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Episode 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.
VFX Legion Website: https://vfxlegion.com/about/
James David Hattin’s Bio: https://vfxlegion.com/about/
James David Hattin on IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1085563/
James Hattin’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-hattin-46a1ab2/
VFX Legion’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@TheVFXLegion
EPISODE 417 – VFX LEGION – FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR JAMES DAVID HATTIN
Hi, everyone!
This is Allan McKay. Welcome to Episode 417!
I’m sitting down with the Founder and Creative Director James David Hattin. James talks 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.
VFX Legion is an entirely remote studio, so it’s a fascinating business model. James and I talk about:
- Launching and History of VFX Legion;
- VFX Being All About Problem Solving;
- Humility as a Learning Tool;
- Learning from Mistakes of Other Studios;
- How to Negotiate Contracts and Build Trust;
- The Importance of Effective Communication.
Please take a moment to share this Episode with others.
Let’s dive in!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FROM ALLAN McKAY:
[01:23] Have you ever sent in your reel and wondered why you didn’t get the callback or what the reason was you didn’t get the job? Over the past 20 years of working for studios like ILM, Blur Studio, Ubisoft, I’ve built hundreds of teams and hired hundreds of artists — and reviewed thousands of reels! That’s why I decided to write The Ultimate Demo Reel Guide from the perspective of someone who actually does the hiring. You can get this book for free right now at www.allanmckay.com/myreel!
[1:09:56] One of the biggest problems we face as artists is figuring out how much we’re worth. I’ve put together a website. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com! This is a chance for you to put in your level of experience, your discipline, your location — and it will give you an accurate idea what you and everyone else in your discipline should be charging. Check it out: www.VFXRates.com!
Okay, what did you think? I want to thank James for joining the Podcast.
Next week, I’m interviewing VFX Supervisor and Partner at Ingenuity Studios Grant Miller about how up-and-coming Artists can launch their career: the importance of following your dreams, how to train your eye in visual effects, why keeping it simply always wins and some job interview red flags.
Until then –
Rock on!
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