TSR 002: SOA Academy Day #6 Special

The SpectRoom

Jumping ahead one year, this session takes us to SOA Academy Day #6. On this session I talked with Peter Guthrie and Henry Goss from The Boundary, David Bullock, John Hodgkins and Luis Inciarte from Hyas Davidson, John Sellings and Silvia Tossici from Squint Opera, Victor Bonafonte and Eva Bonafonte from Beauty and The Bit, and Johannes König and Christian Zöllner from Bloom Images. If you’ve ever wondered how to land a job with one of these incredible companies, or what to expect from their office culture, listen on to this special session of The SpectRoom.

The Boundary

Sharing an update on the first year of their new business, Peter and Henry call their first year “an incredible one.” They cover how they’re keeping updated on new technology, including Unreal Engine, the plans for their new shop, and what they’re looking for from potential employees. Their morning routine starts with sleeping in, and their motivation comes from learning new things and having fun, but I’ll let Peter and Henry explain how that works for them.

Hyas Davidson

Hyas Davidson pioneered architectural visualization with 25 years behind them. They have produced over 20,000 CGI images in those years, and it was a real pleasure to sit down with David, John, and Luis, at SOA Academy Day #6. From planning to marketing, those years of experience give them an edge over their competitors, that they detail in our conversation. When looking for new employees, the first thing they want is someone with a good eye, and possibly someone who is exceptional at a game of squash.

Squint Opera

Squint Opera is a creative studio and production house based in London that produces extraordinary work in everything from video content and animation, branding, websites, design, games, and strategy. I chatted with Silvia, who is an intern-turned-3D artist, and John, music- producer-turned-technical editor. They share some of the technology tools they’re using, what they’re looking for in new hires, how they train their employees to meet the Squint standards, and one major perk that’s located just downstairs from their main office.

Beauty and The Bit

Victor and Eva are the husband-wife team at Beauty and The Bit, which is based out of Madrid. They specialize in architectural illustrations and visual creation. In our conversation, they share their approach to testing out new technologies, what they’re looking for in new employees, and what they love to do in their spare time — provided they happen to find some.

Bloom Images

Bloom Images splits their efforts between two offices — one in Hamburg and one in Berlin. We chat about how they manage multiple locations, the ideal team size, and how they use people leaders to develop their whole team. They give a glimpse into their newest venue — set design, creating surroundings for advertisements for games, movies, and more, and again, share what they’re looking for from anyone that is looking to join their team.

Key Takeaways

[:54] First up — an update from The Boundary partners Peter Guthrie and Henry Goss.

[3:00] Potential employees have to bring this to a successful company like The Boundary.

[8:20] The morning routine and the motivation at The Boundary.

[13:10] What an employee ownership company looks like at Hyas Davidson.

[14:28] 25 years of experience, and model of London, are just two of the HD secret weapons.

[18:45] Hyas Davidson wants raw talent — and they know how to spot it.

[20:10] What team building fun looks like to David, John, and Luis.

[22:47] Projects for the company can also be personal projects.

[29:18] Passion and solid new ideas are must-haves for new hires at Squint Opera.

[33:05] The training process comes from multiple sources, and it works perfectly.

[38:12] A look at the current projects at Squint Opera.

[41:54] Artists should focus on this to fit the Beauty and The Bit studio style.

[44:15] Free time — when you find it — has to profit you well.

[48:06] What it takes to be noticed by a large company like Bloom Images.

[51:35] The newest venues for design at Bloom Images.

Main Quotes

“We all have specializations, but we all have to be able to do everything.” — Peter Guthrie

“What we’re looking for is raw talent, and we can see pretty quickly if an artist has got a good eye.” — David Bullock

“It’s not a matter of technical ability, but to have a trained eye for storytelling.” — Victor Bonafonte

“We’re looking for people who share the same world of ideas and languages with us.” — Christian Zöllner

“What connects us is the quality of the outcome, and also the idea on how to solve the problem.” — Christian Zöllner

Software Mentions

Unreal Engine

Corona Renderer

VRay

Name Dropping

Peter Guthrie

Henry Goss

The Boundary

Hayas Davidson

Squint Opera

Beauty and the Bit

Bloom Images