VFX Legion Founder James David Hattin has announced the signing of CG Supervisor Blake Anderson to the company’s studio in British Columbia. The newest addition to the recently launched BC division’s leadership team, Blake brings a range of skills and experience managing and collaborating with large work-from-home teams of artists on feature films and episodic series.
Blake’s 15-years of experience in the industry includes six years as a VFX supervisor for ABC’s hit fantasy TV series ‘Once Upon a Time’ while at Zoic Studios. ‘Wonderland’, ‘666’, ‘District 9’, ‘Stargate Universe’, ‘Stargate Atlantis’, ‘The 440’ and ‘Muppets in Oz’ are also among his credits.
A graduate of The Art Institute of Vancouver, formerly CDIS, Blake has experience as a 3D artist, CG generalist, 2D animator, matte painter, compositor and pre-vis artists. His in-depth knowledge of the process of creating visual effects brings insight to his role as CG Supervisor.
Led by Head of Production Dylan Yastremski, the new studio mirrors keeps the LA main facility's structure while expanding the company's capabilities. The opening of the division supports the increasing demand for VFX Legion's film and TV services, working exclusively with home-based teams of talent.
Blake will be joined by the BC operation's full core team of managers, support staff and lead artists over the coming weeks. Upgraded capabilities, in addition to the increased scale of the leadership team and the company's network of home-based talent, enable the new division to accommodate a greater volume of projects simultaneously and meet the needs of larger scale projects and more complex productions.
"Establishing a local management team with the scope and experience needed to guide work-from-home artists as seamless collaborative teams enables VFX Legion to use the BC studio's expanded resources effectively," said Dylan, a partner in the new venture. "Blake brings the skills needed to optimize the advantages of our remote capabilities and the scope and calibre of Legion’s growing network of talent around the world."
"Last year we brought Blake on board to lend his talents to the feature film, 'Black Christmas,” said James. "He impressed me with his depth of experience and mastery of our custom workflow. His strong managerial skills and experience make him a great fit with VFX Legion, and we are excited to have him on board."
"The role of CG Supervision at VFX Legion presents me with a unique opportunity to work with a company that launched as a fully remote resource for visual effects,” Blake said. “Their well-established, collaborative pipeline, scope of talent, efficiency and quality comes with years of experience working with home-based talent. While physical isolation and a certain disconnect are inevitable when talent is homebound, approaches to working remotely vary. I’ve worked with VFX Legion’s team on projects in the past and found the way they interacted with home-based artists, the level of accessibility, and smooth workflow made it a great collaborative experience.
“There’s no way of knowing how long social distancing will be a necessary precaution, but even looking beyond the current pandemic, VFX Legion provides artists and productions with advantages as the industry moves forward. It’s a great company that’s way ahead of the curve, and I’m thrilled to join its team.” www.VFXLegion.com
