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, among others. Activision Blizzard Esports also operates Tespa™, the leader in collegiate esports.

In this Episode, Activision Blizzard King’s Executive Principal Recruiter for Art in Animation and Creative Robin Alan Linn gives insider tips about what makes a successful reel, how to negotiate a salary, importance of relationships and reputation, why visual effects is always about storytelling – and why the most crucial question an interviewee can ask is: “What am I bringing to the table?”

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/427.

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 continuously evolving industry — entrusted with projects generating billions of dollars in revenue. With the craft and talent to take on any project, they’re a vertically integrated creative company, offering strategy and execution with speed, quality and efficiency that always exceeds expectation.

In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Executive Creative Director of Alkemy X Jep Hill about leadership skills for artists, the age of AI in VFX — and how artists can take advantage of it; go-to tools and soft skills of a VFX Supervisor, four rules of management, how to win over clients; and the timeless question of: Is the magic of visual effects still alive?

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/426.

Todd Sheridan Perry is an On-Set Supervisor on the show with a diverse background in video games, film and television. He’s worked on titles like Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to Final Destination 5, The Immortals, Total Recall, Resident Evil 5 and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Todd has also worked as a CG Supervisor on Marvel’s Doctor Strange which was nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar.

Scott Kirvan is a VFX and Virtual Production Supervisor, Tech Enthusiast and multidisciplinary creative. He is also the Co-Author of globally recognized Brazil Rendering System, a high performance production quality GI ray trace renderer. As a Virtual Production and Visual Effects Supervisor, Scott has over 20 years of leadership experience, including client-side supervisory roles and in-studio digital production work. He has a diverse background in filmmaking, VFX, business leadership, and engineering, making him a valuable asset to any production team.

In this Podcast, VFX Supervisors Todd Sheridan Perry and Scott Kirvan do a deep dive into the making of the Amazon comedy series I’M A VIRGO by Boots Riley, the practical effects and some of the technology used in the show, its challenges and how they resolved them.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/425.

With 10+ years of VFX industry experience, Digital Artist and VFX Sup Marco Baratto is more than ever interested in being an integral part of it through compositing and creative leadership. An understanding of light, color and composition are essential to his approach. His additional interests include photography, concept art, cinema and mathematics. 

His most recent credit is the role of a Digital Artist in Christopher Nolan’s OPPENHEIMER. His other credits include EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

In this Podcast, Digital Artist Marco Baratto talks about his work on OPPENHEIMER and how much CGI should or should not be utilized is storytelling; as well as the pros and cons of working remotely, the benefit of getting a degree in VFX and the importance of doing your personal work as a VFX artist.

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/424.

Curious Refuge is a home for unlocking your inner artist using the latest tools.

Founded by Caleb and Shelby Ward, the company believes in giving back to the creative community with their videos, blog content and interactive courses. They develop compelling and innovative video and blog content for free and have a blast with every video.

They also work with world-class clients and storytellers to bring their creative visions to life. Self described as a bunch of goofballs who have a love for life and creativity, they love to share content and inspiration.

Caleb Ward has led marketing teams for startups, Fortune-500 companies and creative brands around the world. His background in filmmaking and marketing has led him to develop keen intuition about what it takes to launch a successful idea. 

In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Caleb Ward, the Co-Founder of Curious Refuge, a community for artists that tackles the latest tools including AI, about his starting the company as a positive change, going viral on YouTube, the profound change of AI and its future; as well as the timely question of: Should one embrace AI or fear it?

For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/423.