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.
38: Colorsponge -- CG Automotive Artist, On Alberto Mielgo, Self-Knowledge & Defying Doubt
Carlos Pecorino aka Colorsponge is known for his gorgeous automotive renderings. I can’t say enough nice things about him or his work. It’s rare you find someone so talented who’s this humble.
37: Cornelius Dämmrich -- CG Artist, On Rags To Riches, Working Slowly And The Universe Of Delpher
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. He's a CG artist who defines the term "labor of love." (But also a really funny guy)
35: Debra Isaac -- Educator, On Founding Houdini School, Scientific Visualization & Human Connection
Debra Isaac absolutely loves Houdini. That’s why 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, SideFX should really consider paying her at this point...
26: Niels Prayer -- Director & Designer, On Patrick Clair, Friday Night Jazz and Developing Movies
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.
24: Diego Grimaldi -- Senior FX Artist, On Working for Disney, Weta & Into the Spiderverse
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.
23: Saad Moosajee -- Designer & Director, On Music Videos, Motion Capture and Pixar
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…
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!
06: Thomas Smith - VFX Supervisor, On Film Sets, Working in Tech & His Freelancing Masterclass
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.
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.
01: Arsen Arzumanyan - Previz Artist, On Working with Film Directors and Changing Your Ego
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.