Distant Future VFX

Founder

Bill Beaumont

Profile

Bill Beaumont at Media Museum. Distant Future VFX came into being last year after I completed my MA in Computer Animation. I graduated with a distinction and went on to win a BBC award with my final film. From the early stages of my MA I was frustrated by the way people tend to be pigeon-holed in the wider industry. People become known as either animators, riggers, lighting technicians and so on, this put me off getting involved as I enjoyed all aspects of the production process. This really motivated me to set up in business myself.

What does your company do?

Distant Future VFX provides computer animation and special effects services for corporate videos and music promos. It's a really niche market and I am hoping to make the most of the gap that I have seen there.

What has ThinkBusiness@Bradford done to help you develop?

By applying to the Think Business team for support I have been able to turn what was a very basic idea for a business into a realistic and profitable project. I really can't stress how important the advice and support I have received has been. I can truly say that I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

What's been your biggest success?

Bill Beaumont, Distant Future VFX. A Sheffield-based film studio contacted me to talk about a joint tender for a corporate film. At the time they were unsure if they would be able to put in a viable tender, but on the strength of the preliminary work that I showed them, they decided they had just what they needed to submit the tender.

It felt good that my networking skills had paid off and that they had contacted me. It also felt good that my work had impressed them to such a high degree.

What's been the hardest thing you've had to cope with?

Getting started is hard, especially coping with setting up the financial side of the business. In the early days I was just about bringing enough money in to cover the bills, but financial support through Think Business and the Graduate Entrepreneurship Project enabled me to start investing properly in developing the business.

What advice would you give other new businesses?

Get support. Find out what is out there and engage with as much of it as is practical. Look to work with established people and organisations. Get your name known as widely as you can. If people don't know about you they cannot help you and they cannot use your services.

What plans do you have for the future of Distant Future VFX?

Bill Beaumont, Distant Future VFX. I am currently looking at expanding into new markets, but for obvious reasons I will keep the details of those to myself for now!

I am also trying to keep on expanding the name and reputation of Distant Future VFX so that my company becomes recognised as a leading studio of choice for animation and effects work.