Get Schooled.
Sure, if you sign up for our weekly newsletter, you’ll get new episodes delivered straight to your inbox. You’ll also get my behind the scenes takeaway from the week’s chat. But there’s more.
In the creative industry your portfolio is your passport. It’s all it takes to unlock the opportunities you might not have right now. That’s why I want to send you my Epic Bucket List for Creatives. It’s full of wild destinations you can get to, if you just make the work.
39: Aaron Covrett -- 3D Designer, On Patience, Production Workflows & ManvsMachine
Frequent collaborator of designer’s favorite studios like ManVsMachine & Tendril, Aaron’s eye for materials and lighting is world class. That much is obvious from his work. Talking to him, it became clear he’s meditated deeply on optimizing the pains of production. He’s probably someone you want on your team.
36: Stephy Fung -- Digital Fashion Designer, On Augmented Realities, Impossible Fashion & NFTs
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.
33: Leo Esteves -- Art Director, On Working With Heroes, Daily Grinding & Venezuelan War Stories
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.
31: Derek Elliott -- 3D Designer, On Blender, Business Strategies and Working Direct to Client
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.
30: Donnie Bauer -- Creative Director, On Hanging Loose, Leadership, and Making Pretty Pictures
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.
28: GMUNK -- Director & Designer, On Creative Adrenaline, Soul Extraction & Strobe Lights
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.
25: Gustaf Fjelstrom -- Motion Designer, Opening for Dream Theater, Rebooting Careers & Title Design
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!
21: Armin Lotfi -- 3D Designer, On Alien Plants, Teaching Houdini & Proceduralism
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!
19: Sam Mason -- Director, On Old Civilizations, 90s Videogames and Individuality
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.
16: Peter Clark -- Designer & Director, On Practical Setups, Happy Accidents & Meeting Tony Hawk
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.
15: Christoffer Bjerre -- Designer & Director, On Discipline, Cultivating Taste and Feature Films
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.
13: Shannon Wilkerson -- Senior Motion Designer, On Overcoming Tragedy, Teaching & Technical Direction
Shannon is an up and coming motion designer who’s persevered through misfortune to make his way into an industry he loves. 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.
11: Nik Hill -- Designer & Studio Owner, Film VFX, Building a Studio, & Ultramarathons
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.
10: Nidia Dias - Designer & Art Director, On Branding, Art Director Struggles & Career Choices
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.
09: Ian Frederick - 3D Designer, On Concert Visuals, Houdini and Hard Work
If you browse Behance as much as I do you might recognize Ian’s work from his wild concert visuals and fan projects. 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.
05: Austin Marola - Lead 3D Designer, On Rendering Photorealism & The Future of Digital Imagery
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.
03: Shane Csontos-Popko - Senior 3D Designer, On NFT Success and AI Generative Workflows
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.