This week my guest is Lauren McCallum, who has worked in the VFX industry for over 15 years. And you might be thinking niche or not applicable to me, but I really urge to listen to this because Lauren’s advice and perspective on a whole array of topics is just phenomenal, frankly.
Lauren is currently Head of European Production at Scanline VFX, who have worked on films like Black Widow, Joker, Stranger Things 3, Captain Marvel and Black Panther.
She also worked at MPC as Head of Production on films like The Jungle Book, Spectre, The Martian and Blade Runner 2049 and as Managing Director at Mill Film where she launched studios in Montreal and Adelaide. And before that she was a visual effects co-ordinator at Framestore, where she worked with closely with Alfonso Cuaron on Gravity.
This is an episode for anyone struggling to maintain work life balance. Lauren and I talk about burnout, setting boundaries, redefining success and overcoming imposter syndrome.
Lauren is also a champion for diversity and inclusion within the industry and in 2019 was named on the UK’s OUTstanding LGBTQ+ Role Models List. We talk about the value of bringing your whole self to work, and how creative industries in particular can facilitate the kind of inclusion and acceptance that enables that. We talk about a transgender toolkit that Lauren worked on and disseminated whilst at Mill Film.
We also talk about what it takes to make original and extraordinary visual effects and the lasting influence of Jurassic Park.
So it’s a wide-ranging, but hopefully inspiring chat. I know I got a lot from it.
#118: Carmen Thompson, Curator & Creative Producer
117: Adelaide Waldrop, Intimacy Coordinator
#116: Reetu Kabra, publicist
#115: Aoife McArdle, Filmmaker
Bonus Minisode: Sara Dosa, Documentary Filmmaker
#114: Claire Anne Williams, Hair & Make-Up Designer
#113: Jessica Kiang, Film Critic & Writer
#112: Sheena Patel, Assistant Director & Author
#111: Tabitha Jackson, Director of the Sundance Film Festival (Live at Sundance London)
#110: Ashley Connor, Cinematographer
#109: Katie Sinclair, Development Exec & Independent Producer
#108: Renee Zhan, Director & Animator
#107: Chi Thai, Independent Filmmaker & Producer
#106: Lizzie Gillett, Director of Feature Docs at Passion Pictures
#105: Aisha Bywaters, Casting Director
#104: Ruth Greenberg, Writer & Director
#103: Elhum Shakerifar, Documentary Producer
#102: Henrietta & Jessica Ashworth, screenwriters & directors
#101: Sandra Hebron, Head of Screen Arts at NFTS
#100: Rose Garnett, Director of BBC Film
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