Sr. Editor/Co-Founder
charlieuniformtango
What’s the most relevant business and/or creative lesson you learned in 2020 and how will you apply it to 2021?
No doubt 2020 was a cluster bomb, and we were fortunate in that all of our people and their loved ones were all largely spared.
Business wise, it didn’t require any assets we didn’t already possess: resilience, rapid adaptation, innovation and communal work ethic. But, it required them to be deployed in new and untested ways, and if you had any weak links anywhere in the chain they would be exposed. Not at Tango. To a person, we have been absolute studs. So, it’s really not so much about what was learned, it’s about what was confirmed: Culture counts. Yeah, it’s a tired cliche, but why it’s different when it comes to Tango, is that it’s not bullshit. If you attract and assemble the best, and build relationships on trust, responsibility and commitment to each other and a shared purpose, you can prevail over any storm. Through it all, we didn’t cut a single position and we didn’t reduce a single salary, in fact, we added people. This experience has really strengthened every aspect of our company.
How will the events of 2020–from the pandemic to the call for social and racial justice–impact the content you create and/or the way you work?
From a work process perspective, remote editorial/post is here to stay. But, as soon as we can, we’ll all be back in office. Coordinating remote client schedules for an hour here or an hour there is no replacement for the undivided attention of butts on your couch. While this experience has forced the employment of multiple strategies that allow us to create in unique circumstances, it has only reinforced that traditional in-room, in-person sessions are the most efficient and productive way to deliver the best content.
Latest Crop of VES Fellows Unveiled
The Visual Effects Society (VES) has announced the Societyโs newest VES Fellows, who will be celebrated with the other honorees at a special VES Honors event later this month. This yearโs venerated VES Fellows who will be bestowed with the post-nominal letters โVESโ are: Matt Aitken, Girish Balakrishnan, Randall Balsmeyer, Michael Conte, Lisa Cooke, Bryan Grill, Thomas Knop, Arnon Manor and Susan Rowe.
VES 2024 Fellows
VES Fellow Matt Aitken, VES. Aitken has been an integral part of Weta FX since it first opened its doors. With two Oscar nominations and five VES Award wins, including the top award of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature for Avengers: Infinity War, Aitkenโs versatility and creative talent are foundational to the studioโs success. As head of visual effects, Aitken leads Weta FXโs artists across three countries, and is responsible for filmmaker and studio relationships. Prior to assuming this executive role, Aitken was one of Weta FXโs most experienced visual effects supervisors on projects including Avengers: Endgame, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Marvelโs Eternals. Aitken has been an active VES member for 20 years. He was instrumental in establishing the New Zealand VES Section in 2011, the 5th VES Section to be created, and was New Zealand Section chair for its first five years of operation.
VES Fellow Girish Balakrishnan, VES. Balakrishnan has more than a decade of experience driving business studio strategies, business development and production innovation across live action, animation and games. As director of creative innovation at Netflix, Balakrishnan leads the content & production studio investment strategy on the application of... Read More