VP Creative Technologist & VFX

Position Summary

Torchlight is Sony Pictures Entertainment’s advanced production, creative technology, and innovation organization, dedicated to transforming how stories are imagined, created, and delivered across Feature Film, Television, Animation, and Marketing.

Leveraging Sony’s proprietary technologies alongside industry-leading third-party platforms, Torchlight identifies, develops, and operationalizes next-generation creative capabilities that redefine the future of filmmaking. Acting as both an innovation incubator and strategic production partner, Torchlight accelerates the adoption of emerging technologies while enabling filmmakers to push the boundaries of cinematic storytelling.

Reporting directly to the Visualization Creative Director, Torchlight & SVP, of Visualization, the Vice President, Creative Technology & VFX serves as the organization’s senior creative technology executive and principal visual innovation leader.

This executive works directly alongside filmmakers, showrunners, directors, producers, studio creative executives, animation leadership, the Sony Pictures VFX organization, global marketing creatives, engineering teams, and external production partners to transform creative ambition into production reality.

The Vice President leads the creative exploration, implementation, and adoption of emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, visual effects, virtual production, procedural content creation, real-time rendering, digital humans, simulation, immersive media, and future creative platforms—to expand what is creatively possible while maintaining world-class artistic standards.

Unlike traditional technology executives, this leader remains deeply embedded within the creative process, serving as both a trusted creative partner and hands-on change agent responsible for shaping the future visual language of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Responsibilities

Creative Technology Leadership

· Partner directly with the Executive Creative Director to define Torchlight’s long-term creative technology vision.

· Serve as Sony a senior executive advisor on emerging creative technologies and visual innovation.

· Inspire new methods of storytelling through the convergence of filmmaking, machine learning, visual effects, and advanced production technologies.

· Establish creative technology strategies that balance artistic excellence, production feasibility, and long-term studio innovation & efficiencies.

Creative Partnership

Serve as Torchlight’s primary creative technology partner to:

· Feature Film Directors

· Television Showrunners

· Producers

· Studio Creative Development Executives

· Franchise Leadership

· Global Marketing Creative Organizations

· Sony Pictures VFX

· Animation Leadership

· Studio Production Executives

Responsibilities include:

· Collaborating from concept development through final delivery.

· Developing innovative visual approaches that enhance storytelling.

· Advising productions on technology adoption, creative methodology, and production strategy.

· Building trust with filmmakers while preserving creative intent.

· Developing new and innovative ways to create efficiencies in the filmmaking process

Visual Innovation & Pixel Creation

· Lead Torchlights exploration of next-generation image creation technologies.

· Drive innovation across visual effects, computer graphics, virtual production, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, procedural content generation, and machine learning visual development.

· Champion advances in pixel creation that improve both artistic quality and production efficiency.

· Prototype emerging workflows that redefine how visual content is conceived, developed, and delivered.

Emerging Technologies

· Identify opportunities where new technologies enhance creative workflows while preserving artistic authorship.

· Develop production-ready applications of machine learning, generative media, intelligent automation, and future creative systems.

· Evaluate emerging technologies for creative value, scalability, production readiness, and enterprise adoption.

Production Innovation

· Work directly with productions to introduce innovative technologies into active filmmaking.

· Support productions through visualization, proof-of-concepts, rapid prototyping, and creative technology consulting.

· Collaborate with VFX Supervisors, Production Designers, Cinematographers, Editorial, Animation, and Post-Production leadership.

· Help productions navigate complex creative and technical challenges through emerging technologies.

VFX & Vendor Leadership

· Partner closely with Sony Pictures’ Visual Effects organizations to define future production methodologies.

· Build strategic relationships across leading VFX facilities, technology companies, developers, software partners, and research organizations.

· Establish best practices for integrating emerging technologies into production pipelines.

· Influence the industry’s evolution through collaborative partnerships and technological leadership.

Innovation Incubation

· Lead Torchlight’s creative experimentation initiatives.

· Build proof-of-concepts demonstrating future production capabilities.

· Transition promising technologies from research into production deployment.

· Foster a culture of continuous experimentation, creative curiosity, and responsible innovation.

Executive Collaboration

· Partner closely with the Vice President, Creative Infrastructure to translate creative innovation into scalable enterprise capabilities.

· Collaborate across Studio Technology, Engineering, Production, Marketing, Security, Product, Operations, and Sony corporate organizations.

· Represent Torchlight at executive forums, industry conferences, technology partnerships, and strategic innovation initiatives.

Qualifications

· 25+ years of progressive leadership and hands-on experience in the visual effects, animation, and digital production industries.

· Minimum of 10 years serving as a Visual Effects Supervisor and/or On-Set VFX Supervisor on major feature film productions, with demonstrated leadership across both feature animation and live-action visual effects. Candidates should possess a rare dual-discipline background encompassing the complete creative and technical lifecycle of both production models—from pre-production planning through final delivery—including animation pipelines, stylized lighting, rendering, and character performance, as well as live-action VFX supervision, plate photography, practical/digital integration, and compositing.

· Demonstrated ability to translate creative vision into scalable production methodologies across feature animation, live-action franchise filmmaking, episodic content, and global marketing.

· Minimum of 10 years of hands-on experience developing, implementing, and deploying machine learning for professional media production. Experience should include advanced technical education or executive-level training in artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer vision, or related disciplines, coupled with practical development of production-ready tools utilizing technologies such as diffusion models, generative video, GPU-accelerated inference, large language models, model optimization, and intelligent production workflows.

· Proven ability to move beyond AI strategy into direct technical implementation, delivering production-tested creative tools that measurably improve artist workflows, production efficiency, and creative capability

Industry recognition through nomination or receipt of a Visual Effects Society (VES) Award or comparable internationally recognized professional honor.

· Extensive hands-on leadership of virtual production and in-camera visual effects

· Strong interdisciplinary background spanning software engineering, pipeline development, creative technology, and digital content creation, with demonstrated ability to collaborate directly with engineering organizations on production tooling, workflow automation, platform architecture, and creative systems.

· Demonstrated history of technical innovation through granted patents, published research, proprietary production technologies, or other significant technical contributions advancing the state of the art in visual effects, rendering, compositing, simulation, production pipelines, or creative technology.

· Exceptional executive communication skills with the ability to influence filmmakers, studio executives, engineering leadership, researchers, artists, production teams, technology partners, and external vendors.

· Recognized as an industry thought leader capable of influencing the future direction of visual storytelling through the convergence of filmmaking, artificial intelligence, visual effects, and emerging production technologies. Demonstrated ability to advise C-suite executives, filmmakers, and technology organizations on enterprise creative transformation.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience designing hardware, embedded systems, custom imaging devices, depth-sensing technologies, or advanced capture systems supporting production.

· International production leadership across multiple territories and cultures.

· Multilingual communication skills.

· Experience serving as an invited instructor, lecturer, or executive educator at accredited universities, technical institutions, or professional organizations.

· Active participation in industry standards organizations, advisory boards, research initiatives, or technology councils.

· Recognized thought leadership through publications, keynote presentations, patents, conference speaking engagements, or significant contributions advancing the future of creative technology.

Executive Competencies

· Executive Creative Leadership

· Visual Storytelling

· Machine learning pipelines

· Tooling and customization

· Creative Technology

· Visual Effects Leadership

· Virtual Production

· Production Innovation

· Executive Influence

· Creative Transformation

· Digital Production Strategy

· Cross-Functional Leadership

· Organizational Change Management

· Innovation Commercialization

· Strategic Partnerships

· Emerging Media Technologies

Vision for the Role

The Vice President, Creative Technologist & VFX serves as Torchlight’s creative engine for technological transformation.

Working at the intersection of artistry, engineering, and production, this executive partners directly with Sony Pictures’ storytellers to imagine, prototype, and realize the next generation of cinematic experiences. Through hands-on collaboration with filmmakers, artists, engineers, studio executives, and technology partners, the Vice President defines how emerging technologies become meaningful creative tools that elevate storytelling while advancing the craft of filmmaking.

Together with the Executive Creative Director and the Vice President, Creative Infrastructure, these executive forms the senior leadership team responsible for shaping Torchlights next-generation production ecosystem—where creative ambition, technological innovation, and enterprise-scale execution converge to define the future of entertainment.

The anticipated base salary for this position is $238,400 - $298,000. This role may also qualify for annual incentive and/or comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.

SPE will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable law.

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