
The Collective Podcast
The Collective Podcast brings you bi-weekly episodes of entertaining, informative, honest discussions with creative industry professionals from around the world. Created and hosted by designer/director Ash Thorp, he aims to explore the struggles of work/life balance and to share the experiences of influential creatives from all realms of media, including (but not limited to) designers, illustrators, visual effects artists, writers, painters, and programmers.
Latest episodes

Oct 21, 2019 • 1h 32min
Ep. 215 - Claire Fleming
Art director Claire Fleming joins us this week to discuss some of the fascinating lessons and concepts she’s learned from working in the industry, what it’s been like working with master filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams, and provides some excellent advice for those looking to break into the industry.
GUEST LINKS:
Claire’s Website: http://clairefleming.com/
Claire’s IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2690982/
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SHOW NOTES:
Strelka Institute: https://strelka.com/en/home
Afterlife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Life_(film)
Adventures of Tintin: https://amzn.to/2MXL442
The Mind, Explained: https://www.netflix.com/title/81098586
Arrival: https://amzn.to/33QjufT
Annihilation: https://amzn.to/2oQHpNw
Free Solo: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7775622/
Jiro Dreams of Sushi: https://amzn.to/2pzZ4Jl
Save the Cat!: https://amzn.to/2Bt8dpx
Victoria: https://amzn.to/2MYLZ4b
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Oct 7, 2019 • 2h 24min
Ep. 214 - Heidi Berg
Designer, photographer, art director, creative director, and all-around awesome person Heidi Berg joins us this week to discuss her photography, her background and origin story, her influences, and all about her creative process. We bounce all over the place, but those usually make for our best episodes!
GUEST LINKS:
Heidi’s Website: https://www.heidiberg.net/
Heidi’s Photography: https://www.heidiberg.net/photography
Heidi’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarkerdark/
Elastic: https://elastic.tv/
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Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Escape from New York: https://amzn.to/2pQsu62
Falling Down: https://amzn.to/31NctMd
The Alienist: https://amzn.to/2LRZ5kw
The Shallows: https://amzn.to/2LRZ3sU
The China Study: https://amzn.to/2AOBTx2
Educated: https://amzn.to/2ALjK3e
Hillbilly Elegy: https://amzn.to/338Y6ly
Case Files: https://casefilepodcast.com/
Criminal Podcast: https://thisiscriminal.com/
People Who Eat Darkness: https://amzn.to/2Vn3AGH
Case File: The Toy Box: https://casefilepodcast.com/case-96-the-toy-box-part-1/
Irreversible: https://amzn.to/2Mhp7N0
Lars von Trier: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001885/
Euphoria: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8772296/
The Great Hack: https://www.netflix.com/title/80117542
Ego is the Enemy: https://amzn.to/359DUls
The Third Man: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041959/
Voyage of Time: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1945228/
Samsara: https://amzn.to/35d60wk
Annie Leibovitz: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Leibovitz
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Sep 23, 2019 • 3h 22min
Ep. 213 - Vitaly Bulgarov
The moment you’ve all been waiting for...the almighty Vitaly Bulgarov returns to the podcast after 6 YEARS to share all the new wisdom he’s learned since his last appearance on the show. We cover all sorts of subjects including books, films, artificial intelligence, and beyond. This is an absolute monster of an episode, clocking in at over 3 hours, so strap in and get ready for some hardcore inspiration.
GUEST LINKS:
Ep. 8 with Vitaly: https://www.thecollectivepodcast.com/vitaly-bulgarov
Vitaly’s Website: https://vitalybulgarov.com/
Vitaly’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalybulgarov/
Vitaly’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitaly.bulgarov
Armorhead: https://www.armorhead.store
Machine Instinct: https://www.machineinstinct.game/
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Intuitive Surgical: https://www.intuitive.com/
Mastery (Robert Greene): http://amzn.to/2nrX1Ft
Fermi Paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox
2001: A Space Odyssey: https://amzn.to/2OgoMNh
Neuralink: https://www.neuralink.com/
Gray Goo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_goo
Nick Bostrom: https://nickbostrom.com/
Arrival: https://amzn.to/2Oh7qzS
Quiet: The Power of Introverts:https://amzn.to/354MVMr
Mastery (George Leonard): https://amzn.to/2M2mpus
Devil You Know: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0262367/
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Sep 9, 2019 • 1h 4min
Ep. 212 - Kekai Kotaki
Senior concept artist and illustrator Kekai Kotaki joins us this week to discuss the early beginnings of his career in art, drawing inspiration from all different sorts of media, his experience with education and learning, and lots of juicy discussion about artists and video games we love.
SPOILER WARNINGS: Game of Thrones, God of War III, Journey
GUEST LINKS:
Kekai’s Website: http://www.kekaiart.com/
Kekai’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/kekaikotaki
Kekai’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kekai_kotaki
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Ryan Lang: https://www.artstation.com/ryanlangdraws
Dune: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_(novel)
Lessons from the Screenplay: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErSSa3CaP_GJxmFpdjG9Jw
Yoshitaka Amano: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshitaka_Amano
Simon Bisley: https://www.simonbisleyart.com/
Bill Sienkiewicz: https://billsienkiewiczart.com/
Heat: https://amzn.to/314hG1K
God of War 3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_of_War_III
Journey: https://thatgamecompany.com/journey/
Raf Grassetti: https://www.artstation.com/grassetti
Zelda Windwaker: https://www.zelda.com/windwaker/
Mike Mignola: https://www.artofmikemignola.com/
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Aug 19, 2019 • 1h 34min
Ep. 211 - Gil Talmi
Film composer, songwriter, musician, and returning guest of the podcast Gil Talmi joins us this week to discuss our recent collaboration on the Netflix film titled The Great Hack, striving for excellence in your life, and some of the creative influences which drive us in our work.
GUEST LINKS:
Gil’s Website: https://www.giltalmi.com/
Gil’s Bandcamp: https://giltalmi.bandcamp.com/
Gil’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Gil.Talmi.Music/
Gil’s IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1284601/
The Great Hack: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9358204/
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
The Lost Arcade: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3780754/
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Aug 5, 2019 • 1h 50min
Ep. 210 - Peter Clark
Multimedia artist Peter Clark joins us this week to discuss his often incredibly complex creative process, what gets him into working with non-digital mediums, finding new ways of being creative, our journeys in music, and so much more.
GUEST LINKS:
Peter’s Website: http://www.callmeclark.com/
Peter’s Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/peterclark
Peter’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/enternull/
Eternull: http://www.enternull.com/
The Game Awards 2017: http://www.callmeclark.com/tga_2017
Motion Plus Design: http://motion-plus-design.com/
Motion Plus Design Titles: https://vimeo.com/338825125
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
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Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
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Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Michael Rigley’s Learn Squared Course: https://www.learnsquared.com/courses/dfp-workflow
GMUNK: https://gmunk.com/
Gigapixel AI: https://topazlabs.com/gigapixel-ai/
Michael Wolf: http://photomichaelwolf.com/
Tom Ford: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1053530/
Oldboy: https://amzn.to/2yGhTLW
Mr. Nobody: https://amzn.to/2GMrtl0
The War of Art: https://amzn.to/2YIeerH
FITC: https://fitc.ca/
Friendly Robot: https://www.behance.net/friendlyrobot
Richard Serra: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Serra
Joanie Lemercier: https://joanielemercier.com/
Eat That Frog!: http://amzn.to/2fXJmSC
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Jul 22, 2019 • 2h 30min
Ep. 209 - Mike Hill
Designer, lecturer, and multi-talented badass Mike Hill joins us once again to discuss his evolution as an artist, working closely with high-level directors, some complex musings on psychology and storytelling, and where his career trajectory is headed.
Mike’s Website: http://www.mikehill.design/
Mike’s ArtStation: https://www.artstation.com/mikehill
Mike’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikehill.design
Mike’s Jurassic Park Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPjVgYDL6Y
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Labyrinth: https://amzn.to/2Y3PCJK
Adaptation: https://amzn.to/2Suoh28
Big Five Personality Traits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits
Enneagram of Personality: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality
Joseph Campbell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell
Infernal Affairs: https://amzn.to/2JV145f
The Departed: https://amzn.to/2O5S4iT
The Power of Film: https://amzn.to/2LzvJsi
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Jul 8, 2019 • 1h 12min
Ep. 208 - Mattias Wiklund
This is a unique episode for us, where we’re doing a bit of a long-term interview/mentorship with a longtime listener who is interested in switching careers into CG and animation. Mattias Wiklund is currently a pattern cutter at H&M and he joins us this week to discuss why he’s interested in switching gears, what kind of projects he’d like to create, as well as what advice Ash has to offer for newcomers to the industry.
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
Merch Store: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store
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SHOW NOTES:
Alexander McQueen Documentary: https://amzn.to/2xAyhx3
ACRNM: https://acrnm.com/
Marvelous Designer: https://www.marvelousdesigner.com/
Blender: https://www.blender.org/
Vaughan Ling: http://www.heavypoly.com/
David F. Sandberg’s Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ponysmasher
Tangerine: https://amzn.to/2G1HWkO
Raoul Marks: http://raoulmarks.com/
Alberto Mielgo: http://www.albertomielgo.com/
Motion Design on Learn Squared: https://www.learnsquared.com/courses/motion-design
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Jun 24, 2019 • 1h 54min
Ep. 207 - Friendly Robot
The Collective Podcast Store is now open for business. So go cop some sweet gear at www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store now! And for a limited time, if you send your photos to our new Instagram @thecollectivepod we’ll get you a code to score 10% Off your next order.
CG artist, designer, and creative François Leroy AKA Friendly Robot joins us to discuss a bit about his childhood and how he’s been progressing in the industry over the past 10 years, some of our shared experiences working on PASSAGE together, and a bit about his other massive personal project NO SIGNAL.
GUEST LINKS:
Friendly Robot on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_friendlyrobot/
Friendly Robot on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/friendlyrobot
Friendly Robot on Behance: https://www.behance.net/friendlyrobot
Passage: https://vimeo.com/337424927
No Signal: https://vimeo.com/253996350
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
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SHOW NOTES:
Jama Jurabaev: https://www.artstation.com/jama
Six Feet Under Title Sequence: https://vimeo.com/5861006
Houdini: https://www.sidefx.com/
Oldboy: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364569/
Westworld (TV series): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westworld_(TV_series)
Love, Death, and Robots: https://www.netflix.com/title/80174608
Yuri Shwedoff: http://www.yurishwedoff.com/
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.

Jun 10, 2019 • 1h 30min
Ep. 206 - Victor Bonafonte
The Collective Podcast Store is now open for business. So go cop some sweet gear at www.thecollectivepodcast.com/store now! And for a limited time, if you send your photos to our new Instagram @thecollectivepod we’ll get you a code to score 10% Off your next order.
Concept artist, VFX artist, and architectural designer Victor Bonafonte joins us this week to discuss his role in the recent Unreal Engine 4 demo Rebirth, which he art directed and collaborated on with Quixel. We also talk a bit about how he’d originally started out in architecture and music, and how his company Beauty and the Bit came to be.
GUEST LINKS:
Victor’s Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/vbonafonte
Beauty and the Bit: https://www.beautyandthebit.com/
REBIRTH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fC20NWhx4s
Behind the Scenes of Rebirth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAw01Lk55SY
LANDMARK: https://vimeo.com/288135384
LANDMARK The Journey (Making Of): https://vimeo.com/288140838
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Subscribe on iTunes: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/itunes
Subscribe via RSS: www.thecollectivepodcast.com/rss
Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thecollectivepodcast
Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/thecpodcast
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SHOW NOTES:
Houdini: https://www.sidefx.com/
Unreal Engine 4: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/
Adam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXI0l3yqBrA
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employers.
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