Allan Magled (c)
Berj Bannayan (l) and Michael Mombourquette

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell 

Published in the Financial Post

 June 30, 2009

Allan Magled, along with partners Berj Bannayan and Michael Mombourquette, run Soho VFX ( www.sohovfx.com ). The Toronto-based digital animation studio has contributed to block-buster films.  Allan Magled tells the Financial Post what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

Zig-zag career: “Early on, I worked in construction, and at 25, switched to work in a butcher shop. I updated my skills, first learning how computers create 3D images, and later, animation. Hired on as a computer animator, I was soon promoted to visual effects supervisor. We started Soho VFX in 2002, and now I juggle the business and the creative side.”

Computing muscle: “Creating animation requires vast computing power, and for production, we’ve developed a relationship with Dell Computers. This technology has revolutionized visual entertainment.”

Starts with fur: “Our first big application was designing the ‘fur’ on animated characters -- fur that would ripple and shine like the real thing. From there, you may have seen our more advanced work in films like Cat in the Hat, The Incredible Hulk, and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. We’re opening an office in LA, to better our Hollywood presence.”

The best: “Right from the start, we wanted a workplace where our people would want to hang out together. We help new people excel at their work; our staff benefit from the rewards.”

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