417 - VFX Legion - Founder & Creative Director James David Hattin

James David Hattin is the Founder and Creative Director of VFX Legion. James oversees every aspect of the visual effects process for episodic television shows and feature films, from start to end, and provides clients with 20+ years of skill and experience as a lead creative and Visual Effects Supervisor.

Prior to launching VFX Legion, James spent three years as senior compositor and compositing/digital effects supervisor at Zoic Studios. James exited Zoic in 2013 to apply his creative skill set and technical ingenuity to a new challenge: designing a leading-edge digital management pipeline. Looking beyond long-standing traditional VFX business models, he tapped state-of-the-art technology to build the new infrastructure from the ground up. 

Legion was launched later that year, with James’ pioneering digital pipeline positioning the studio at the forefront of the next generation of visual effects companies. Legion’s LA-based studio is structured to work as an on-site collaborative partner with TV and film studios. It provides an end-to-end approach that maximizes the quality and efficiency of VFX for episodic television shows and feature films around the globe.

Under the VFX Legion banner, Hattin's supervised VFX for a mix of TV shows and movies. Episodic series include SCANDAL, HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, THE CATCH, SUITS, EL CHAPO, EYE CANDY, REVOLUTION and GONE. Film work includes SINISTER 2, STEPHANIE, OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL, THE PURGE: ELECTION YEAR and THE PURGE: ANARCHY to name a few.

James' work has been recognized with a VES Award nomination for 'Outstanding Visual Effects in Broadcast Programming,' for FALLING SKIES, and a Primetime Emmy nod for WORLDS APART, to name a few. He is an Emmy Award honoree of the California Channel’s, The Three Branches of Government and a member of The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

In this Podcast, Allan interviews the Founder and Creative Director of VFX Legion James Hattin about launching his own company and the lessons he’s learned along the way: how to build trust, negotiate contracts, keep clear communication with clients and VFX artists alike, as well as the importance of humility in visual effects.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/417.