Q&A with mustard FX divisional leader James Newman

James Newman – Divisional Lead – mustardFX
Motion Picture | Gaming | Animation | CGI | VFX 

Why the refresh? 

I made the decision to rename the division from VIZ –> FX to align with our journey and expansion.  

Initially, we started as a team with a strong foothold in the visualisation market; but over time it became increasingly apparent that this would be a small part of a much bigger picture.  

We are now looking to streamline our brand to represent both our current and target market for the future. The brand ‘FX’ encapsulates this division, by literal definition. 

What has changed in the market since you started the division? 

With an incredible effort from the team, our division has networked and accessed a wider market within the Film, TV, Gaming and Advertising. The team are now heavily involved within VFX, CGI and Animation, recruiting from pre-production through to postproduction across these sectors, with no sign of slowing down. 

Are you still recruiting within visualisation? 

Absolutely! Our resident CGI/Viz recruiter, Joe, is still solely focused on those markets across: Architecture, Interiors and Product. We still value this as a core part of our division, and Joe’s ambitions have seen us expand into Realtime experiences and VR/XR. 

Are there any growth areas that you’re looking into? 

I see huge potential across all of our markets, but in particular the Gaming sector. It’s no secret that this area is one of the largest markets across the globe, and still expanding!

We currently have our consultant, Tom, dealing with all aspects of the market, but are seeing a huge influx of work and a very apparent need for support in this area. Eventually I think we’ll have a team of 3 or 4 dealing with Gaming recruitment across the UK and Europe.  

What’s next? 

Expansion. The team has grown to 4 consultants in the last year, and I can see that being doubled in 12 months due to the sheer amount of opportunity across the division. Watch this space! 

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