Creative Director Christian Nielsen on his passion for inspiring the next generation of creativity at The Mill

Christian Nielsen is a Creative Director at The Mill’s Los Angeles studio.

While studying Multimedia in the late 90s, Christian began studying CG and intensively taught himself the craft, and eventually secured his first position at a studio in Copenhagen. After 10 years of working in Copenhagen, Christian made his way to New York where he worked as a VFX Supervisor and then the Head of CG. After an eight-year run at The Mill New York, Christian moved out west to Los Angeles to join Framestore as the Head of CG/VFX Supervisor. Chrisitan rejoined The Mill in early 2023, this time in the LA studio as a Creative Director.

Throughout his extensive career, Christian has collaborated with an impressive lineup of directors including Adam Berg, Peter Berg, Andreas Nilsson, Brian Beletic, Wayne Mcclammy, Jim Jenkins and more. Additionally, Christian has brought his expertise to a range of projects from Super Bowl commercials, video game trailers and film.

Christian is known for taking an active role in reviewing and improving every scene that he and his team are working on, ensuring every shot is up to the highest of standards. Additionally, he has dedicated a great deal of time exploring how AI and Machine Learning can be incorporated into our projects as he finds this aspect of the industry to be incredibly intriguing.

You’ve collaborated with a wide range of directors and top-tier brands throughout your career. What projects are you most proud to have worked on and why?

I’m proud to have worked on the commercial for Playstation’s ‘The King’, especially since I knew Martin de Thurah, the DP, and Editor from my time in Denmark. It was great to collaborate with old friends and draw on our past experiences to create something special, with groundbreaking technology, a talented team, and positive audience response. It’s an experience that I’ll always look back on with pride and gratitude.

How do you want to help shape the next generation of creativity at The Mill? 

With more than two decades of  experience and a dedication to quality, I’m passionate about shaping the next generation of creativity at The Mill. I’m committed to staying current with the latest trends and technologies, exploring new approaches to CGI, VR, and other emerging tools. By nurturing and empowering the next generation of creatives, we can push the limits of what’s possible and continue delivering impactful work. I’m honored to be back at The Mill and excited to help shape its future.

What’s currently inspiring you?

I’m fascinated by the rapid advancements happening in artificial intelligence and its potential to transform the way we work. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends, such as deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, generative adversarial networks, reinforcement learning, and edge computing, can help me discover new ways to boost efficiency and productivity in my industry. By keeping a close eye on what’s happening in AI, I can stay ahead of the curve and unlock new possibilities for myself and the company