FX Hires Designer-Directors Nathan Boldman and Lauren Mayer-Beug Arsenal FX Hires Designer-Directors Boldman, Mayer-Beug
October 16, 2010 by Screenmag
Arsenal FX, the special effects boutique founded and owned by VFX artist Mark Leiss, has added designer-directors Nathan Boldman and Lauren Mayer-Beug, whose work includes projects for HP, Red Bull, the 2010 Winter Olympics, Fox Sports, and the opening of “24″ . The pair recently completed projects for Taxicab Confessions, Money Grabbers, and MasterCard, along with numerous music videos. Prior to joining Arsenal FX, Boldman and Mayer-Beug were partnered in motion graphics house De Motu.
“This is such an important step for us,” said Executive Producer Ashley Hydrick. “We’ve been getting boards for design projects, specifically bigger projects requiring high-end design, and it’s so important to have the right people on staff to pursue and execute the work.” Hydrick has known Boldman and Mayer-Beug for several years, and they have collaborated previously on work for Fox Sports. “We have wanted Nathan and Lauren here for a while, and the time was finally right for all of us to do this,” she said.
“Arsenal FX has grown by leaps and bounds, and at the same time, having our own company Lauren and I have learned a lot, and grown as artists,” said Boldman, who noted that “running our own business came with certain distractions and we’re glad to focus on creativity.”
“We were looking for a strong sense of community,” added Mayer-Beug. “Arsenal FX has that, and obviously maintains a high standard of excellence. It’s exactly the kind of team we want to be a part of and to support.”
Boldman studied as a traditional artist/painter, earning a BFA in Illustration and Animation from Art Center Pasadena. He brings an eye for perfection and a keen sense of art direction to each project. Over the past decade, Boldman has worked with many high-end VFX houses including: Eight VFX, Public, Sway Studio, Spot Welders, and many more. He served as the Art Director for Sway for many years before joining forces with Mayer-Beug in 2008. Boldman has earned numerous awards as an Art Director, including: VES, Elevate Film Festival, and AICP honors.
Mayer-Beug earned a BFA in Video and Animation at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), where she continued independent studies in painting, sculpture and film documentaries. She has used her skills as a director, editor, designer and compositor for many successful and award-winning commercial and film projects. This work has earned her VES, Elevate Film Festival, and other honors. Mayer-Beug has worked at Digital Domain, Zoic, Sway Studio, Sea Level, and Spot Welders.
As a team, Boldman and Mayer-Beug have done work spanning several media formats, including television, cinema, installations, and projections. They constantly seek out new and better ways to creatively tell a story while delivering a strong message. They have brought their dedication, talents, and technical expertise to projects for HP, Red Bull, Garmin, Western Union, MasterCard, Toyota, Specialized, NBC, LG, Comcast, Fox Sports, Fiji Water, Ford, Xbox, GMC, BMW, and Time Warner Cable, among others. In addition to directing their own projects, the duo has collaborated with high-end directors include Joseph Kahn, Joe Kosinsky, Chris Milk, Dave Meyers, and Rubin Fleischer. Boldman and Mayer-Beug join an Arsenal FX team comprised of Leiss, Hydrick, VFX Producer Yole Barrera, Producer Pravina Sippy, Sr. VFX Artist Terry Silberman, Flame Artist/Compositor/Graphic Artist Joseph Grosso, 3D Modeling & Animation Artist David Hyatt, and Flame Assist Jameson DeSantis. Currently, Arsenal FX is at work on VFX projects for US Cellular, VISA, the NFL, and “California Romanza,” a short directed by Eva Mendes for Glamour Magazine.