VFX Leader Crafty Apes Adds Senior Creative Talent Across UK, Canada and Australia as Global Expansion Accelerates

Crafty Apes is continuing its international expansion with a round of senior creative and production hires across the UK, Canada, and Australia, bolstering the studio’s leadership bench as demand for high-end VFX work surges worldwide.

Crafty Apes has hired two key players in leadership at its Sydney office. Creative Director and Senior VFX Supervisor Adam Paschke will lead the office in overseeing high-profile feature work. Paschke brings extensive experience across major studio films and episodic franchises after serving as a staff VFX Supervisor for Double Negative and MPC prior to coming to Crafty. His credits include contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Alien: Covenant.

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Crafty has also hired Jeanette Manifold to work with Paschke as Head of Studio in Australia. Manifold previously held operational roles at DNEG, MPC, and Jellyfish Pictures, overseeing global teams on titles including Avengers: Infinity War, The Dark Knight, Wonder Woman, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Award-winning VFX Supervisor Javier Roca joins Crafty’s Montreal studio, also serving as Creative Director. Roca brings experience from Weta FX, Industrial Light & Magic and Rodeo FX, having supervised high-budget features with complex CG environments, FX simulation, and creature work. Javier is adept at artistic collaboration with A-list filmmakers and running multiple VFX units during production. He is currently supervising an unannounced action-comedy for a major studio, on which Crafty Apes is the sole vendor.

Clare and Jonathan Cheetham have joined the staff at Crafty Apes London and will be working with Creative Director Jasper Kidd. Clare is an Emmy-winning VFX Producer with more than two decades of experience at Double Negative and Framestore, and her credits include Chernobyl and The Martian. Clare will be supporting the studio’s business development efforts as an Executive VFX Producer. Jonathan’s distinguished career includes over two decades as a VFX Supervisor and artistic lead on blockbusters including Solo: A Star Wars Story and Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, among many other titles.

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“These hires mark a key step in our global growth,” said Alana Newell, CEO of Crafty Apes. “Clare and Jonathan felt like part of the team from day one, with a deep commitment to both our clients and crew. Javier brings a creative passion and level of excellence that elevates every film he works on. In Sydney, Adam has been a mentor of mine through the years, whose creative acumen has helped push me to raise the bar across everything we create. As for Jeanette, I’ve long admired her track record for building strong, inclusive teams. Across all five hires, what stands out is their dedication to artistry, people, and problem-solving — all values at the heart of Crafty.”