Lindsay Hallett joined Luma in 2009 and has since played a key role in forming Luma’s relationships with Marvel Studios, Fox and Lionsgate and bringing in films like Thor, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Prometheus, Insurgent and recent titles including Deadpool and Black Panther.  On top of all this, Lindsay runs her own visual effects studio on the beautiful island of Maui, Hawaii with her husband Jamie Hallett.

This year marks Lindsay’s 25th anniversary in the crazy, wild world of VFX, so we chatted with her to celebrate her incredible journey and, of course, learn all about how she’s built an impressive and successful career.

Here, Lindsay reflects on how she got her start in the industry, the lessons she’s learned along the way and opens up about her life outside of VFX, including tending to her pet hermit crab—Ludwig Junior!

Let’s start from the beginning. How did you get your start in the industry?

I always knew I wanted to work in the film industry, but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. I started at Warner Bros. as a temp secretary for an amazing female executive who oversaw all of accounts payable for the studio. This led me toW.B.I.T.(Warner Brothers Imaging Technology, shortly thereafter re-named Warner Digital) on a gig as a production accountant working for another great woman. She taught me a lot and I was glad to get the accounting background, but it just wasn’t really my thing. I wanted to work in production to be in the mix, so I approached our VP to get guidance on how to make this transition. He told me if I did a project on my own time while still doing my accounting gig, he’d push me into production. So I did…and he did. Thank you, Mr. Sarnoff!

What were some of the first films you worked on as a production crew member and what was your role?

The first film I worked at Warner Digital was for Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! as an assistant coordinator.  It’s still one of my favorite films today. I got to meet Tim on this project, so that was pretty awesome! I then coordinated a handful of films and even got a shot at producing in my very early career on Selena.  After a few years there the division got shut down and I moved on to  Sony Pictures Imageworks as a coordinator and digital production manager on films like Stuart Little and Hollow Man (yes that one).

From there, I moved into producing and worked at various studios like Asylum and Rhythm & Hues until I found myself at my favorite place — Luma (I’m not just saying that)—as a VFX Producer. I then worked as an Executive Producer for the Features Department at Riot for three years, and with those newly developed skills, came back to Luma in 2009 in my current role as Business Relations Executive. I have worked on many films, great and small, and all have been their own adventure!

What was it like working on Mars Attacks! with Tim Burton and Mike Fink (two masters at their craft)?

It was a great learning experience and lots of fun doing the VFX with Mike, who is an exceptional supervisor and meeting Tim was amazing, of course!  It was pretty funny when he arrived for a meeting once. They sent me to greet him at the door, and at the time, I had black hair and looked very much like a character out of Beetlejuice (striped tights and all), so I think he thought it was a set-up until I convinced him I actually worked there!

And what was it like working with an Oscar-winning talent like Stan Winston?

For me, working with Stan was wonderful.  He was a really exceptional man. I learned quite a lot from him about the business as a whole.  I did one project there for his digital division—Stan Winston Digital—which was Fantastic Four. I met a lot of very talented people during my work on that project. It was an honor to work with Stan, our digital division and all of his physical FX team/creature designers.  They are all amazing talents and wonderful people that I’m still in touch with to this day.

How did you segue into Business Development and Relations at Luma?

I took a job that (much to my surprise – ha ha!) actually ended up giving me a skill-set I’d not yet taken on—and hadn’t really thought about taking on—and it just so happened these things fell perfectly in line with some needs Luma had at that time.  Timing is everything!

What are the key aspects of this role and how do you juggle/maintain strong client relationships?

I find the key to maintaining any kind of real relationship, with clients in particular but in all aspects of one’s life, is to just be honest.

How did you initially cross paths with Marvel Studios, Lionsgate and Fox (relationships you helped establish with Luma)?

I was able to make the Luma-Marvel handshake happen due to a previous relationship I had with one of their VFX Supervisors. He and I had worked together years prior on a great film Black Hawk Down at Asylum and we kept in touch until I was at Luma and he landed the Marvel project.

The head of VFX at Lionsgate and I were coworkers years ago, then she became my client…and my co-worker, again.  All my relationships at Fox were made during my run as an EP at Riot, with the exception of one person with whom I worked with from the very, very beginning!  It’s about staying in contact and doing as much for people as you can, when you can. It all comes back to you and I find again, it’s mostly based on trust. Of course, talent and pricing is a huge factor as to where someone takes their work, but trust and history with people go very far.

You also run your own company called capital T with your husband. Can you tell us more about what inspired you to run your own studio?

Jamie and I saw the business expanding all over the world over the years.  We’d both already spent almost two decades in the business and got a crazy idea to do what we love from a place that we love (Maui!) and try to strike a balance between hard work and well, life.  We wanted to slow things down a bit and spend quality time with family. At times, the industry doesn’t lend itself very easily to such things.

Tell us what a typical day is like “in the office” for you.

There are a lot of phone calls, lots of emails and hopefully lots of great leads and work coming in!  In times where there is any lull, I just try to learn as much as I can about what the climate is out there for other vendors and clients.

How do you handle the craziness that comes with your line of work?

You just do. You have to be prepared for the perfect plan you worked out to change completely…and possibly change back…and so on!  You just need to be flexible, fair and ready for anything.

And what excites you most about your job?

I still love seeing people I work with directly— or whom I’ve known for years—make the work happen, and to bring what starts as words or concepts to life.  It’s pretty awesome. The best part of my job? Getting to know and work alongside some very talented and interesting people. To be able to help people in whatever way I can, with advice, recommendations, and to introduce solid people I know to other solid people I know.

In what major ways has the industry changed from what it was 25 years ago to today?

The work is being done all over the world now, as opposed to a handful of places.  There are far more people in VFX now than when I started. There was a time when there were more jobs than people to fill them. That has become quite the opposite.  The timelines and budgets seem to be more challenging than before, but the work isn’t getting any less complex. Oh…and there’s the tax incentives! While they were always out there, they became very widespread, and in my opinion, a driving force in such a way that many companies expanded beyond America (Los Angeles, really) in order to remain viable. This is what vendors need to navigate these days, which was much different than when I started in the business.

And where do you see VFX going in the near future?

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure.  I know that the streaming platforms will change and are already changing things immensely, along with VR. But I think the nuts-and-bolts of making great VFX for films and other mediums will remain the same, at least for a while.

What is an invaluable lesson you’ve learned in your career?

Always maintain your integrity and do the right thing.

It’s no secret that women are a minority in this industry. What advice do you have for women who want to carve a path in VFX?

I realize how silly this is going to sound, but my best advice is be aware of the fact that you may face certain challenges solely because you  are a woman, but don’t let it dictate how you do things. Don’t overcompensate.  Just do a great job.

Now let’s talk about your life outside of VFX. What are your other passions in life?

The people I love, our animals (animals in general actually), the ocean and of course…dancing!!

What’s on your Netflix queue? Or what are you currently watching?

My favorite Netflix show of all time is Stranger Things.  I’ve just wrapped up This is Us and The Assassination of Gianni Versace.  Oh and we watch a lot of the History channel and the Food Network.

What is your favorite film and why?

Hmmm.  Very tough one. In no particular order:  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Airplane!, The Shiningand Planes, Trains and Automobiles. I generally love action movies and comedies—even the cheesy ones. 🙂

What’s your morning routine like?

Get up, get coffee, feed the animals and get to work! Except on weekends, then change that last bit to “get to the beach”.

What kinds of animals do you have?

1 dog (love of our lives), 1 cat, 1 turtle and a salt water fish tank full of fish and one crazy hermit crab.  Unfortunately our birdies went to birdie heaven.

Any big plans for the future?

No big plans.  Jamie and I just want to keep working in the business we love, watch our kids grow up happy and healthy and to try and continue to be grateful for how blessed we are.