One of Us partners with Roto & Paint team Firebrand

VFX house One of Us has partnered with Doncaster-based Roto & Paint team Firebrand, which supports VFX companies, producers and brand agencies looking for extra capacity.

Part of Firebrand’s remit is to build the next generation of UK filmmaking talent outside London, through bespoke training for local creative people.

One of its staff of 15, Richard Van De Steenoven, is a compositing supervisor based in Lincoln, with more than 10 years in the VFX industry and has worked on projects including Black Mirror and News of the World.

One of Us was one of the first clients to start working with Firebrand last year, and it has now formalised its partnership and will have at least six Firebrand artists working on One of Us projects across the coming year.

Sophie Trainor, MD and co-founder at Firebrand, said: “We have taken a different path to find and develop talent as all our artists are based in Doncaster. Firebrand was borne from a desire to offer new opportunities to people in the area and the will to ensure that new VFX talent has entry-level options in the UK with access to a lifestyle they can afford.

“We love working with people with a similar sense of social responsibility and everyone at One of Us has been really supportive from the start. We’re delighted to expand the work we do with them.”

Rachael Penfold, CEO, One of Us, added: “Working with Firebrand has been the perfect opportunity to continue our goal of providing new talent with a kick start to their career. The VFX industry can be quite intense, and a lot of the UK focus has always been in London, so we’re pleased to be able to help provide a wider range of opportunities.”