Meet our London 3D artist

I’m Neil, the Head of CGI at Seventy7 London. As a way to introduce myself and give insight into my path as a creative professional, I’m sharing my journey—from freelancing nights to leading CGI operations and becoming a 3D artist, here is my story.

My Professional Background

Like many creatives, I started as a freelancer. Late nights were spent editing videos, designing websites, and illustrating greeting cards. I was hungry to grow, which led me to take on evening shifts retouching images, aiming to break into the London market. Over three years, that work escalated—from part-time evening shifts to full-time days and eventually managing an entire retouching department.

From there, I transitioned to Hungry Tiger, taking up the role of Head of Post Production. As the company evolved into Seventy7, my role also shifted, progressing from Head of Technical Operations to Head of CGI. 

Today, I oversee a wide variety of content creation, spanning from creative direction and video production to post-production and CGI.

How does someone get into CGI?

For creatives, exploration is second nature. Around the late 2010s, I began to dive into the world of 3D design. At first, I juggled video and photography projects but soon realised I had to make choices about which tools and software I could invest in.

Then came COVID—a strange yet pivotal time. With more free time on my hands, I leaned into my decade’s worth of experience in photography and video and made the leap into CGI full-time. It was a natural progression, an evolution of my skill set.

Inspirations That Fuel My Work

I’m fortunate to work closely with a creative community that constantly shares fresh ideas and content. The great thing about CGI is the abundance of free resources available, which makes learning and experimenting more accessible than ever. I spend a lot of time in Discord groups, staying connected with fellow artists.

As for my inspirations, they are quite varied. I find value in seeing what other agencies are doing and drawing inspiration from artists like Daniel Ginzburg, Benoit Challand, and Raoul Marks. 

Aggregator accounts also provide a constant stream of creative ideas. I believe in consuming as much diverse content as possible—it’s a key part of growing as an artist.

My Time at Seventy7

I’ve been with Seventy7 since January 2012. It’s been a journey of personal and professional growth, from my early days in post-production to my current role in CGI.

The Future of Technology and Design

What excites me most is how technology is reshaping creativity. There’s been a certain flattening of creativity due to the rise of algorithms, AI, and competition for space in the digital realm. Creativity is becoming more functional, but I’m also seeing a shift. More people are pushing back—experimenting with both technology and design to challenge the norm. As more creatives enter the space, I believe we’ll see these aspects continually evolve and be redefined.

Favourite Projects

When it comes to pure CGI, one of my standout projects was with Paperchase. The challenge was to make the CGI work indistinguishable from photography, even at billboard size. It pushed me to perfect photorealism on a large scale.

One of my side projects that I really enjoyed was the creation of oversized 3D bags for a fashion shoot (you can see it here). The challenge was to make the bags look so real that the model appeared to be physically sitting on them when in reality, she was positioned on beanbags. Creating the right shape and texture to give that illusion was a fun puzzle to solve.

Advice for Aspiring Designers and Digital Artists

My number one piece of advice? Master the fundamentals. Whether it's lighting, grading, post-production, or understanding colour science—knowing these basics will enable you to work more efficiently and creatively. Once you have a strong foundation, don’t be afraid to experiment and challenge everything, even the advice I’m giving you now.

I hope my journey gives you some insight into the evolving world of creative content and CGI. Keep exploring, learning, and challenging yourself—you never know where it might take you!