The Access:VFX Podcast

A very special International Women's Day episode of the ACCESS:VFX podcast! Guest host Nene Parsotam (Co-Founder of We Are Stripes & A:VFX Board Member) joins Simon Devereux (The Mill's Head of Learning & Development, and Founder & Director of ACCESS:VFX) to lead a lively discussion on gender equality and representation in the creative sector with a handpicked panel of industry thought leaders: Ro...

In light of the recent Film and TV Charity Mental Health survey we were shocked to find out nearly 9 in 10 people working in our industry have experienced a mental health problem. In this podcast, a few Q-VFX board members discuss our upcoming Mental Health Support event, The Q-VFX Picture, which will take place Jellyfish Pictures in Brixton. Sign up for your free ticket and find out more on Event...

This episode we talk neurodiversity and how the variety of neurodiverse conditions can affect people working in the VFX industry. We discuss misconceptions and how individuals, colleagues, employees and parents can embrace the characteristics. Featuring: Joel Foster, Assistant Technical Director, Framestore Haydn Roff, Technical Artist, The Mill Pierre Marcantonio, Layout Artist, Blue Spirit Hoste...

In this podcast Simon chats to three VFX artists who decided to take Apprenticeship route into their careers, they discuss what the experience was like, what their parents thought, how it compares to the University route, and if they would recommend it to others. Featuring: Emily Birkett, Junior 2D Artist, Outpost VFX Alfie Vaughan, VFX Artist, The Mill Anita Dann, Assistant Technical Director App...

In January you may have read the article on Skwigly titled “Inclusion & Diversity in UK Animation Workforce: A Response”, where the author Tanya Scott explained why she was so surprised to read the results of the survey we published last September, which didn’t match her experiences. So we asked Tanya and industry colleague Ash to share their thoughts on the subject. Some helpful links from Tanya...

In this Christmas special, we bring together the international ACCESS:VFX Chapters from New York, Montreal, Chicago and the UK to round up and celebrate all the amazing activities and initiatives put on this year by the Chapters across the world in the name of inclusion and diversity.

It’s one of the biggest events in the ACCESS:VFX calendar! This podcast comes from WorldSkills UK Live at the NEC Birmingham where 80,000 young people discover careers at the pivotal age when they are choosing which qualifications to take, shaping the rest of their lives. What did we do there? Listen and find out! Hosted by Simon Devereux, Founder of ACCESS:VFX @ The Mill

Kim Ash and Aderianna Williams discuss life working in technical roles in VFX, discussing what the roles involve, how they got into the industry, ultimate goals and dreams and share advice to others wanting to follow their path. Kim is a Senior Software Developer at MPC (who has since moved studios and now works at The Mill). Aderianna Williams is a Systems Engineer at The Mill NYC.

In honour of #BrexitDay on 31st October 2019 (or rather, what was to be Brexit day!) we host a conversation on a subject we usually intentionally dodge: the B-word. Keeping it as politics-free as possible, we discuss how Brexit has affected VFX & Animation studios to date, what it means for people who work in the industry, and how you can best prepare yourself for all outcomes if you want to work...

For National Coming Out Day, here is a special episode of the ACCESS:VFX podcast recorded LIVE in front of an audience at our September Q-VFX event, kindly hosted by our friends at DNEG. Join us for an interview with some of our Q-VFX members - including a last-minute entry from the audience! - as we talk coming out, mental health and hear each person’s story from their own perspective. With: Cros...

Every summer studios across the world offer short work placements for budding VFX artists who aspire to work in the industry. They are an ideal stepping stone from education into industry, and we wanted to hear what it’s actually like. So we chatted to 8 of the interns who spent 8 weeks of their summer at Framestore, to hear their experience of what goes on. If you’re thinking of applying for an i...

Coders build the foundation of any modern VFX or CG animation studio, but it’s still a very male-dominated role. So to celebrate #NationalCodingWeek, we spoke to female coders at DNEG, The Mill, Blue Zoo Animation & Outpost VFX to discover what they do, why it’s still not a gender-balanced role and how we can go about fixing that. With: Lucy Wilkes, R&D Lead - Creature Fur, DNEG Lizzie Shiers, ATD...

In partnership with UK Screen Alliance and AnimationUK we reveal a major new report on Inclusion & Diversity in UK VFX, animation & post-production sectors highlighting unsung progress + areas for improvement. This podcast discusses why the survey was needed, and what the resulting actions are. With: Simon Devereux, Founder of ACCESS:VFX @ The Mill Neil Hatton, CEO UK Screen Alliance Hosted & reco...

The ACCESS:VFX podcast is here to create a space for important conversation with the aim to open a wider dialogue. At ACCESS:VFX we celebrate and raise awareness of amazing career paths in VFX, animation & games. But with that comes a responsibility to prepare future talent for a client-facing industry, where creative scope can often outstrip resources which can result in demanding hours of work....

A conversation on balancing two demanding jobs; we chat to Dads working in VFX who share their experiences, how they managed to make it work and what studios can do to help. 
With: Henry Foreman, Head of Design, The Mill Sylvain Brugnot, R&D Supervisor, DNEG Stephen Greaves, Technical Op, The Mill Noel O’Malley, Generalist, Union Mark Payne, Senior Compositor, DNEG Tom Box, Co-Founder, Blue Zoo An...

A conversation on balancing two demanding jobs; we chat to four working mothers who share their experiences, how they managed to make it work and what studios can do to help. 
With: Elaine Kieran, RND Lead, DNEG Judy Barr, Senior Compositor, DNEG Chryssa Sanders, Lead Project Manager, DNEG Nene Parsotam, Co-founder & ECD, VINE CREATIVE / We Are Stripes

Are you a parent, teacher or carer of a keen animator and want to find out more about how they can channel their love for animation into an exciting career in the visual effects (VFX), animation and games industries? Then listen to this podcast and then come along to the event at Escape Studios in central London this August (8th/9th/10th)... for free! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/access-vfx-anim...

In this episode, MPC NY VFX artists Ash Yee and Giulia Bartra chat to each other about their experiences of moving to New York and breaking into the industry. Ash Yee is a CG Generalist with a Lighting specialty. She holds a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and graduated in 2015. Giulia Bartra is a Visual Effects compositor specializing in beauty and photography who graduated from t...

Recorded live at the QVFX Launch event celebrating a new LGBTQI+ community hub, where both our industry staff and future talent can access information, events, mentorship and support. This podcast is a recording of the panel discussion between Simon Devereux (ACCESS:VFX), Sarah de Schot (ILM), Denis Jose-Francois (Jellyfish Pictures), Kat Seale (StudioAKA), Sid Harrington-Odedra (The Mill) and Pau...

In this episode we speak to Cat Gulácsy and Ryan Penny, co-chairs of the newly formed New York Chapter of ACCESS:VFX to discuss their motivations for getting involved, the recent launch event and their plans and ambitions for the coming year and beyond.

The VFX Festival EDU is an inspiring event for school and college students who would love to learn more about the world of VFX, Games and Animation during a series of talks and networking sessions. In this podcast, we speak to some of the industry experts at the event, including Eva Adams, Production Coordinator at Framestore, Paul Wilkes (Global Head of Talent Management at MPC), Tom Knight (Tale...

The VFX Festival EDU is an inspiring event for school and college students who would love to learn more about the world of VFX, Games and Animation during a series of talks and networking sessions. In this podcast, we speak to some of the industry experts at the event, including Jance Rubinchik, Animation Supervisor at ILM, Saint John Walker from Norwich University of the Arts, and Kieran, a 3D Ar...

The fourth instalment in our series of talking to Runners, where we find out the real deal on what it's really like moving to a big city and getting an entry level job at a VFX studio. In this episode DNEG London's Harriet talks to 2D Runner Phil, and MPC New York's Runners Mackenzie & Anthony talk about their experiences.

ACCESS: VFX along with a group of like-minded folks from the VFX, animation and games community are thrilled to introduce ‘Q-VFX’, a new, inclusive LGBTQI+ community hub where both our staff and aspiring talent can access information, events, mentorship and support. For more details visit http://www.accessvfx.org/qvfx

Find out why studios are embracing a new way of super-charging the U.K’s talent pipeline, and why your studio needs to get involved. We speak to NextGen Skills Academy, UK Screen Alliance and Framestore to get the facts without the fluff. To find out more visit https://www.nextgenskillsacademy.com/