Meet the talented humans bringing the magic of VFX to life.

Architect, designer and photographer Alessandro Cioffi has built a more-than-20-year career in visual effects, with 50+ credits to his name and ten Marvel Studios productions. He is one of Europe’s foremost visual effects supervisors. Recently, he has notably overseen The Suicide Squad for Warner Bros, and Biohackers for Netflix.

An avid movie-goer, from the earliest stages of production Alessandro understands the importance of never losing sight of the bigger picture, working towards clear goals which are in line with the director’s vision for the entire film. This has led to strong and trusting relationships with directors and clients.

Alessandro is equally at home with bidding, scheduling and managing productions as he is leading creative teams, and he is committed to encouraging the artistry and passion of every member of the visual effects team. He also has on-set experience, recently working as 2nd Unit VFX Supervisor on The Suicide Squad.

Iconic scenes Alessandro has overseen include Iron Man 3 suit assembly sequences in Tony Stark’s lab, the compelling and menacing first appearance of Ultron Mark One in Avengers: Age of Ultron and the hilarious cartoon-like facial distortions from quantum space hopping in Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 2.

Having originally studied Architecture in Napoli, Italy, Alessandro retains an interest in artistic, photographic and architectural pursuits. He also likes to play “sorcerer’s apprentice” in the kitchen, entertaining his friends with his unique and original recipes.

Chris’s reputation as an amiable creative powerhouse has brought him an abundance of respect and recognition over his 16-year career in film & television.

Pulling from his rich background as a CG Supervisor, Chris Smallfield (affectionately dubbed “Spaceman” by colleagues) has evolved seamlessly towards nascent beginnings as a VFX Supervisor for huge international productions such as Shang-Chi and the Loki series. He offers a wealth of experience across the VFX & 3D spectrum and is a true denizen in the realm of all-things CG. His keen eye for detail, highly professional attitude, and renowned steadfastness have brought him to prominence within the industry.

Astonished by early Pixar films and carrying creativity in his blood (Chris’s mother is a passionate visual artist herself), Chris has had a clear direction for his professional life since a young age. His love of comic books and quirky films meant a natural segue into a BFA in Computer Art at the Savannah College of Art and Design. Chris claimed his first foot on the industrial ladder during 6 wide-eyed years in Los Angeles film & television before making the transition to Germany 11 years ago. He has since made a name for himself through his work as a multitalented 3D generalist.

“When clients ask for something they’ve never seen before, I manage to deliver. I try and find unusual sources of inspiration and then experiment with all kinds of media— from photography to sculpting something out of mud.”

No stranger to the biggest names in film, Chris’s extensive portfolio as a CG Supervisor encompasses monumental hits like Spider-Man: Homecoming and Captain Marvel. A Berliner at heart, Chris has confidently worked his way into the German film industry, previously serving as CG Supervisor to Die Känguru Chroniken and Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer. Chris’s penchant for artistic pursuits ranges from hobby photography and videography to graphic design and illustration. He is the proud owner of an extensive comic book collection (more than 8,000 strong) and a connoisseur of unique salt & pepper shakers.

Strong visual acuity combined with an ability to find the best approach for every production mark Dominik out as a leading visual effects supervisor.

Dominik recently provided TRIXTER visual effects supervision for Marvel’s Black Widow, having previously overseen the studio’s extensive visual effects for Captain Marvel. He oversaw the creation of full CG environments ,major battle sequences, and the scene-stealing alien cat, Goose. “Exactly matching our CG cat with the live-action animal performer was quite the challenge,” says Dominik. “With CG and real cat shots cut back to back there was nowhere to hide. From realistically recreating the way his fur clumped to the way he moved and interacted with the actors, we had to create a seamless likeness and performance.”

Dominik grew up watching 2D animated movies, setting his sights at an early age on a career in animation. His talents in concept art subsequently led to an apprenticeship with TRIXTER in 2007. Recognizing his potential, Dominik was moved steadily through the ranks over the following decade, from concept art trainee to compositor, lead compositor, and compositing supervisor before settling in his current role.

Captain Marvel was Dominik’s third credit as TRIXTER VFX supervisor for Marvel Studios, having previously overseen work on Spider-Man Homecoming and Ant-Man. Other career highlights include VFX supervision for Independence Day: Resurgence and being part of the team which created the Ultron Mark 1 for Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Iron Man suit assembly for Iron Man 3.

A keen photographer and painter, Dominik has never lost his early love for drawing, which he continues to practice in his spare time. He also bakes an unbeatable sourdough loaf.

Emmy & VES Award Winner Joern Grosshans joined TRIXTER in 2021 bringing with him over 15 years of experience in the VFX industry.
Having worked in the UK, Canada and Germany, Joern has supervised such titles as Independence Day: Resurgence on behalf of Mackevision, and Star Trek: Into Darkness, Oblivion, and Academy Award Winner for Best Achievement in Visual Effects Hugo, on behalf of Pixomondo. He is currently working with TRIXTER on Foundation Season 2 for Apple TV+.
Joern won the VES Award in 2013 and Emmy Award in 2013 and 2014 for his work on Game of Thrones, a show he has contributed to for over six seasons as VFX supervisor. Joern oversaw VFX for Marvel’s Spider-Man: Far From Home at Image Engine.
With a keen eye for detail, in-depth understanding of visual effects from development through to delivery, and experience in on-set supervision, Joern offers expertise at every stage of production.

Sebastian’s 20+ year career in Animation has taken him all around the world; from Germany, to the UK, to New Zealand. Having worked with a wide variety of top Visual Effects studios (Weta, Framestore), Sebastian joined TRIXTER in 2018, bringing his unique blend of creativity and innovation with him. In 2021, Sebastian’s animation work on The Kangaroo Chronicles earned him a VES nomination (Category: Oustanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature).

 At 14, he decided to work in animation, and his path has never wavered since.  He truly embodies his personal motto, “I am motion”, through his long-standing fascination with all kinds of complex and beautiful movements, like martial arts (including capoeira), acrobatics, and multiple dance styles.   His area of expertise is in Character and Creature Animation, (from biped through quadruped to sextaped, motion,) acting or action, choreography, exact emphases, clear expression, storytelling, and dynamics. His key team goals are getting there as fast as possible and with the highest possible quality of animation. 

Ernest has been working with Nuke and compositing for over 12 years. He has been working with TRIXTER since 2015.

Ein echter Berliner, Michael has been a part of the VFX industry “since last century”. He has worked for top companies worldwide (from Munich and Stuttgart to London, Sydney, and LA) before returning to Berlin to work for TRIXTER in 2017. He is the proud owner of a cherished limited edition book “The Stan Lee Stories”, which weighs nearly 10 kilograms.

HOLGER WENZL, born in 1977 in Saalfeld/Saale, studied media informatics at the Technical University of Applied Sciences Berlin, as well as studies at the Filmakademie Baden Württemberg in Animation&Visual Effects. After that he worked until mid-2016 at AnimalLogic in Sydney, Framestore in London and others. In 2014 he co-earned an Oscar for “Best Visual Effects” for the movie “Gravity”.

After Stuttgart, Sydney, Copenhagen and London, he now lives in Berlin. Together with his wife he runs the cooking blog “derultimativekochblog”. In 2016 he co-authored the cookbook “Mampf-ein Jahr, ein paar, ein Topf” published by Hoffmann & Campe Verlag. He loves traveling, cooking, gardening, cinema, art, museums and a good after-work wine.

Born in Berlin, Philipp has worked in London and Vancouver previously for companies such as ILM, Dneg, Method, and MPC. His credits include top movies like Transformers, Antman, Aquaman, and Star Trek. He’s a big fan of Japanese culture (such as bonsai trees), and he’s a foodie who is interested in all types of cuisines.

Originally from Salzburg, Austria, Matthias started with 3D really early. He studied at the FH Salzburg, where he got his Masters degree in Art with focus on MultiMediaArts. During his studies, he started to focus on compositing and went forward in that area. He has worked in multiple well known studios in Germany and Canada, and has now been living in Munich for a few years. Matthias self-identifies as a workaholic but also has a huge interest in studying finance and economics.

As TRIXTER’s very own northern light, Mikkel oversees his department in the creation of anything hairy, furry and feathery. His main aspirations as supervisor include close inter-departmental cooperation throughout the whole character development process to deliver high-quality digital assets to clients like Marvel.

Along with discovering his love for movies at a young age, he also found the artist at heart we see today. Honing his skills in several 3D disciplines, naturally including Grooming related tasks, Sculpting, hard-surface and organic Modelling. His years of experience in the field have taken him from Copenhagen over London’s film district, all the way to TRIXTER Munich.

Mikkel’s abilities in R&D as well as excellent anatomical knowledge of all things walking and talking helped him in the creation of Captain Marvel’s flamboyant cat sidekick, Goose. Another set of eye-catchers created under Mikkel’s expertise were the 2021 Shang Chi creatures including the sleek nine-tailed foxes, the Qi Lins and Morris. The hairy, six-legged creature impresses viewers and industry peers alike with his iridescent feathers and quirky personality.

When his inner child comes out to play, Mikkel loves nothing more than to let his creativity loose and sculpt or draw on a day off, finding it impossible not to get excited over any subject thrown at him. If you cannot find him at his Wacom, he is most likely out in nature, collecting feathers and gathering references to inspire his work on the iconic characters created at TRIXTER.

Standing out with his communication skills, he speaks candidly when issues need to be addressed and works reliably to solve any issue

Originally from France, Thibaud spent his life moving across the globe. He first got hooked on CG during his architecture studies in Switzerland, which drove him to follow his passion and join the Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Los Angeles, California, where he trained as a CG Generalist. He then moved to Munich where he worked for various studios, in particular Rise FX and TRIXTER. Thibaud developed his expertise in asset creation, from modeling to texturing and shading. His digital work is supported by a strong background in academic drawing, industrial design and knowledge in anatomy.

Veronica comes from Badajoz, Spain. As a lifelong lover of movies, computers, and creative pursuits, Veronica decided to pursue her dream in the VFX industry, and has been working in Rotomation since 2014.

Marlies studied Art History at the University of Vienna before moving into the Film industry, quickly discovering a passion for VFX production. She has a decade of experience at top VFX studios in Germany, and has been with TRIXTER since 2018.

Born in Paris and raised in the South of France, Sarah studied Medicine for 4 years before realizing her true calling was in the film industry. She studied Film, Audiovisual, and Animation Production Management at prestigious universities and moved on to various branches of Audiovisual Production over the following years. Sarah joined TRIXTER in 2017, where she developed a love for VFX production. Beyond her passion for cinema, she loves spending time in the mountains, crafting, and travelling in her van around Europe.

Born and raised in Argentina’s bustling capital Buenos Aires, Agustina has been working in media production for over a decade. She was originally involved in postproduction and editorial work before migrating her skills to VFX when she transitioned to Germany. In her free time, Agustina enjoys spending venturing out into nature and whipping up tasty vegan dishes.

Giacomo spent over 12 years of his life in Canada, living between Vancouver and Montreal, where he worked with some of the most prominent VFX powerhouses in the world. In 2021 he decided it was time to come back to Europe and joined the Trixter family. He brings with him years of experience working on large-scale visual effects productions by Marvel, Warner Bros, HBO, Netflix, Skydance and more.

Rufin is a visual effects producer with over 20 years of experience and quite a few tv and feature film credits. With his background in accounting and andministration, he possesses strong organizational, managerial and budgeting skills. Previously working for over 10 years in a creature shop that offered practical and digital effects in combination, he gathered quite some experience in all aspects of the planning of practical miniature or creature effects in combination with visual effects, as well. His usual tasks at the studio are script analysis and breakdown, budgeting the vfx work for the studio and haggle with the producers, doing the shot cost tracking in production, scheduling and organizing miniature shoots and or 2nd unit producing of plate, element and insert photography (if nescessary), monitoring the VFX per script and edit changes, communicating potential changes to the producer and other involved studios, hire the artist with the needed skills for my studio, doing the quality control of the deliverables, keeping track of the work in progress and communicating the client’s changes and approvals to his artists.

After graduating with a diploma in Design in 2010, David co-founded and ran his own production company in Berlin, focused on animated and VFX-driven content for commercial clients as well as a VFX vendor for German and international feature films. David has contributed to many European and Asian advertising projects on behalf of Adidas, BAYER, BOSCH, The Coca Cola Company, KTM, Montblanc, Reebok, SIEMENS, Volkswagen, and several of the larger financial institutions. In 2020 he left Berlin and moved back to the Bavarian countryside with his family. He joined PIXOMONDO, where he worked on several commercial projects for the US market, before he shifted his focus towards international Episodical and Feature projects for clients like NETFLIX, AMAZON, HBO and Warner Bros.

In 2023 David joined Trixter as a VFX producer and is looking forward to offering the skills he earned as a successful independent entrepreneur and producer to their clients. Beyond his passion for the moving image, he loves to spend quality time with his family.

Christopher Hantel is a highly experienced Managing Director, CFO and Commercial Manager with a proven track record of success in finance, controlling, business operations, and restructuring—including M&A and carve-outs. With an entrepreneurial spirit and strong implementation expertise, Christopher brings a hands-on mentality and an enthusiastic attitude to TRIXTER.

Originally from Regensburg, Germany, Christopher has held many executive positions throughout his career, including serving as Commercial Manager of ARRI Media GmbH, a leading German post-production facility. There, he was deeply involved in carving ARRI Media out of the ARRI group, and subsequently in the selling of ARRI Media to a strategic investor.
Christopher also served as Managing Director of Band Pro Munich GmbH, where he oversaw the sales and distribution of high-end camera technology with national and international manufacturers, distributors, and key-accounts.

Christopher’s other positions include Managing Director at Licht & Ton Geräteverleih LTGV GmbH, Controller at Bavaria Production Services GmbH, and several engagements in an Interim Manager role.

With a thirst for knowledge, Christopher has completed several leadership and professional development courses, including an industry focused TV-Production Management degree at the Bayerische Akademie für Fernsehen in Unterföhring. He holds an academic degree in Business Administration (Diplom Kaufmann) from the Universität Regensburg.

In his free time, Christopher enjoys photography, literature, Marvel movies, and is an avid gamer in the digital and analog (board) game world. A true enthusiast at heart, he served as a board member of Endor AG, a gaming industry R&D and manufacturing company based in Landshut.

Claus studied Industrial Engineering at TU Berlin and subsequently received an MBA in International Finance Management in the United States. He has been with TRIXTER since 2018, having spent 12 years in consulting and 6 years in software. He has worked all over the world; including in Germany, Switzerland, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. Claus is a keen photographer and adventurer, having twice sailed across the Atlantic Ocean.

Christina Caspers is Head of Studio & Business Development at Trixter.
Previously, she was Managing Director at Dark Bay GmbH – Europe’s largest virtual production stage. In her role, she oversaw the daily productions and supported and consults shows from the scriptwriting process to the final image in all virtual production-related topics. The volume, one of the world’s largest LED-installations, was used, among others, for the filming of the Netflix series “1899”.
With a background in VFX and XR, she already worked as Head of Operations & HR for TRIXTER on movies like “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”, “Black Widow”, “The Suicide Squad”, and “The Royal Game”, just to name a few.

Originally hailing from the USSR, Alexey has lived in a number of different countries and received his formal education as a Director of Photography at the University of Tel Aviv, Faculty of Arts. His finely-tuned skillset has a strong emphasis on lighting, and he has built a robust reputation during his 15-year career in compositing (both on-set and off).

Anna is originally from southern Germany and spent her adolescent years in South Africa.
She returned to Germany for her studies, which were based in Berlin.
2014 Anna joined Trixter Munich and worked her way up to Head of Rigging.
Her interest in anatomy, as well as her observation and problem-solving skills played a big role in her professional career path.
In her free time she loves learning traditional crafts and working with materials like metal, wood, leather and fabric.

Anna’s noteworthy and diversified career in film & television began with camera operation, editorial, and production roles for prominent studios across Germany & Switzerland. She segued into VFX Coordination at Chimney in 2015 before taking on VR & VFX Production at Pixomondo, ultimately growing into top-tier HR & Talent roles for their Stuttgart & Frankfurt branches. She brings a wealth of experience from various aspects of the industry, and is passionate about snowboarding and family time.

“Great stories are what inspire me to deliver stand-out animation.”

From overseeing the animation team to pipeline, previsualization and motion capture acting, Claudius Urban’s role as animation supervisor is extremely wide-ranging. He thrives on every challenge.

Since his training in 3D at the prestigious Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany, Claudius has traveled all over the world, honing his craft in animation. He has worked with several major visual effects houses, experiencing different pipelines, approaches, cultures and working environments. Throughout this time he created iconic sequences for film and television: Iron Man’s self-assembling suit, the Troll ramming head-first into a stone wall in Hobbit 3, the disturbing and memorable birth of Doomsday in Batman vs. Superman and the impressive one-minute climactic battle shot of Koba running amuck on a tank in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

“Growing up, I always had pictures and stories in my head that I wasn’t able to communicate,” says Claudius. “Animation gave me a way to tell stories as living pictures, to breathe life into my thoughts. I love that my profession has given me a way of channeling that creativity.”

Originally from Los Angeles, Emily has a rich background in helping European brands grow and establish a unique, memorable voice. In her free time, she usually ends up lost in the woods during hikes with her dog, Bifi.

Julius may be known for his pranks on colleagues around the office, but also for his keen talent and skill in compositing and lighting. Originally from a German village in the Ore Mountains, he’s been working with TRIXTER and several other leading studios since 2012, steadily working his way from an internship all the way to the head of department.

Karolina has been working in the Entertainment industry for many years, and in VFX specifically since late 2015. Originally from Greece, she joined TRIXTER in 2017 and has worked on projects such as Captain Marvel, Die Känguru Chroniken, Black Widow, and several others in the works. Before VFX, Karolina worked in Production on location for films, adverts, shorts, and international series filming all over Europe.

Martin’s roots lay in Stuttgart, Southern Germany. He studied at the Institute of Animation at Filmakademie Ludwigsburg, where he won several awards (including Siggraph Asia and the VES Award for Best Student Project—twice). He’s been working in VFX across North America and Germany for the past 13 years, and is a self-proclaimed “Trekkie” who dreams of one day working on a Star Trek film (despite having worked on several Star Wars films).

Radu has been working in the Entertainment industry for over 2 decades, starting off in a small studio in Romania where he worked on TV and commercials. He spent several years training and building an asset department in Jordan before returning to Romania, and eventually made his way to TRIXTER in 2012. He has progressed from Asset Supervisor to CG Supervisor, and eventually all the way to Head of CG.

Fun Fact: Radu originally studied Law before making the leap to VFX.

Originally from the Northern part of Germany, Ruth studied Media Arts in Cologne and London before diving into a nearly 2-decade-long career in VFX. She has worked all over the world, from Sydney to London, and has been working with TRIXTER on TD and Rigging since 2008. She loves living in Munich and spending as much time with her family as possible.

Steven’s background is rich in entertainment-industry technical experience, having applied his education in Computer Science to a decade-long career in DVD Authoring. He then segued into IT 10 years ago and has been working with TRIXTER for just under 2 years.

Tara has a background in traditional and digital art, computer science and a bit of puppet making. Tara enjoys working with collaborative, tech savvy, and creative teams and loves learning from her teammates around her. She worked previously for the Walt Disney Company, first working to create the next generation of audio-animatronics characters and then within Pixar’s creative services team. She considers herself a ‘maker’ of sorts and enjoys tinkering with robotics, woodworking, drawing and painting. Tara enjoys spending as much time as possible with her family, especially her growing number of nieces and nephews.

Originally from Mexico City, Veronica’s background is in research, but she entered the VFX industry in 2019.

She has a degree in Mechatronics Engineering from Monterrey Tech (Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, Campus Ciudad de México). During her PhD program at Virginia Tech, she worked as a research assistant in Mechanical Engineering with a research focus in Adaptive and Collaborative Control of autonomous ground vehicles under nonholonomic constraints. She also did a summer internship in National Instruments in R&D. She worked as Production Assistant in Frontiers Media (Research Publisher), and did two semesters of Master level courses in Mechanical Physics in France. In between all this, she also worked as TA in Physics and Math. Right before starting at TRIXTER; she was doing administrative management for EU Funded projects.

Veronica has lived in Mexico City, Blacksburg, Austin, Lausanne, Nantes, Brest, Munich and Maastricht. Her cats are Gâteau and Sombrero. Her hobbies include running, cooking and baking, especially French and Mexican food, reading, and knitting. She enjoys the full process from designing to knitting toys and wearables, and she is currently learning crochet. She loves everything related to robots and space.

Photo by Aedrian on Unsplash