Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Meet the CEO and co-founder

01/08/2024

By TVBEurope Staff

Published: August 1, 2024 Updated: August 2, 2024

Jon Mason from VFX talent agency Hotspring, tells TVBEurope why the visual effects industry is a perfect blend of art and technology, allowing for continuous learning and innovation. Talk us through an average day in your role As the CEO and Co-Founder of Hotspring, my day is a mix of strategic planning, team collaboration, and [ ]

target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Jon Mason from VFX talent agency Hotspring, tells TVBEurope why the visual effects industry is a perfect blend of art and technology, allowing for continuous learning and innovation. Talk us through an average day in your role As the CEO and Co-Founder of Hotspring, my day is a mix of strategic planning, team collaboration, and [ ]

https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/people/meet-the-ceo-and-co-founder title=Share via Email class=share-email>

Jon Mason from VFX talent agency Hotspring, tells TVBEurope why the visual effects industry is a perfect blend of art and technology, allowing for continuous learning and innovation.

Talk us through an average day in your role As the CEO and Co-Founder of Hotspring, my day is a mix of strategic planning, team collaboration, and client interactions. I start my mornings by reviewing the latest developments and performance metrics to ensure we're on track with our goals. I spend a significant part of my day in meetings with different department heads, discussing ongoing projects and exploring new opportunities. Communication is key, so I make it a priority to stay connected with our team members, whether they're working remotely or on-site. Afternoons are often dedicated to engaging with clients and stakeholders, understanding their needs, and ensuring that our services align with their expectations. Lastly, I allocate time for innovation, brainstorming new ideas, and working on the continuous improvement of our product offerings, like our latest machine learning workflow, Slapshot.

How did you get started in the industry? My journey in the VFX industry began with the founding of Trace VFX. I co-founded Trace with a vision to create a reliable and high-quality VFX service provider. We started small, but through strategic positioning and a commitment to excellence, we grew significantly. Over seven years, we built Trace into one of the largest VFX vendors globally, with over 1,000 full-time employees in Mumbai. This experience laid the groundwork for my current role at Hotspring, where we aim to bridge the gap between clients and artists, leveraging technology to enhance VFX production.

What training did you have before entering the industry? Before entering the VFX industry, I gained a solid foundation in business management and strategic planning. My formal education provided me with the skills necessary to navigate the complexities of running a business. Additionally, hands-on experience was crucial. Building Trace VFX from the ground up was a significant training ground. It involved learning everything from team management and client relations to understanding the technical aspects of VFX production. This comprehensive experience equipped me with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the VFX industry.

Why do you enjoy working in the industry? The VFX industry is incredibly dynamic and constantly evolving, which keeps things exciting. I enjoy the creative and technical challenges it presents, as well as the opportunity to work with a diverse group of talented individuals. There's a sense of accomplishment in seeing the final product, whether it's a film, TV show, or commercial, and knowing that our work has contributed to its success. Moreover, the industry is a perfect blend of art and technology, allowing for continuous learning and innovation. At Hotspring, we're passionate about using technology to improve the way VFX is made, and it's fulfilling to see how our innovations, like our recently launched Slapshot, making a tangible impact on the workflow and efficiency of VFX teams.

What piece of advice would you offer someone looking to explore a role similar to yours? For anyone looking to explore a role similar to mine, my biggest piece of advice would be to stay adaptable and continuously seek out learning opportunities. The VFX industry is fast-paced and constantly changing, so being open to new ideas and technologies is crucial. Build a strong foundation in both the creative and business aspects of the industry. Hands-on experience is invaluable, so seek out opportunities to work on diverse projects and with different teams. Networking is also key; surround yourself with passionate and knowledgeable people who can mentor and inspire you. Lastly, always strive for excellence and be committed to delivering high-quality work, as this will set you apart in a competitive industry.
LINK: https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/people/meet-the-ceo-and-co-founder...
See more stories from tvb

Europe Stories

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

15/04/2026

RT announces new crime drama The Yank starring Kate Mulgrew and Colm Meaney

Two Cities Television and Keeper Pictures to produce six-part series in association with Screen Ireland for RT and ITV Studios RT has commissioned Two Citie...

15/04/2026

RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film to celebrate RT100

RT 100 RT unveils The Signal' a specially commissioned 60-second film ...

14/04/2026

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 Playout and Live News Workflows

ToolsOnAir and Omnistream Bring Mobile SRT Contribution into Professional 24/7 P...

14/04/2026

AIR Music Tech release Fabric Vintage Synths Vol.1

Captures a trio of renowned polysynths The latest software to join AIR Music Tech's extensive catalogue captures the sound of three sought-after polysyn...

14/04/2026

United Plugins introduce UnitedFreeBundle

Free offering includes 10 powerful plug-ins United Plugins have announced the launch of a new bundle that brings together 10 of their pro-audio plug-ins, an...

14/04/2026

Celemony update Tonalic

Julian Coryell joins virtual session player line-up Announced at NAMM 2026, Celemony's Tonalic kits DAW users out with real performances by world-class ...

14/04/2026

X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai

X-Rite Pantone Color Academy Grand Opening in Shanghai On March 27, 2026, X-Rite Pantone, the global authority in color standards and color science, held the...

14/04/2026

VEON and JazzWorld Receive Competition Commission of Pakistan Approval for Acquisition of TPL Insurance

14 Apr 2026 VEON and JazzWorld Receive Competition Commission of Pakistan Appro...

14/04/2026

Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood to host next two episodes of Saturday Night Live UK

Tuesday 14 April 2026 Nicola Coughlan and Aimee Lou Wood to host next two episo...

14/04/2026

p Drs leads Sky and AMC+ Original Gangs of London Series 4 as new players enter the fight for control of Londons underworld

Lead writer and executive producer Jack Lothian joins alongside lead director Je...

14/04/2026

Thomas Riedel Acquires Premium Manufacturer ARRI

Wuppertal April 14, 2026 Thomas Riedel Acquires Premium Manufacturer ARRIStrategic Alignment With the Riedel Group for Innovation and Growth Thomas Riedel, f...

14/04/2026

Harmonic Introduces Breakthrough AI Orchestration Service for Live Video Workflows

New Service Simplifies Integration of AI Applications with Exceptional Reliabili...

14/04/2026

SES, Japan Airlines to Expand Multi-Orbit Inflight Connectivity to Long-Haul Fleet

Luxembourg, April 14, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, today annou...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Composition Builder 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Composition Builder 2026 application for macOS enables TV stations and Live Event broadcast...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:live pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:live pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel Live Production Playout solution for video and static or real-ti...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr just:play pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:play pro 2026 is a Multi-Channel automated 24/7 Master Control playout solution with SD, HD and U...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAr live:cut 2026 Boilerplate More Details: live:cut is an option to just:in mac pro 2025 and enables multicamera production workflows for up to 16 cam...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite NDI 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite NDI application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specific...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir Just In Mac Lite 2026 Boilerplate More Details: The Just In Mac Lite application is a streamlined media capture solution designed specifically for...

13/04/2026

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate

ToolsOnAir just:in mac pro 2026 Boilerplate More Details: just:in mac pro is a macOS-based client-server multichannel capture solution to record SDI, HDMI, N...

13/04/2026

Musik Hack update SweetEQ

Intuitive EQ plug-in gets an upgrade Following its official launch back in February 2026, Musik Hack's intuitive EQ plug-in has been treated to its firs...

13/04/2026

Vintage Vault 5 from UVI

Flagship soft synth collection expanded The latest version of UVI's flagship vintage-inspired soft synth collection has just arrived, expanding the suit...

13/04/2026

Sonuscore launch Lux Orchestral Strings Elements

Free version of innovative string library arrives Released in October 2025, Lux Orchestral Strings was said to be Sonuscore's most ambitious library to ...

13/04/2026

Girls' Research Camp at SGL Carbon in Meitingen inspires young women to pursue STEM careers

The Girls' Research Camp is part of the Technology - Future in Bavaria edu...

13/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz transforms submarine communications for realtime underwater dominance at UDT 2026

Rohde & Schwarz transforms submarine communications for real time underwater dom...

13/04/2026

Rohde & Schwarz enables Pulsar signal simulation to support next-generation navigation devices

Rohde & Schwarz enables Pulsar signal simulation to support next-generation navi...

13/04/2026

Paddy Treacy is the first act revealed to compete on The Late Late Show Opening Act

The search for Ireland's newest country music star is live on Friday 17 Apri...

13/04/2026

Global environmental action NGO WRAP brings recycling to life with Rescue Me TV campaign, backed by Sky Media

Monday 13 April 2026 Global environmental action NGO WRAP brings recycling to l...

13/04/2026

Jnger Audio Joins EBU ADM Integration Group as Founding Member to Help Advance ADM/S-ADM Integration

J nger Audio has joined the EBU ADM Implementers Group (ADM-IG) as a founding me...

13/04/2026

FOX Latin America Announces The Launch Of The FOX Channel In Central America And Strengthens Its Position In The Region

FOX Latin America Announces The Launch Of The FOX Channel In Central America And...

13/04/2026

Every mic on deck: recording "Sinners" for IMAX

No amps, no safety net The biggest challenge was the music itself. Everything in the film is acoustic and unamplified. The theme itself is kind of hard to expl...

13/04/2026

RT Radio 1 unveils new audio identity

RT Radio 1 has today launched a significant step in its ongoing strategic evolution. Following the launch of its brand-new schedule late last year, RT Radio 1...

13/04/2026

The Late Late Show offers a once-in-a-lifetime prize to the winner of next week's Opening Act compet

The Late Late Show Opening Act, the search for Ireland's newest country musi...

13/04/2026

RT appoints new Chief Financial Officer

RT has today announced the appointment of Annemarie Britz to the position of Chief Financial Officer, RT following a public competition. Annemarie Britz is c...

12/04/2026

Areal unveil the SR1

Headphone system designed for immersive monitoring With the demand for immersive audio showing no signs of slowing down, lots of companies are turning their...

11/04/2026

Infrasonic launch Infrasonic Berlin

Engineer collective welcome Freddy Knop Infrasonic, an award-winning collective of audio engineers operating out of Nashville and Los Angeles with credits r...

10/04/2026

Fans Crown Winners at the First Spotify Podcast Awards in France

After launching the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico last year, we brought the fan-voted celebration to Paris this week for its first edition in France. Hosted ...

10/04/2026

Yamaha launch the DXR/DXS & CXR/CXS Mk3

Powered and unpowered live PA ranges upgraded Yamaha have just refreshed four of their hugely popular PA speaker ranges, delivering significant improvements...

10/04/2026

UJAM open Gorilla Engine to third-party developers

Underlying plug-in & VI technology now available to others UJAM's latest announcement sees the company open up' Gorilla Engine, the development pla...

10/04/2026

SES Announces Implementation of a Liquidity Contract With BNP Paribas

Luxembourg, April 10, 2026 - SES, a leading space solutions company, announces that it has entrusted BNP Paribas with the implementation of a liquidity agreemen...

10/04/2026

UKTV Highlights: Saturday April 25th - Friday May 1st 2026

What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week? This week on UKTV and the free streaming service U, viewers can watch a range of new and returning programm...

10/04/2026

Multi-BAFTA-winning Chernobyl makes its free-to-air debut, marking 40 years since the disaster

Five-part Sky Original drama airs nightly on Sky Mix and Sky Atlantic from 20 Ap...

09/04/2026

Yospace surpasses 10 billion ads stitched in a single month, as ad-supported streaming surges

Staines-upon-Thames, UK, 09, April, 2026 - Yospace, the trusted leader in Dynam...