Visual Effects Society - Texas Section

VES Texas Section Austin Spring Happy Hour!
Summer is almost upon us! The weather is getting hotter and the locusts are starting to sing, so it’s time to get together with our VES colleagues to catch up and see what everyone is up to! We’ll be gathering at the BREWTORIUM! We’ll provide the brew!

The BREWTORIUM
6015 Dillard Cir, Ste. A
Austin, TX 78752
June 6th, 1:00 p.m.

It’s been a minute, as they say, since Austinites have gotten together to meet and catch up. So, please, let’s all get together to raise a mug and see what everyone has been up to! We need to show support for this part of our section!

Please RSVP by June 5th so we can get a headcount.
👇
https://vesglobal.org/event/austin-ves-at-the-brewtorium/

Thank you to everyone who joined our panel on Digital Production in Texas earlier today at the Texas Production Expo! Featuring Compositing/DFX Supervisor Colin Campbell, VES; Principal Lighting Artist at id Software Jim Gibbs; Associate Product Manager and VFX Consultant at Topaz Labs Erasmo P. Romero III; and VFX Supervisor/Owner at Deacon Finn Films Laurie Powers Going. Moderated by Executive Producer/VFX Supervisor Mark AJ Nazal.

The conversation was real, the questions were on point, and the room was engaged. That energy is exactly why we keep showing up for the Texas production community. This is what it looks like when the industry comes together.

See you at the next one!

VES Texas is on the ground at the Texas Production Expo at the Grapevine Convention Center! Stop by our booth to learn about membership, connect with the Texas VFX community, and grab some candy while you’re at it.

And don’t forget — our panel on digital production is at 11. Who’s here? Come find us.

CREATING A GROUNDED NEAR-FUTURE FOR AI THRILLER MERCY Inside the making of Mercy: DNEG supervisors Chris Keller and Simon Maddison explain the VFX process behind drones, courtrooms, and citywide action.

Thank you to Comicpalooza and Comicpalooza University for having us. Texas’s largest comic convention did not disappoint!

From the streets of Gotham City to the ruins of Krypton and a multitude of alien worlds and multiverses, our crew had a blast talking careers, credits, and the work they got to be a part of.

Colin Campbell, VES (Hulk, Avengers: Infinity War), Kino Scialabba(X-Men, Avatar), Mark AJ Nazal (Gotham, Lucifer), Erasmo P. Romero III (Man of Steel, Spider-Man), Judy Elkins (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), and moderator Nicole Caliro. It was a great afternoon with this group.

Next stop: Texas Production Expo hosted by the Dallas Producers Association. Stay tuned.

From AAA game studios and boutique VFX houses to emerging Al pipelines, panelists from Visual Effects Society (VES) will discuss the evolving Texas production landscape, workforce development, cross-discipline collaboration, and the opportunities ahead for digital artists and studios in the state.

TPE 2026 is THIS Wednesday and Thursday, May 27-28. Free admission. Industry-leading exhibitors. Free seminars. Real connections.

Last call — register at the link in bio or sign up at www.dallasproducers.org/texas-production-expo

VES-Texas Section Comicpalooza 2026! 🎉

The VES Texas crew is on the floor at Comicpalooza and the cosplay is next level — starting with our own Secretary, Mark AJ Nazal, arriving in full Sub-Zero mode. Meanwhile, Section Chair Colin Campbell and Houston-based member and Star Trek alum Judy Elkins showed up like total normies. We respect all choices.

We also had some incredible visitors stop by the banner — a pair of Green Lanterns (power rings charged), Bane (extremely jacked), and Master Chief (locked and loaded). Good company all around.

If you’re here this weekend, come say hi! And don’t miss us tomorrow, Sunday May 25, 1:00–2:00 PM on the CPU/Sapphire Stage for “The Visual Effects Professionals Behind the Superhero Movies We Love!”

These are the people who made your favorite superheroes come to life. Come hear how it’s really done.

Power Loader battles, alien vines animated like predators and creature work designed to make audiences empathize with a Yautja for the first time.

In this VFX Voice exclusive, Animation Supervisor Karl Rapley and Visual Effects Supervisor Sheldon Stopsack of Wētā Workshop discuss the visual effects and creature animation behind Predator: Badlands, including Dek’s emotional performance and the evolution of the Kalisk.

Get the full scoop here: https://vfxvoice.com/connecting-emotionally-with-the-alien-hunter-at-the-heart-of-predator-badlands/

May has been a busy month for us in the Texas Section of the VES. Along with the a panel this Sunday at the Houston Comicpalooza, we will also be at the Texas Production Expo hosted by the Dallas Producers Association on May 28th at the Grapevine Convention Center.

In addition to our table in the Community Room, we will be hosting the panel "Digital Production in Texas: From Games to Visual Effects and AI" at 11:00 a.m. in the Texas Film Gear room.

Panelists scheduled to appear:

Jim Gibbs - Principal Lighting Artist at id Software
Erasmo P. Romero - Associate Product Manager/VFX Consultant at Topaz Labs
Laurie Powers-Going - VFX Supervisor/Ind. Filmmaker/Owner at Deacon Finn Films and VFX
Mark A.J. Nazal - Exec. Producer/Founder at SurrealArts Group
Colin Campbell, VES - Comp/DFX Supervisor and Visual Effects Society - Texas Section Chair

So please come out to the Texas Production Expo (It's free!) and stop by the table and say hi!

Register:
https://www.dallasproducers.org/texas-production-expo