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VFX Legion Signs CG Supervisor Blake Anderson

15-year veteran joins leadership team in new B.C. division, bringing expertise in management and collaboration to studio’s growing network of work-from-home teams of artists.

VFX Legion has announced that CG supervisor, Blake Anderson, has joined the recently launched B.C. division’s leadership team; the industry veteran brings a range of skills and experience managing and collaborating with large work-from-home teams of artists on feature films and episodic series. The announcement was made by company founder, James David Hattin.

Anderson’s 15-years of experience in the industry includes six-years as a VFX supervisor for ABC’s fantasy TV series, Once Upon a Time, out of Zoic Studios. Additional credits include Wonderland; 666; District 9; Stargate Universe; Stargate Atlantis; The 440; and Muppets in Oz.

A graduate of The Art Institute of Vancouver (formerly CDIS), the B.C. native began his career as a hands-on creative and is an experienced 3D artist, CG generalist, 2D animator, matte painter, compositor, and pre-vis artists. The multi-disciplined Anderson’s in-depth knowledge of the process of creating visual effects brings invaluable insight to his role as CG Supervisor.

Helmed by head of production, Dylan Yastremski, the new studio mirrors its LA flagship facility's structure while further expanding the company's capabilities. The opening of the division is in response to increased demand for VFX Legion's experience working exclusively with home-based teams of talent, creating cost-effective, high-quality visual effects for dozens of films and hundreds of television episodes.

Over the coming weeks, Anderson will be joined by the B.C. operation's full core team of managers, support staff, and lead artists. With an increased leadership team and the company's home-based talent network, the new division can accommodate a larger number of projects simultaneously while meeting the needs of both larger scale and more complex productions.

"Establishing a local management team with the scope and experience needed to guide work-from-home artists as seamless collaborative teams enables VFX Legion to utilize the B.C. studio's expanded resources effectively,” commented Yastremski. “Blake brings the skillsets needed to optimize the advantages of our road-tested remote capabilities and the scope and caliber of Legion’s growing network of talent residing throughout the province, North America, and the world.”

"Last year we brought Blake on board to lend his talents to the feature film, Black Christmas,” added Hattin. “He impressed me with his depth of experience and mastery of our custom workflow. His strong managerial skills and experience make him a great fit with VFX Legion, and we are excited to have him on board.”

"The role of CG Supervision at VFX Legion presents me with a unique opportunity to work with a company that launched as a fully remote resource for visual effects,” noted Anderson. “Their well-establish collaborative pipeline, scope of talent, efficiency, and quality comes with years of experience working with home-based talent. While physical isolation and a certain disconnect are inherent when talent is homebound, approaches to working remotely vary. I’ve worked with VFX Legion’s team on projects in the past - and the way they interacted with home-based artists, the level of accessibility, and smooth workflow made it a great collaborative experience."

“There’s no way of knowing how long social distancing, a necessary precaution will be,” added Anderson. “But even looking beyond the current pandemic, VFX Legion provides artists and productions with unique advantages as the industry moves forward. It’s a great company that’s way ahead of the curve, and I’m thrilled to join its team.”

Source: Legion VFX