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

May 19, 2022 S04E08: Maisha Moore — Open to Connections

Vancouver-native Maisha Moore has always been creative,

dabbling in everything from sculpture to music. For a time,

she was convinced that she’d be making music for Disney

movies before finding that her passion lay elsewhere,

notably in animation.

After graduating from Capilano University’s 3D program,

she spent a year working outside the industry before landing

a job as a shader and eventually making the transition to

her true calling, design.

We recently spoke with Maisha about learning on the job,

how thinking about the big picture is essential for working

in teams, and how important networking is to career

advancement.

Episode Links

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment · BRON Media Corp. · DNEG · Image Engine · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks.

BYTE: AMD Canada · Animasia Animation · Centre for Digital Media · CMPA BC · DigiBC · Foundry · Ghost VFX · NGX Interactive · NOX VFX · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · Unreal Engine · Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

45 min

April 13, 2022 S04E07: Matthew Celestial — Life is PR

If Matthew Celestial has a life mantra, it’s likely “Focus

on the wins.”

A shy kid who came out of his shell in public, Matthew

often found himself at the centre of the group, uniting

friends under a common love for tv and film, but it was his

passion for the stars that led him to attend university to

pursue astronomy. The cosmos had other plans for him.

An encounter while on a practicum led him to make a

connection that changed his life and opened the door to a

career in public relations, first for Paramount Canada before

eventually striking out on his own.

We recently spoke with Matthew about his journey into the

world of PR, the challenges of keeping up with the

ever-changing media landscape, dealing with difficult clients,

and he shares some tips and tricks for individuals looking to

start marketing their brand.

Episode Links

Statement Strategies

Twitter

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano

University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment Inc. ·

BRON Studios · DNEG · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures

Imageworks · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: AMD Canada · Animasia Animation · Centre for Digital

Media · CMPA BC · DigiBC · Foundry · Ghost VFX · NGX

Interactive · NOX VFX · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop ·

Unreal Engine · Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

51 min

April 07, 2022 S04E06: Nosipho Maketo-van den Bragt — Art, Change & Community

Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, Nosipho Maketo-van

den Bragt recognized that there was something “off” about the

world around her, but it wasn’t until her family moved to

Zimbabwe at the age of 10 that she saw what life could be

like.

Becoming a lawyer was an act of rebellion, a way of

fighting for herself and for her community, but it was the

creation of Chocolate Tribe, the studio she founded with her

husband, that has fully visualized Nosipho’s vision of a

better world, one that is equal, open, vibrant, and

creative.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Nosipho about

being a child in a household of active rebellion, the pressure

of being a woman in a role of authority, and the importance of

making time for yourself.

Episode Links

Chocolate Tribe

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment Inc. · BRON Studios · DNEG · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: AMD Canada · Animasia Animation · Centre for Digital Media · CMPA BC · DigiBC · Foundry · Ghost VFX · NGX Interactive · NOX VFX · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · Unreal Engine · Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 9 min

March 17, 2022 S04E05: Mike Lasker — Visualizing Imagination

Mike Lasker always knew that he wanted to make things no

one had ever seen before. Curious about early VFX and inspired

by Jurassic Park, The Abyss

and Terminator, Mike found himself at Syracuse

University, studying computer graphics. He eventually landed

in New York City, working on everything from medical animation

and architectural previsualization to commercials before

deciding that he wanted to make movies.

The need to expand his horizons eventually led him to LA

and a job at Sony Pictures Imageworks, where Mike has spent 16

years honing his skills, and doing what he always wanted to

do: make things no one has ever seen before.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Mike about

how his early days in New York prepared him for his move to

Sony, working his way up the studio ranks, and how his passion

for wowing audiences keeps him motivated.

Episode Links

Mike Lasker

Sony Pictures Imageworks

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano

University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment Inc. ·

BRON Studios · DNEG · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures

Imageworks · WildBrain Studios.

BYTE: AMD · Animasia Animation · Centre for Digital Media ·

CMPA BC · DigiBC · Foundry · Ghost VFX · NGX Interactive · NOX

VFX · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · Unreal Engine ·

Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

50 min

March 03, 2022 S04E04: Nagin Cox — Exploring For The Next Generation

At 14, Nagin Cox knew that she wanted to be a space

explorer but being an astronaut was not her main goal. Keenly

aware that the true early explorers were robots, Nagin focused

her energy on becoming an engineer with a dream of working at

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

How does an Indian girl from Kansas City find her way to

being a systems engineer at NASA? With a lot of hard work,

perseverance, and a can-do attitude.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Nagin about

her road to JPL, working remotely on Mars, how technology is

changing her work, and finding balance between her personal

and professional life.

Episode Links

Nagin Cox

Twitter

Instagram

Facebook

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment Inc. · BRON Studios · DNEG · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks.

BYTE: Animasia Animation Studio · CMPA BC · Centre for Digital Media · DigiBC · Foundry · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · NOX VFX · Unreal Engine · Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

1 hr 31 min

February 17, 2022 S04E03: Isabel Bailin — Searching for the Next Big Thing

Isabel Bailin always knew she wanted to be a creator, but

it wasn’t until she arrived at Barnard College, and had the

opportunity to intern at various networks and studios that she

discovered her passion for finding independent voices.

Now the Director of Development for Frederator Studios, the

company responsible for such hit shows as Adventure

Time and Castlevania, Isabel finds herself in a

position to discover, nurture, and champion creatives.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Isabel about

the career advantage of internships, the changing landscape of

adult animation, and how self-care is crucial to career

development.

Episode Links

Barnard College

Frederator Studios

Facebook

Twitter

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

Thank you to our sponsors!

TERABYTE: Creative BC.

MEGABYTE: AMPD Technologies · Animal Logic · Capilano University · Netflix.

KILOBYTE: Atomic Cartoons · Bardel Entertainment Inc. · BRON Studios · Mainframe Studios · Sony Pictures Imageworks.

BYTE: CMPA BC · Centre for Digital Media · DigiBC · Foundry · Scanline VFX · The Little Dev Shop · NOX VFX · Unreal Engine · Versatile Media · Wacom Store Canada.

PARTNERS: ACM SIGGRAPH.

ORGANIZERS: Spark CG Society · Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.

53 min

February 03, 2022 S04E02: Ere Santos — Autodidactic Animation Savant

Like many animators, Ere Santos discovered his love for

animation at a young age but rather than wait until he was

“grown-up” to pursue his dream, he started on it

immediately. With a copy of Blender, an animation school

syllabus, and a dream to work at Pixar, eight-year-old Ere was

on his way.

A decade later, Ere found himself standing at the gates of

Pixar for his first day of work.

The journey to working in animation has been long and

challenging but through it all, Ere has persevered, working

through the challenges and rejection to make a career for

himself and now he’s looking ahead to the next stage of his

creative life.

We recently had a chance to speak with Ere about his

self-guided journey to working in animation, inspiration, and

his self-dubbed lofty goals for the future.

Episode Links

Twitter

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Produced by: Michael Edlund

51 min

January 20, 2022 S04E01: David Burgess — Love What You Do

If you were to ask David Burgess about being involved in two of

the three films that are considered “game changers” in modern

animation history, he’ll chalk it up to luck but in reality,

it’s a combination of hard work and a willingness to take

chances: moving to Toronto after college without a job lined up,

moving to LA without a job lined up, leaving Disney for the new

world of CG.

David has always worked and been motivated by the concept of

loving what you do and his career is a testament to his love of

creativity, energy, and new challenges.

A veteran of the industry with 30+ years of experience, David

has worked on some of the biggest movies of our generation

including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, Shrek 2,

and Trolls. We recently had a chance to speak with him about his

career, taking chances, and how technology has changed how he

works.

Episode Links

IMDb

David Burgess on LinkedIn

Animal Logic on LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Host: Marina Antunes

Sound & Music: Michael Edlund

1 hr 26 min

October 27, 2021 S03E10: Amir Nasrabadi — Drawn to Creative Fire

Amir Nasrabadi’s love for animation grew out of

watching cartoons as a child: Peanuts, Rocky &

Bullwinkle, and pretty much anything else he could

find on TV, but he never imagined that he’d one day

find himself working in the industry that sparked his

creative passion.

A career in finance seemed like a great idea; it

was stable and as a career counselor told him, “there

will always be a need for accountants,” but after

years of working as an auditor, he followed an inner

instinct to search for something new, and that search

lead him to his first position in the film

industry.

Now with 20+ years of experience, Amir is a veteran

and leader of the industry, having worked at some of

the largest and most respected companies in animation,

including Pixar, Paramount Pictures Animation,

Illumination Entertainment, and Disney.

We recently had a chance to speak with Amir about

his career, taking risks, and how his curiosity has

shaped his work as a leader.

Episode Links

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Amir Nasrabadi

Host: Marina Antunes

Sound & Music: Michael Edlund

0 min

October 13, 2021 S03E09: Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav — Educating for the Future

Growing up in Mongolia, Munkhtsetseg “Muunuu” Nandigjav, wanted to be a fashion designer or a lawyer. Though she didn’t ultimately pursue either career, they both influenced her career choice as an educator: she works in a field that mixes the creative and technical and she commands audiences.

Muunuu’s passion for learning and education led her to teach, preparing future creative professionals both as an educator but also as a leader with SIGGRAPH, an organization that she first discovered as a young student.

We recently had a chance to speak with Muunuu about growing up in Mongolia, how online learning is changing education, and her work as Conference Chair for SIGGRAPH 2022.

Episode Links

SIGGRAPH

Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav

Instagram

Host: Marina Antunes

Sound & Music: Michael Edlund

0 min

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