The Allan McKay Podcast Emmy Award Winner | Speaker | Mentor | Visual Effects Expert

Mark Spindler is a Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixomondo in Frankfurt, Germany. He’s worked on feature films such as Midway, Justice League, Star Trek: Into Darkness, as well tv shows like The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones for which he received two VES Award nominations. His most recent work on House of the Dragon has also been recognized with an Emmy nomination.
He began his career path as a Compositor after finishing his Master of Arts in Media Production in 2012, then became a Lead Compositor and Compositing Supervisor before being promoted to his Supervisor position.
Besides his career as a Supervisor, Mark has also contributed to visual effects by developing several tools for Nuke. Some of those Gizmos, Python scripts and C++ plug-ins can be downloaded from the tools section on his website (http://www.mark-spindler.com/tools.html) or from Nukepedia.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews VFX Supervisor Mark Spindler about his work on both HOUSE OF THE DRAGON and GAME OF THRONES; the pipeline, creative process and go-to tools of a VFX Supervisor; his career at Pixomondo, as well as the future of AI in VFX.
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/433.
 

Eric J. Robertson is the Executive Vice President of ReDefine, as well as a Producer, Cinematographer and Entrepreneur.
As part of the DNEG Group, ReDefine leverages an incredible legacy of creative and technical innovation to cater to projects that benefit from their agile boutique approach. The studio designs solutions that are tailored to the requirements of each show and always delivers to the highest levels of quality. The list of their credits includes DUNE: PART II, BORDERLANDS, WACO: THE AFTERMATH, and so many more!
Prior to joining ReDefine, Eric co-founded a New York based VFX Studio Mr. X Gotham. Over the course of his career, he supervised and produced visual effects for over 50 feature films and worked with some of film’s most respected directors including Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, Sam Mendes, Joel and Ethan Cohen, Jim Jarmusch and Charlie Kaufman.
With a career that spanned all genres, Eric enabled Sacha Baron Cohen’s General Alladeen to walk a tightrope above midtown New York in THE DICTATOR; he transformed Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s vision into a vast warehouse that enclosed the entire island of Manhattan in SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK and convinced moviegoers that they’re watching Richard Nixon’s confessions in real time in FROST / NIXON. Eric’s creations go from exhilarating and hilarious, to emotional and engaging, all with the visual effects integrated seamlessly with the storyteller’s vision. 
Eric is also an accomplished photographer and cinematographer whose 20+ years of experience in production gives him a storyteller’s eye along with the technical skills that encompass all aspects of the filmmaking process, from script to screen. Eric was instrumental in expanding the V.E.S. into an NYC section and served as its first Secretary / Treasurer. He is a member of IATSE Local 600.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Executive Vice President of ReDefine Eric J. Roberson about overcoming challenges and pushing the limits in visual effects; teaching filmmaking principles to the next generation of VFX Supervisors; the future of streaming content in 2024 post industry strikes; as well as Eric’s career in visual effects and the legacy of DNEG in ReDefine’s work and international presence.
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/432.

Ghost Robot is the creative studio of the future based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. They work with a global community of artistic talent to create content for forward thinking clients.
Ghost Robot was founded in 2002 by Zachary Mortensen. The company derived its name from the theme of a music video Ghost Robot was producing at the time. The video was for the song "In The Waiting Line" by the band Zero7. "In The Waiting Line" was the first commercial use of machinima using the animation engine from the Quake video game.
In 2005 Mark DePace joined the company as a full partner and spearheaded the formation of the company's roster of directors for commercial representation. The addition of DePace repositioned the company within the industry and began their official move into advertising and commercial production.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Ghost Robot’s CEO Zach Mortensen and COO Mark DePace about the inspiration behind launching Ghost Robot and its name; how keeping track of latest innovations is imbedded into their foundation; working on indie films versus blockbusters; the value of giving yourself creative constraints when it comes to resources; how AI is getting integrated into artists’ workflow – and so much more!
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/431.
 

Zacharias “Zach” Reinhardt is a 3D Artist, as well as Founder and Lead Instructor at CG Boost. CG Boost provides Blender tutorials and resources for 3D artists, in order to make creating passionate 3D projects achievable for anyone.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews the Founder of CG Boost Zach Reinhardt about starting his YouTube Channel and gaining traction, the inspiration behind launching his company, alternative packages to study Blender, which area of the industry uses Blender the most – as well as how to make a living as a 3D artist!
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/430.
 

Tim Simmons is an experienced media producer with a demonstrated history of creating short and long form video to create engaging content.Tech Savvy, people savvy, and self motivated creator with a successful track record of building a brand from scratch, Tim is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others – and exploring the intersection of creative content and AI.
In 2022, Tim created Theoretically Media, a channel focusing on creative AI imagery. The Channel dives into filmmaking, music, writing, and art, all enhanced by AI latest tools. Believing in technology's power to elevate independent artists' work, Tim explores the cusp of AI and art. The YouTube Channel currently has over 46K Subscribers.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Tim Simmons, the Creator of Theoretically Media, a YouTube Channel focused on creative AI imagery. Allan and Tim dive into the topic of AI: the rapid growth of AI and the reaction of the artistic community to this technology, the dual Hollywood strike and the issue of copyright, limitations and inspiration of artificial intelligence; as well the launch of his Channel and how to monetize on YouTube.
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/429.
 

Melinda Ozel is an Expression Scientist, Consultant and Educator of all things face related. 
Before pioneering a career path in expression science, she worked as a Researcher at Meta and Affective where she used her expression expertise to advise the tracking and simulation of facial behavior. She now helps companies in film, game and tech create compelling animated characters and build high-fidelity face tracking technology.
In this Podcast, Allan McKay interviews Expression Scientist Melinda Ozel about neuroscience, neuro-marketing and psychology; her contribution to the FACS system and working as an educator; as well as tips for building your own consulting business and the importance of coding, SEO and social media.
For more show notes, visit www.allanmckay.com/428.