How They Built It: Founding Stories from Category Defining Companies

KNB EFX Group: Lessons from Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and 30+ Years in Special Effects | Howard Berger, Founder


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We explore lessons from Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and 30+ years in special effects. We’re joined by Howard Berger, Founder of KNB EFX Group. We cover collaborating to achieve a shared vision, the Oscar nomination and celebration experience, and what it’s like working with everyone from Anthony Hopkins to Alan Arkin.
“We need to be kind to each other. We need to be considerate and respectful and we need to do what makes us happy. And that's important. Have a great time. This is what life’s supposed to be, fun. We're here for a reason. It's not to be miserable. It's to enjoy it and make other people's lives better.” — Howard Berger
EPISODE GUIDE (LINKS, QUOTES, NOTES, AND BOOKS MENTIONED)
https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/howard-berger-outliers-show-notes 
FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT
https://www.danielscrivner.com/notes/howard-berger-outliers-transcript 
CHAPTERS
This episode is our definitive guide to lessons from Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and 30+ years in special effects. In it we cover:
(00:00:00) – Introduction
(00:02:17) – Howard’s multiple roles on set of feature films and television shows
(00:06:06) – How Howard’s early fascination with monsters and movies led to his career
(00:09:46) – The process of working with producers, directors, and actors to achieve a shared vision
(00:20:25) – On keeping work fun and energetic for the team
(00:26:11) – What Howard looks for in a great director and script
(00:34:20) – The evolution of apprenticeships in Hollywood
(00:40:47) – Working with Anthony Hopkins, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Lange, and Alan Arkin
(00:50:11) – The Oscar nomination and celebration experience
(00:58:35) – On long-term collaboration with a business partner and friend
(01:07:06) – Working on Kill Bill
ABOUT KNB EFX GROUP
KNB EFX Group has won multiple Academy Awards, Emmys, and British Academy of Film and Television Awards for their work on everything from The Chronicles of Narnia to The Walking Dead. For nearly 40 years, Howard Berger, Co-Founder, has worked in special effects for films and TV shows in Hollywood. And in that time, he's won both an Emmy and an Oscar. He's worked with many of the best directors, people like Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sam Raimi, and Martin Scorsese. And he's worked directly with some of the best actors in the world, including Jamie Foxx, Anthony Hopkins, James McAvoy, and Mark Wahlberg.
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ABOUT OUTLIER ACADEMY
Learn timeless lessons on work and life from iconic founders, world-renown investors, and bestselling authors. Outlier Academy is the forever school for those chasing greatness. Past guests include Gokul Rajaram of DoorDash, Scott Belsky of Benchmark and Adobe, Joey Krug of Pantera Capital, Mark Sisson of Primal Kitchen, Luke Gromen of The Forest for the Trees, and Brian Scudamore of 1-800-GOT-JUNK.
Website: https://www.outlieracademy.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/outlieracademy
ABOUT DANIEL SCRIVNER
Outlier Academy is hosted by Daniel Scrivner. Over the last 15 years, Daniel has led design teams at Square and Apple, turned around a $3M+ ARR SaaS business, and invested in more than 100 companies. He launched Outlier Academy in 2020 to learn from the world’s best founders, investors, authors, and peak performance experts.
Website: https://www.danielscrivner.com
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/danielscrivner
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How They Built It: Founding Stories from Category Defining CompaniesBy Outlier Academy