The Spark Cast by The Spark podcast is a production of the Spark Computer Graphics Society.

November 16, 2023 S05E16: Brian Leif Hansen: Cooking Up Animation

Growing up on a dairy farm in Denmark, Brian Leif Hansen

assumed he’d spend his life living near where he grew up,

perhaps a farmer himself, but the universe had other ideas for

him.

While a love for puppets and animation was always with him,

that didn’t seem like a viable option for a career so he did

the next best thing and trained to be a chef. While he didn’t

realize it then, that early training prepared him for the life

of an animator: building stamina, and cultivating an eye for

precision and detail.

Leaving behind a successful career in the kitchen, at 24

Brian took a leap and enrolled in a program at the

world-renowned Animation Workshop and the rest, as they say,

is history.

In our conversation, Brian shares memories of growing up on a

farm and takes us through his whirlwind, if short-lived,

career in the culinary arts. He then shares his animation path

and how he applied lessons learned throughout his career to

tackle his biggest challenge: Guillermo del Toro’s

Pinocchio.

Episode Links

Website

IMDb

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic · The Little Dev Shop · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 2 min

October 19, 2023 S05E15: Audrea Topps Harjo: Master of Chaos

From the moment she learned to read, Audrea Topps Harjo has

been a creator, first turning words into worlds in her mind,

and then sharing those stories she loved so much with her

family as a performer. Her passion led her to filmmaking in

various forms, from telling her own stories in her own voice

as a director, to helping other creators bring their visions

to life.

A skilled problem solver with a knack for breaking down

complicated problems and navigating complex work environments,

Audrea has made a name for herself as someone you can turn to

when you need help, be it setting up something new or stepping

in to bring teams into alignment.

From Washington, DC, to LA, New Zealand and back, Audrea has

not only worked everywhere but she’s also worked with everyone

and in our conversation, she shares insights into her career,

from the early days of working at Sony Pictures Imageworks to

adventures at Electronic Arts and Lightstorm

Entertainment. Along the way, she discusses culture shock,

“otherness,” and how taking risks has been a cornerstone of

her career.

Episode Links

Inclusion FX

Inclusion FX Instagram

Instagram

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YouTube

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 12 min

October 05, 2023 S05E14: Athomas Goldberg: Experience Maker

Starting as a lighter and later designer for concerts and

plays in New York City, Athomas Goldberg never imagined

he’d be at the forefront of a new form of entertainment

but curiosity, necessity and a willingness to take chances

have led him to exactly that: a new frontier where live

entertainment and technology meet.

From the early days of experimenting with Ken Perlin at

NYU’s Media Research Lab, Athomas saw the possibility for

technology and performance to converge. While not

immediately apparent, each new career experience was

another step in bringing the two disparate disciplines

together.

Throughout our conversation, Athomas shares the

excitement and challenges of his time at the Media

Research Lab and how that led to him being an Artist in

Residence to a researcher. We also explore how his work

and career coincided with the rise of various

technologies, from mocap to real-time rendering, that have

shaped the work he does today and he shares some insight

into the future of this new form of storytelling.

Episode Links

Shocap Entertainment

Pepper’s Ghost Media

Lifelike and Believable

Facebook

YouTube

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment · Doberman Pictures · DNEG ·

Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic · Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

57 min

September 21, 2023 S05E13: Athena Georgaklis - Taking Leaps

Growing up a child of the 80s, Athena Georgaklis loved

cartoons and while she knew she wanted to work in film,

her career in animation came almost by chance after taking

a job as an assistant at the then-fledgling Teletoon. Once

she realized that animation was what she wanted to do with

her life, there was no turning back.

With a willingness to learn and take on new challenges,

Athena rose to the role of Director of Programming at

Teletoon before making another big leap and leaving behind

the world of acquisitions for the world of creation, first

as Head of Development at Nelvana Studios and most

recently, as Vice President.

With a career that spans many aspects of project creation

from, development to delivery, Athena has seen and

experienced it all: from early morning pitch meetings gone

wrong to delivering projects with lasting impact. In our

conversation, Athena shares insights into the ups and

downs of content creation, management in a post-pandemic

world, the importance of believing in yourself and your

work, and she provides invaluable tips and advice for

content creators selling their work.

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine ·

Industrial Light & Magic · Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

53 min

September 07, 2023 S05E12: JM Blay — Art is a Lifestyle

Hailing from a family with a long history of artists, JM

Blay seemed destined to enter the art world. As if

predestined, once he started drawing, he never

stopped.

His love of art developed into a fascination with

photography and movement. Unbeknownst to him, JM had

stumbled into the world of motion design and his “weird

fascination” became the cornerstone of his career.

JM’s versatile, unpretentious approach to creative

collaboration has served him well, leading to a 20+ year

career and collaborations on everything from film to music

videos; working with major brands from around the globe

including Netflix, Adidas, Doritos, Paul McCartney, and

Lady Gaga among many others.

In this candid conversation, JM shares insights into the

world and history of motion design and how AI is

disrupting the status quo. Along the way, he also shares

valuable tips on working with difficult clients, staying

creative, and finding a work/life balance.

Episode Links

Website

IMDb

Instagram

Facebook

X

Behance

Vimeo

Blay Studio

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media ·

Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr

August 17, 2023 S05E11: Debi Wong — Disruptive Tendencies

Technology. Innovation. Interactive. Disruptive. These are not terms generally

associated with opera but for Debi Wong and her team at re:Naissance Opera,

these words are at the core of what they do. But how does one go from studying

classical music at Yale School of Music and Sibelius-Akatemia to creating

operas in VR?

For Debi, it's simply in her nature. A disruptor at her core, she's always

pushed the envelope of tradition, asking “why” at every opportunity but it

was the discovery of early Baroque opera and the spirit of innovation present

in the early days of the art form that inform her work.

In our conversation, Debi takes us on an insider's journey through her career,

from the early days of discovering that music was something you could do for

a living to how her love for video games informed her first VR project and

she shares insights into how failing doesn't necessarily mean failure.

Episode Links

Website

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media ·

Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

54 min

August 03, 2023 S05E10: Henrique Reginato — Seize Opportunity

Henrique Reginato was always artistically inclined but he came to visual storytelling

through, of all things, radio.

After a series of false starts, Henrique found himself far from home and family at

Vancouver Film School. The goal was simple: finish the program, return to Brazil

and start a career but the universe had other plans and instead, Henrique found

himself working and settling down in Vancouver.

After years of working in studios, Henrique ventured out on his own in 2020 and

launched NOX Visual Effects, a visual effects bureau with a focus on compositing

but being "the boss" sometimes means making mistakes. In our candid conversation,

Henrique shares valuable tips on surviving contract work, the importance of

networking and mentorship, and insight into launching a business.

Episode Links

Website

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media ·

Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 6 min

July 20, 2023 S05E09: Brenda Chapman — Perpetual Storyteller

Growing up the youngest of five in rural Illinois, Brenda

Chapman's passion for drawing was encouraged by her mother.

Working her way through school, Brenda began her formal

studies at Illinois College before applying and being rejected

by CalArts.

Brenda did eventually make it to CalArts where she met Joe Ranft,

an encounter that changed the trajectory of her career.

Over the course of this conversation, Brenda shares her experience

in the industry, from her first animation job on Hulk Hogan's Rock

'n' Wrestling and early career at Disney, writing and directing the

Oscar®-winning Brave, the importance of mentorship, and how she

stays creative.

Episode Links

Website

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix · Tickfilm.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · BRON · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media ·

Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH · SIGGRAPH Asia.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

56 min

June 22, 2023 S05E08: Alain Chesnais — Lifelong Innovator

Math always came easily to Alain Chesnais, something he partially

attributes to genes. That ease has lent itself well to his career,

helping him navigate studies in math, science, and eventually computing.

Working with groundbreaking computer scientist Henri Gouraud

greatly impacted the trajectory of Alain's career, in part by

introducing him to computer graphics.

Alain has devoted his career to innovation and research, and

some of his achievements include the development of Maya, a tool

that is now widely used in the CG industry, as well as TrendSpottr,

a predictive analytics tool for social media.

In our conversation with Alain, he shares insights into his

career including his work with SIGGRAPH and how he played an

instrumental role in the launch of SIGGRAPH Asia. He also shares

tips on being an effective leader, and provides insight into

emerging trends he is most excited about.

Episode Links

Facebook

Website

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix · Tickfilm.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · BRON · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 15 min

June 08, 2023 S05E07: Elizabeth Baron — Driving Change

Elizabeth Baron fell in love with computing at an early

age, a passion that led her to study computer science at

Eastern Michigan University. Hailing from a self-proclaimed

"Ford Family," Elizabeth began her career at the car

manufacturer shortly after graduation and over the years

moved around various departments, eventually running Ford's

Immersive Virtual Environment Lab, a lab she also helped to create.

In our conversation with Elizabeth, she recounts her early

years at Ford and the challenges and achievements of her career

at the company, being awarded the Dr. Haren Gandhi Research

and Innovation Award, her passion for SIGGRAPH, the challenge

of starting a new career after 30 years with the same company,

and she shares some insights into what she believes to be the

challenges of immersive technologies.

Episode Links

Instagram

Facebook

Unity

Host: Marina Antunes

Opening & Closing Credits by: Michael Edlund

Produced & Edited by: Joshua Peterman

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix · Tickfilm.

KILOBYTE:

Atomic Cartoons · BRON · Doberman Pictures · DNEG · Image Engine · Industrial Light & Magic ·

Mainframe Studios · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE:

Animasia BC · CMPA BC · Digi BC · NOX VFX · Rotomaker · Scanline VFX ·

The Little Dev Shop · Vancouver Film School · Versatile Media · Walt Disney Animation Studios · Wētā FX

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

58 min

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