ftrack | International Women’s Day: 8 creative women on the industry today

Can you tell us a little about your journey in VFX?

Kate Gabriel: I’m from the Czech Republic, where I grew up as a very creative child, dreaming of one day becoming an artist. I studied furniture construction at high school and later Interior Design at university. That’s when I started experimenting with 3D software. My career in film and TV production began in 2011 in Iceland, where I worked as a Junior Lighter on the full-CG stereoscopic feature film Legends of Valhalla: Thor. I remember one of the previews in the cinema and seeing my shot on the big screen. I felt butterflies, realizing how many people would see it in the cinema!

I finished my Master’s degree in Interior Design but spent a lot of time remotely freelancing as a 3D generalist for clients in Finland. When I finished my studies, I created my showreel and submitted it to studios all around the world. I heard back from Blue Zoo Animation and went to London to work on Digby Dragon in the lighting and comp department. Afterward, I joined the commercial department at MPC.

I now work as a 3D Artist at The Mill. I absolutely love working in advertising; I enjoy the dynamic challenge each project brings. I’m learning new things every day.

Samantha Pedregon: Getting into the industry was challenging. My demo reel needed work, so people weren’t hiring me, but I needed the experience to get better! Unpaid internships weren’t ideal, but I was desperate to learn and improve. After a few years of jumping around smaller studios and honing my craft, my friend had told me about The Mill and the runner positions they offered.

As a runner, I was part of the client services team that kept the studio running. That involved anything from going into suites with clients to take care of food/drink needs, running errands for projects, arranging team lunches, and more. I was involved with a lot of small tasks, but being a runner also helped me to meet a lot of people in different departments. I made friends in CG, and after three months they requested my help on a project during the busy Super Bowl season. They realized I had more than just beginner-level skillset! I proved myself on that job and was fortunate enough to stay in a Junior VFX Artist role. In this position, I contributed to background assets and camera tracking. That gave me a great foundational understanding of the creative process, which came in hugely beneficial following a promotion to my current role of VFX artist.