videogames. They are wonderful people and utterly passionate artists! Timecodes: 00:01:52 | Backstory: Switzerland & Ubisoft 00:10:30 | Origins of Wardenlight Studios 00:12:36 | Getting a Call from ILM 00:19:02 | Studio Growing Pains 00:28:02 | Personal Work Gets You Clients 00:31:52 | Working on Into the Spiderverse 00:40:11 | Working on The Witness 00:44:54 | Digital Impressionism 00:54:58 | Differences Between Film and Videogames 00:57:32 | Outro

GMUNK is a visionary whose creativity and innovation span a diverse range of mediums, and has established himself as one of the top visual design directors in the world. Timecodes: 00:01:25 | Helicopter Photography & Peter Clark's Energy Levels 00:12:50 | I F*cking Love Strobe Lights 00:17:37 | His Most Recent Mistake 00:20:55 | Evolving Into New Industries 00:26:44 | How to Get Into Practical Shoots 00:32:03 | What Excites GMUNK Creatively 00:36:12 | Iconic Motion Design Title Sequences 00:42:30 | Soul Extractions & DMT 00:55:03 | Narrowing Down Your Focus 00:57:47 | Working Strategically Versus Passionately 01:02:05 | Beeple Is a Legend 01:06:00 | Fame, Success and Remaining True To Yourself 01:10:00 | Being a Good Collaborator 01:16:42 | Tapping Into Your Creative Energy 01:17:56 | How Does GMUNK Use 3D? 01:25:13 | Making the Most of Your Time 01:30:10 | The Mythological Purposes of Marijuana 01:34:05 | Science, Space and UFOs 01:41:15 | The Origin of GMUNK 01:42:16 | How A Hangover Lead to Working on Tron: Legacy 01:47:20 | Yiddish Oversharing 01:51:30 | Wrapping Up

Ben is a talented composer who has done scores for brands such as Lexus, Nike, Google & Swarovski. He's a frequent collaborator with talent like Ash Thorp & GMUNK. He's done movies, TV shows and video-games and released self-titled albums under his own name. For anyone interested in what goes into scoring music, you got to check this out. Timecodes: 00:02:13 | Backstory: Getting Into Music 00:13:37 | Scoring Movies 00:18:47 | Scoring Everything (The Game) 00:28:09 | Story Over Sound Design 00:32:50 | How Long Does It Take You To Put An Album Together? 00:39:48 | There Is No Favorite Album 00:44:40 | Making Money & Spotify 00:54:02 | Getting Your Music Heard 01:01:34 | Syncing 01:27:10 | Album Art Design Process 01:21:24 | Future Dreams 01:27:55 | The Composer's Guild 01:35:44 | Closing Thoughts

Niels Prayer was a former Technical Director at studios like Framestore & Illumination, but his taste lead him towards design and illustration. Incredibly talented, wise and humble, Niels shared his expertise on how to be extraordinary and happy at the same time. Timecodes: 00:01:36 | Backstory: Framestore 00:06:06 | Working as an FX Artist 00:10:19 | Switching Into Title Design 00:14:32 | What He's Learned From Patrick Clair 00:21:14 | Honing In On the Important Feedback 00:24:38 | Handling Clients As An Art Director 00:27:56 | Niels' Criteria for Good Work & Bad Work 00:31:28 | Living a Balanced Life 00:34:42 | Creating Music & Friday Night Jazz Lessons 00:40:06 | Sharing & Giving Feedback 00:44:22 | Niels Working Process (As an Illustrator & Houdini Artist) 00:51:42 | Why Should People Learn Houdini? 01:00:06 | Being a Technical Director at Illumination 01:03:30 | Niels Signed a Movie Contract! 01:16:06 | Final Words Of Wisdom 01:29:18 | Outro

Gustaf spent fifteen years in a band and twenty years as a Creative Director. He worked with acts like Dream Theater and people like Steve Jobs. Then he started his career all over to fulfill his dream of becoming a motion designer. It's an episode with quite the story arc! Timecodes: 00:00:44 | How We Met 00:02:08 | Making Music 00:10:00 | Performing in Maximum Indifference & Opening for Dream Theater 00:19:39 | The Touring Life 00:27:09 | Getting Your Music Heard (Or Not) 00:30:51 | NFTS & The Sevens Grant 00:44:52 | Getting The Attention of NFT Collectors 00:48:58 | Backstory: Gustaf's First Career 00:58:48 | Backstory: Working for Apple & Steve Jobs 01:03:36 | Backstory: From Tech to Entertainment 01:08:47 | The Rise of Botched Creative: Rebooting a Career 01:20:32 | First Job as a Motion Designer 01:26:50 | Fulfilling the Dream: Landing a Title Sequence Pitch 01:33:52 | What Goals are Left? 01:36:50 | Outro

Diego is a Houdini artist who's worked on movies like Frozen II, Logan, Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness, Justice League and Into the Spiderverse. Studios like Walt Disney Animation Studios, WETA, and Buck think he's pretty good at his job. Timecodes: 00:00:45 | Meeting Through Rebelway 00:02:21 | Backstory 00:07:30 | Starting Out In FX 00:13:39 | Specializing in FX 00:15:24 | Working On Movies as an FX Artist 00:19:10 | Crunch + Manpower 00:21:10 | Creativity & Favorite Shots 00:23:14 | Into the Spiderverse 00:24:13 | Working at Disney Animation Studios 00:31:37 | What Goals are Left At This Point? 00:33:26 | Realtime Work 00:36:57 | Favorite Types of Projects 00:41:12 | Immigrating to America 00:42:35 | Favorite Career Moment (Into the Spiderverse)

Coming highly recommended by Sam Mason, Saad was already pre-determined to impress. I was familiar with his work for the legendary Thom Yorke of Radiohead and saw some incredibly impressive projects on his site. Then I found out he had worked for Pixar, Stefan Sagmeister and Google's Innovation Lab… Timecodes: 00:01:24 | Backstory: Pixar
 00:08:43 | Backstory: Sagmeister & Walsh
 00:17:14 | CG Pipelines
 00:21:08 | Saad's Secret Sauce
 00:32:35 | Motion Capture Working Process
 00:44:50 | Music Video Pros & Cons
 00:47:50 | Lil Nas X
 00:51:20 | Radiohead & Making Work That Moves People 
00:54:48 | The Feasibility of Making a Career On Music Videos
 00:58:04 | The Dawn of Animated Music Videos
 01:04:02 | Crucial Lessons from Pixar & Sagmeister 
01:21:04 | Outro

Leader of his enterprise ALT Creative, Ash has made a name for himself as a designer & director throughout illustration, design, VFX, animation, and even automotive design. He's worked on films such as Ender's Game, Prometheus, Blade Runner: 2049 and Ghost in the Shell. He co-founded the education platform Learn Squared and sparked conversation across the industry through his podcast The Collective. Needless to say, Ash's extreme work ethic has made him a legend, known as much for his input as his output. Timecodes: 00:01:52 | What Goals Are Left To Accomplish? 00:05:55 | You're Making A Film By Yourself?! 00:11:13 | How To Become Great At Everything 00:15:54 | How To Grow the Fastest as An Artist 00:25:31 | The Artistic POV of Ash Thorp 00:31:42 | The Pain of Sharing Things On The Internet 00:34:00 | Podcasting: The Collective vs The Creator Curriculum 00:46:55 | Learn Squared & The Mirage of Passive Income 00:53:46 | Creating Financial Independence Through Art 00:59:24 | NFTs Bring Out the Worst in People 01:11:40 | Putting Yourself in Growth Situations 01:17:52 | Online Trolls/ Owning the Moment 01:24:23 | Creating Cultural Zeitgeist Moments Through IP 01:46:34 | Writing Scripts & Music 01:55:12 | Bootstrapping Anamorphic Lenses 02:02:06 | Do Things for Yourself, Not Results 02:13:08 | Outro/ Filipe Carvalho is Awesome

All the way from Iran, Armin runs an ambitious creative collective known as Microverse. Using Houdini, he makes gorgeous alien renders and amazing tutorials through his Youtube channel Simple & Procedural. A true asset to the community and a talented artist! Timecodes: 00:01:52 | Microverse Art 00:08:49 | Backstory: Architecture & Photography 00:12:52 | What Made You Get Into Houdini? (The Answer Is COVID) 00:19:20 | Getting Into Teaching 00:21:33 | Am I a Professional CG Artist? 00:29:29 | Creating Tutorials to Teach Himself (And You) 00:32:45 | Learning German to Move to Germany 00:41:04 | Most Important Concepts To Understand Houdini 00:51:54 | Houdini Role Models 00:54:39 | Redshift Realtime Rendering & Other Cool Tech 01:09:33 | Advice to Beginners Learning Houdini 01:16:26 | Outro

Urban's got crazy video experience, major VFX experience and co-founded online education platform Rebelway with Saber Jlassi of Blizzard fame. For anyone looking to break into the deep end of what CG can do, you're in luck. Rebelway is just the place to look. (I signed up for a bunch) Timecodes: 00:02:14 | Backstory: Freeloading & Film 00:08:55 | Starting out in VFX with Axis Studios 00:20:44 | Beginnings of Rebelway with Saber Jlassi 00:23:04 | The Optimal Way to Learn Houdini 00:31:45 | What are the Most Creative Jobs in VFX? 00:51:36 | Working in Realtime (On Gears of War 5) 01:00:00 | Digital Art Is Undervalued 01:06:00 | Rebelway Online Courses 01:18:48 | Why Pay For Courses When There's Youtube? 01:21:13 | Teaching is Hard 01:26:40 | Finding a Niche and Becoming The Best 01:33:33 | Ash Thorpe is a Beast 01:40:36 | Outro

Since discovering his portfolio, Sam Mason has been one of my favorite artists of modern day. Getting the opportunity to talk to him, I found him as brilliant and I hoped and genuinely humble. Romantic and lo-fi, yet produced with cutting edge technical acumen, his work stands out with it's stunning whimsy. Timecodes: 00:01:41 | Musings About Italy 00:06:34 | Influences: Jim Henson & Soviet Cartoons 00:11:31 | Backstory: Drumming to Directing 00:19:52 | Live Action is Hard 00:24:53 | The Importance of Writing 00:29:06 | 90s Videogames 00:34:55 | Nerdy Software Stuff 00:41:52 | Tasteful World-building In 3D 00:54:48 | Bringing Individuality Back Into Filmmaking 00:59:16 | Lessons Learned Directing 01:06:07 | Turning Personal Projects Into Professional Projects 01:16:26 | Work/ Life Imbalance 01:25:12 | Outro

Catherine started VJing in high school and she's only continued putting on bigger and better shows since. Becoming a creative director at the Moment Factory has allowed her to coordinate the most sophisticated live experiences the world has ever seen. It was a treat getting to talk to her about what it takes to conjure magic. Timecodes: 00:02:39 | Backstory: 14 Hour Raves 00:05:03 | The Art of VJing 00:14:01 | Array Artistry 00:17:41 | Realtime Visuals 00:26:27 | VJ Clip Selection, Usage & Sales 00:43:02 | Canadian Music Festivals 00:47:04 | Experiential Work 00:53:35 | The Merits of Doing It In Public 00:56:53 | Long Term Projects 00:58:52 | Moment Factory Project Criteria 00:63:54 | Getting a Job at the Moment Factory 01:06:05 | Blowing Minds with Physics 01:08:30 | The School of Moment 01:12:27 | New School Magic Tricks 01:21:27 | Creative Goals Left to Accomplish 01:24:55 | The Enchanted Forest

Brian creates immersive experiences. That can be anything from creating flying simulators for SXSW to pioneering the future of interactive livestreamed television shows. He's got some wild ideas, stories and advice to share from the pioneering edge of the experience design industry. Timecodes: 00:01:39 | Virtual Reality 00:05:55 | Alternate Reality 00:13:09 | George R. R. Martin & Meow Wolf 00:20:01 | Origins of the Medium 00:28:40 | Meow Wolf SXSW Project 00:33:55 | How Would You Describe Your Job?  00:35:58 | Tools of the Trade 00:39:24 | Process 00:44:35 | Brian's Magnum Opus 00:50:48 | Getting Your Hands Dirty 00:53:40 | Roy Anderson 00:56:51 | She-Sheds 01:00:00 | What is Your Style? 01:04:07 | AMCs Dispatches From Elsewhere 01:13:34 | Inventing CGI Livestreamed Television 01:19:35 | Being a Tech Explorer 01:23:33 | Starting His Own Company 01:31:57 | The Future of Experience Design 01:37:20 | Outro

Peter Clark has long one of my favorite designers in the biz and getting to speak with him made me an even bigger fan. Peter stands out from the crowd as a big advocate for shooting things practically. Hearing about his process and the amazing experiences he's had working this way made me a convert. Timecodes: 00:00:40 | Backstory: Bassnectar to Bradley Munkowitz 00:16:12 | Autofuss with Chris Bjerre 00:19:32 | Benefits of Working Practically 00:27:08 | Youtube Music Awards 00:30:25 | Killer Robot Arms 00:35:32 | Terminator Gallium 00:39:49 | Masterclass / Meeting Tony Hawk 00:48:03 | When Should You Work Practically? 00:55:49 | Crazy Analogue Glitch Effects 01:10:18 | Nine Inch Nails Work 01:14:28 | Enternull 01:23:30 | Music Thoughts 01:27:33 | Gaspar Noe / Enter the Void 01:32:33 | Naming Things 01:35:05 | Freelancing & Personal Projects 01:42:48 | Outro

He's one of the industry's most prolific creators, creating beautiful short films with the biggest names in town. Chris taught me a thing or two about what he's learned and how he gets so much done. Timecodes: 00:01:28 | Backstory (Robots and GMUNK) 00:12:05 | Film and TV Expectations 00:17:01 | Finding His Lense 00:23:14 | Directing for Films 00:25:38 | His Short Film Process 00:32:52 | Good vs Great  00:37:15 | Cultivating Taste 00:43:13 | Top 3 Favorite Studios to Work 00:46:08 | Freelance vs Fulltime 00:52:00 | Future Goals 01:01:20 | VFX Work  01:05:48 | Mograph for Films 01:12:22 | Ghost in the Shell 01:16:18 | Use of Time 01:21:08 | Work Life Balance 01:22:40 | Outro

Al Benoit is obsessed with filmmaking. Little did his grandma know that by taking him to the movies on Sundays as a kid, she would create a lifelong soldier of cinema. Al's done more short films than anyone I've personally met and has made it clear he is going to make it in this career no matter what it takes. Some might say he already has, but if you ask him, he's just getting started. Timecodes: 0:02:45 | Backstory 0:05:36 | Directing at The Mill 0:08:07 | Performances Are Key 0:12:19 | How Do Actors Think? 0:15:54 | Making A Short Film: Process 0:25:56 | Getting Into Feature Films 0:39:16 | Al's Top 3 Favorite Films 0:47:06 | The Last Blockbuster 0:49:49 | Directing Skillsets 0:54:33 | Writing is a Roadblock 0:59:08 | Finding Time to Write 1:00:48 | Success vs. Age 1:03:49 | Love the Cow Shit 1:08:43 | What Makes Good Editing? 1:19:26 | Editing His First Feature Film 1:24:49 | Outro

Shannon is an up and coming motion designer who persevered through misfortune to make his way into an industry he loved. Shannon's house burning down ended up being the kick in the teeth that got him serious about his career in motion. He's been killing it ever since. Timecodes 0:02:23 | Backstory: Rising from the Ashes 0:13:25 | Lessons Learned 0:15:52 | Living Without a Home 0:18:50 | Biggest Dreams 0:21:18 | Breaking into the Film VFX Industry 0:23:49 | James Cameron 0:29:17 | Teaching at Motion Science 0:35:11 | Alan McKay's Technical Directing Mentorship 0:41:52 | What Does a Technical Director Do? 0:46:01 | Film Experience: 476 AD 0:54:29 | Outro

Talking to Filipe felt like a masterclass in title design. It's no surprise he's so good at talking about it once you realize how many talks he's given around the world. Then there's the Emmy he won for Outstanding Main Title Design in 2018. A true patron of arts, Filipe couldn't have been more generous sharing his time and expertise. He's the kind of guy you'd just love to get a beer with. Timecodes 0:02:12 | Web Design to Digital Kitchen 0:15:04 | Concepts vs. Styleframes   0:17:15 | Niching Down into Titles 0:18:56 | Good vs. Bad Title Design  0:24:06 | Voting on the Emmys 0:28:42 | Pitching (On Westworld) 0:34:43 | Process  0:41:16 | Colossal Inspiration 0:50:56 | Bootstrapping Your Own Career 0:59:12 | Personal Projects & Learning 3D 1:07:28 | Focus on the Sequence Not the Frame 1:09:34 | Storyboarding Counterpoint 1:19:13 | Zoom Fatigue

For a superstar designer, Nik is incredibly humble. Yet he has credits on features like Guardians of the Galaxy & Blade Runner 2049. He's a studio owner. He's an athlete, submitting himself to physical challenges that would make you cry. Enjoy his zen energy & frequent moments of brilliance in this conversation. Timecodes 0:01:30 | Starting Your Own Studio  0:07:00 | Backstory: Graffiti to Mograph 0:14:00 | Backstory: Arsenal Football Club 0:21:58 | Blade Runner 2049 & Working with Denis Villeneuve 0:33:10 | First Hires for Your Studio  0:39:12 | Growing Your Studio 0:42:40 | Profitability of Studio Ownership 0:46:51 | Taking Your Hands Off the Box 0:50:39 | Clients Are People Too 0:53:05 | Who is Twenty Third C? 0:56:42 | Nature as Inspiration  1:07:08 | Mental Running Challenges 1:27:20 | Spirituality 1:28:51 | Outro

Nidia's sophisticated brand of abstraction has shaped the look of studios like Tendril, Future Deluxe, and Man vs. Machine. She's spoken at industry conferences from Prague to Melbourne. And she lives in Portugal. Needless to say, I picked her brain on everything I could. Timecodes 0:02:03 | Nidia's Backstory 0:04:45 | What Makes Studios the Best in the World 0:06:05 | Ident Process 0:17:35 | Microsoft is the New Nike 0:25:31 | Difference Between Design and Art Direction 0:34:08 | Talking to Clients 0:37:15 | Becoming Your Art Director's Favorite Designer 0:42:49 | Who's Looking At Your Portfolio? 0:47:35 | How Did You Get Big? 0:50:16 | Women in Mograph 0:54:33 | Schools Don't Teach You About the Cool Jobs in Design 1:01:07 | Freelancing: Rates, Safety Nets & T-Shirt Stores 1:22:51 | Starting Your Own Studio  1:26:49 | The Future of Mograph 1:29:25 | Outro

Ian is a motion designer for Amazon and has done concert visuals for artists like The Glitch Mob, Wooli, The Funk Hunters, Seven Lions and more. He's an absolute beast, pumping out elaborate personal projects and pushing motion graphics into the realm of high-end CG. In our conversation he motivated the hell out of me with his self-starter attitude & work ethic. Literally the day after this conversation I signed up for a $700 Houdini course. Timecodes: 0:01:54 | From Selling Knives to Keyframes 0:10:48 | Glitch Mob Took the Bait 0:18:28 | Concert Visuals Deep Dive 0:32:38 | Getting Noticed 0:36:11 | 3D Rendering Tips 0:39:50 | His 5 Year Commitment to Houdini 0:53:53 | Future Career Directions 1:01:22 | Outro

Jenny Kleiman is a talented filmmaker and an electric personality. She's pitched to Roman Coppola. She's pitched feature films to Sony. Recently Austin Film Festival X No Film School declared her “Top 5 Screenwriters to Watch for 2021.” Having been in writing groups with her, I'm not surprised. Hear Jenny discuss life as a professional director & screenwriter and its many highs and lows. Timecodes 00:01:17 | The Value of Writing Groups 00:05:42 | Pitching “Mozart in the Jungle” to Roman Coppola 00:15:08 | First Steps to Becoming a Director 00:20:49 | Directing Your Own Work is Hard 00:27:04 | First Feature Film “Fleurs” 00:31:20 | Being a Great Director 00:32:32 | Evaluating Your Movie's Budget 00:35:33 | How to Attract Talent to Your Script 00:39:46 | Most Depressing Times in the Industry 00:44:59 | A Day in the Life of a Director 00:48:55 | Working the Wound 00:52:44 | Writing as Therapy 00:59:39 | Write More Diverse Characters! 01:17:10 | Writing Problems 01:28:54 | Simplest Elements of a Good Script 01:45:39 | Tragedy: Not Small Death, But Small Births 01:54:18 | Is It Easy to Sell Content During a Content Boom? 02:03:53 | Marketing 02:12:04 | Early Projects 02:19:55 | Adulting as a Freelancer/ Creative 02:25:35 | Do What Makes You Feel the Most Present 02:28:04 | Art Gets You High 02:30:56 | Critiquing Religion/ Jewish Stuff 02:34:34 | Pitching Movies 02:45:47 | Creativity is a Disease 02:55:34 | Outro

Joe Garrity was studying Molecular Biology. Instead he ended up on Saturday Night Live. That lead to a job at Pixar. His coworkers helped him with his (award-winning) short, Twinsburg. Then he went on tour for a while with a Canadian pop band. Now he's getting his MFA in screenwriting. Timecodes 2:05 | Biochemistry > SNL Errand Boy 9:54 | Genetics Script 15:17 | Quitting or Doubling Down 18:49 | Screenwriting MFA 28:48 | Story Math 36:35 | Twinsburg 48:48 | What Makes a Great Script 1:05:03 | Marketing Your Short 1:10:57 | Working at Pixar 1:25:57 | Pixar Culture 1:39:36 | Pixar > Imaginary Forces 1:48:55 | Alvvays Touring Setup 1:57:03 | Tour Experience 2:02:44 | Being the Messy Twin is Good 2:08:00 | Leading the Watergate Doc 2:15:15 | Outro

Take advice from Thomas. He's gone from compositor to VFX Supervisor by working at every studio on the bucket list. He's freelanced around the globe. He's a teacher at the School of Visual Arts…he even won a Grammy. Timecodes 1:36 | From Quake to Compositing 26:43 | Learning Scarcity vs. Abundance 39:47 | Working in Person vs Remote 52:47 | What Makes A Good VFX Supervisor? 1:16:08 | Biggest Mistakes On-Set 1:25:55 | Compositing Tips for 3D Artists 1:32:31 | Working at Apple 1:41:37 | SVA Freelancing Pep Talk 2:02:32 | Opening Your Own Studio? 2:15:27 | The Values of Meditation as a Creative

Having worked at Imaginary Forces and The Mill, Austin is a gentle giant of CGI and rendering's technical minutiae. He shares some secrets and speculates on digital imagery's relationship with the fate of our species. Timecodes 5:00 | Early Mistakes 15:10 | Imaginary Forces & HBO 19:18 | Getting to the Mill 26:45 | GPU Democratization 31:18 | Austin Loves Halation 47:46 | Micronormals & Shader Tips 55:55 | Respect the Content 1:14:52 | The Future of Digital Imagery 1:21:53 | The Realtime Tik Tok Campaign Hellscape 1:27:29 | Epic's Metaverse vs. Meat World 1:33:44 | Aliens in the Metaverse 1:44:52 | Digital Worlds = Human Rights Violations 1:49:57 | Being Artsy AND Happy 2:01:18 | Wrap Up

His service to the cause of quality underground techno now spans three decades. High profile projects with the likes of Pet Shop Boys and the Chemical Brothers pricked the consciousness of the mainstream to his talents. Timecodes 3:04 | Commercial Success in the Music Industry 12:38 | Abe's Backstory 22:17 | Seeking Out U.K. Labels 27:14 | Touring in Germany, Austria 30:04 | The Biggest Risk/ Reward 31:49 | Blowing Up 37:49 | Walking Away From It All 42:16 | Teaching > Touring? 45:32 | NYC During COVID 50:46 | Abuse Industries 55:33 | Music Labels Are Evil 1:05:22 | Making Money (Or Not) In Music 1:09:30 | Effective Promotion 1:13:00 | Go to More Parties in Ibiza 1:17:46 | Syncing, the Last Hope 1:26:29 | Playing Live/ Every Dog Has Its Day 1:31:17 | Just Write A Hit 1:37:10 | Picture Your Ideal Dance Floor 1:41:57 | The Future of Music 1:53:17 | Robbing Homeless People/ Music Visuals

Big dude who likes big computers, Japanese stuff and Pokemon cards. Has worked with studios such as Brand New School, Hornet, PSYOP and CNN Motion. Timecodes 2:59 | Shane's Backstory 15:13 | Financial Sacrifices 26:50 | Kicking Ass in the Industry 41:53 | How to Get That NFT Money 56:51 | Shane Comes Out As a Pokemon Trainer 1:02:25 | Why Are People Buying JPEGS? 1:21:47 | AI Generated Artwork 1:30:23 | DeviantArt Furry Artists 1:39:09 | Why Purists Suck 1:47:02 | Freelancing, The Double Edged Sword 1:54:47 | Closing

Combining a love of fine art with a curiosity for code, he has lent his talents to brands such as Dolby, BMW and artists like Amon Tobin. Designing, apps, animations, concert visuals, experiences, and spaces, this man has done it all. Timecodes 5:59 | What is Experience Design? 8:17 | What Do You Get Hired For? 11:31 | Core Skills You Need 15:39 | What Helps You Stand Out? 19:41 | The Justice League of Experience Design 25:32 | Favorite Projects You've Worked On 34:31 | Amon Tobin Deep Dive 42:15 | Music Visualizers 46:43 | The Future of Concerts 53:37 | The Future of Art 1:03:31 | Personal Experiments 1:08:21 | Math and Art 1:11:41 | Houdini is Just Data Viz 1:22:03 | What is Consciousness? The Multiverse? 1:25:51 | Freelance. Its a Good Experience 1:30:34 | Life Improvements

Senior Previz artist on films like Ready Player One, Beauty and the Beast, The Hunger Games, Jurassic World, and more. Award winning short filmmaker. Globe trotting freelancer. Timecodes 2:18 | Arsens Backstory 10:17 | The Strategy for Getting Into Film 18:08 | Why Previz is Dangerous 25:04 | Ride or Die for the Director 36:48 | Arsen's #1 Advice 42:07 | Necessary Skills for Previz 1:01:31 | Getting Your First Previz Job/ Unreal 1:12:32 | Spend Money on Ads, Not Film Festivals 1:20:07 | Sam Mason and Personal Projects 1:28:22 | Why Freelancing Rocks 1:37:52 | Jurassic World Getting Cancelled 1:53:22 | Why the LEGO Movies Rock