From reading comics as a kid, to directing feature films and TV projects for Disney, Hasraf HaZ' Dulull details why he loves the creative challenges offered by working in the media industry and why you should never be afraid to fail
By Contributor
Published: September 15, 2022 Updated: September 16, 2022
From reading comics as a kid, to directing feature films and TV projects for Disney, Hasraf HaZ' Dulull details why he loves the creative challenges offered by working in the media industry and why you should never be afraid to fail
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Hasraf HaZ' Dulull creative director and producer at HaZimation Talk us through an average day in your role: Well, I always like to start with going to the gym in the morning and then back at my desk with coffee. I go through emails and then start planning the day, usually dailies with the film production team and then play test the latest build of our games and metaverse projects and do a video capture of my session as I talk though my points and give notes.
After that, I send the link to the team via our internal Discord channel, before getting into designing shots, sequences and gameplay design for our games as well putting pitches together for our next projects. I tend to do a lot of my designing and exploration directly in Unreal Engine, as it's far more effective in communicating the shot composition, camera language, lens and tone, then that rough pre-vis can be taken way further with the talented artists I collaborate with.
From 5pm onwards, I tend to catch up with the execs in LA on current and projects in development.
How did you get started in the media industry? I started off in video games back in 1998 when I was still at City University in London; I did a one year placement at a games company called Deibus Studios working on games like Motocross Mania, and doing anything and everything I could learn about 3D, animation etc. Then from there I ended up working at various games companies including Codemasters and Kuju Entertainment doing game cinematics.
Around 2005 I decided to stop mimicking filmmaking in video games (little did I know I would be doing exactly that in 2020!) and go into film VFX as a compositor at companies like MPC, Passion Pictures, Partizan and then became a visual effects supervisor working on set and in studio on feature films and TV shows, before becoming a VFX producer.
I was also creating my own short films, before being approached by Hollywood agents and Managers. One short - Project Kronos - landed me a manager in Hollywood as well as a film development deal. After several writing development deals with studios like Fox and Paramount, I decided to produce and direct my first feature film - THE BEYOND (edited and post entirely in Davinci Resolve) which ended up being released by Gravitas Ventures in 2018 and was number two in the iTunes charts next to Bladerunner 2049 and Wonder Woman! This led to me directing my second feature film, 2036 Origin Unknown with the lovely Katee Sackhoff. I then got hired by Disney to helm the pilot and episodes on the mini-series FAST LAYNE.
I then set up the production company HaZimation with my business partner Paula Crickard, and we are now busy producing our own IP in animated feature films, video games and metaverse content. Today, we're in post production on our animated feature film, RIFT.
What training did you have before entering the industry? I spent a lot of time as a kid reading comics and playing video games and reading tons of material. I always loved learning new things, but I didn't have any formal training in using 3D apps or photoshop or editing. I learnt those myself at home doing little projects and then showing them to people before eventually reading content online in VFX and CG forums, receiving feedback on my work and reading tons of tutorials in magazines and websites.
Why do you enjoy working in the industry? There's a million reasons why I love working in this industry, but the main one is that every day is a new creative challenge to tell exciting stories, and I get to collaborate with different people all the time. When you meet those people at events, it feels like we are all connected in what seems like a small world and yet a huge industry!
What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours? The big advice I would give is to stop talking about wanting to make films or games and just do it!
There is no reason why you technically couldn't make something today, because we have amazing tools like Unreal Engine and DaVinci Resolve that are free to download and use, there is so much knowledge by amazing content creators out there on YouTube etc. Added to this, the hardware is more affordable than ever - and hell, you can even shoot a 4K movie on your iPhone!
The other advice is don't be afraid to fail. I have failed tons of times creatively, technically and even business decisions, but at the end of the day you learn from those experiences and makes you even stronger and better at what you do.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
13/05/2026
New Adobe Premiere Color Grading Mode Accelerated on NVIDIA GPUs
Joel Pennington May 13, 2026
0 Comments
New NVIDIA RTX-accelerated features streamlin...
13/05/2026
Grass Valley announced that dB Broadcast has delivered new IP-based outside broadcast (OB) trucks for Cloudbass, featuring Grass Valley LDX 100 Series cameras a...
13/05/2026
Ikegami will exhibit the latest additions to its wide range of broadcast production cameras, control units, viewfinders and monitors on stand 5D3-1 at Broadcast...
13/05/2026
FISE, working with the founding members of the XR Sports Alliance (XRSA), Accedo, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and HBS, have collaborated to develop an immersive...
13/05/2026
Canon Unveils New EOS R6 V Full-Frame EOS Camera and RF20-50mm F4 L IS USM PZ Bu...
13/05/2026
Boston Conservatory at Berklee Honors Beth Morrison and Moses Pendleton at Comme...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/05/2026
Creative software developer Foundry today announced the latest developments on Nuke Stage. A purpose-built application for end-to-end virtual production and in-...
13/05/2026
A definitive portrait of one of Ireland's most influential musicians
New TV documentary airs Monday 18 May on RT One and RT Player at 9.35pm
Watch the...
13/05/2026
Agentic AI is changing the way users get work done. Following the success of OpenClaw, the community is embracing new open source agentic frameworks. The latest...
13/05/2026
Reinforcement-learning agents - AI systems that learn by trial and error - can c...
12/05/2026
Beyond the Hype: A Strategic Post-Hoc Analysis of NAB 2026 If NAB Show 2026 had an underlying theme, it was a quiet, industry-wide pivot from the high-energy sp...
12/05/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D), a Panoptec Technologies Group company, and CT Square, led by Chandresh Shah, have announced a joint venture to distribute G&D and V...
12/05/2026
With 30 days until the start of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the United States, has announced th...
12/05/2026
The NHL has announced the return of Stanley Pup for its third consecutive year, a 90-minute special featuring adoptable rescue dogs competing on a miniature rin...
12/05/2026
NBCUniversal presented its 2026 Upfront to advertisers at Radio City Music Hall, detailing upcoming programming across NBC, Peacock, Bravo, and Versant properti...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced funding for the Fandom and Social Connection Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Publ...
12/05/2026
TNDV and Live Media, both divisions of Live Media Group, supported live broadcast coverage around NCAA Final Four weekend in Indianapolis, including the March M...
12/05/2026
The European Football Alliance (EFA) has announced a content distribution agreement with Fubo Sports Network, the free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel ...
12/05/2026
For the first time, Spanish-speaking fans in the U.S. will have two separate tel...
12/05/2026
CP Communications led a comprehensive spectrum management initiative on behalf of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby week, coordinating RF assets across the ...
12/05/2026
LiveU has announced a strategic partnership with DRONERESPONDERS, a 501(c)3 non-...
12/05/2026
Open Broadcast Systems has announced that BMC TV, a specialist in IP transport of broadcast content, has selected the Open Broadcast Systems 5G Flyaway solution...
12/05/2026
NEP Europe, part of NEP Group, has announced it will deliver broadcast solutions...
12/05/2026
Grass Valley has announced continued collaboration with Ravensbourne University ...
12/05/2026
Stats Perform has announced the launch of Opta Pulse, an AI-assisted video creation and distribution platform for leagues, rights holders, and broadcasters. The...
12/05/2026
FOX Sports has announced a collaboration with Sesame Workshop to integrate Sesame Street characters into FOX Sports' FIFA World Cup 2026 programming. Conten...
12/05/2026
To date, NHL Productions has produced 19 broadcasts with commentary in American Sign Language
NHL in ASL (American Sign Language) may be just one show, but the...
12/05/2026
Google's Brian Albert: creators, athletes, highlights, nostalgia, second-scr...
12/05/2026
A still from Past Lives by Celine Song, an official selection of the Premieres program at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | p...
12/05/2026
Spotify is where fans and artists come together, turning discovery into somethin...
12/05/2026
Features patented Marco-MMC clocking technology
Black Lion Audio's latest release combines the company's expertise in clocking with their renowned p...
12/05/2026
New Track Panel, sequencer upgrades & more
Following their recent public beta release, Reason Studios have announced the full release of Reason 14. With the...
12/05/2026
One month to go! SBS reveals expansive FIFA World Cup 2026 lineup beyond the pi...
12/05/2026
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing at...
12/05/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has developed a modified fund raising p...
12/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/05/2026
Tyrell Corporation, specialists in high-end live sports and entertainment broadcasts, was tasked with delivering compelling broadcast coverage of premier equest...
12/05/2026
Registration is now open for IBC2026 as the global media, entertainment and technology community prepares to converge on the RAI Amsterdam from 11 14 September ...
12/05/2026
Ross Video, a global leader in live video production technology, will present its latest innovations and integrated production workflows at BroadcastAsia 2026, ...
12/05/2026
500 selected leaders from around the world across start-ups, corporates, and venture capital. Over 50bn in assets under management among attending investors, a...
From reading comics as a kid, to directing feature films and TV projects for Disney, Hasraf HaZ' Dulull details why he loves the creative challenges offered by working in the media industry and why you should never be afraid to fail
