Get to Know | Shannon

In this release, we are proud to highlight Shannon Smith, Production Manager at FOLKS. As an early member of the Atlanta team, Shannon has been a key part of its growth.

CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
I am a Production Manager at FOLKS, so I am mainly responsible for the internal project schedule and working with the different departments to make sure everything is assigned and on track to make our deadlines!

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE VFX INDUSTRY?
I've always loved TV, and I've known since I was pretty young that it was the career path I wanted to follow. I discovered VFX a lot later on, but I love that it allows any story to be told on screen. There is a limit to what can happen safely on a set in real life, which would limit a story if that was all there was. But with VFX, we can create basically anything, which means any story can be told and I think that's really exciting!

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING IN PRODUCTION?
It's kind of like solving a giant puzzle (and I love puzzles!) - all the different pieces of the shot have to fit together in a certain order by a certain time, and it's a great feeling when it all comes together. I also get to meet and talk with people from every department which is very cool!

WHAT MOMENT OR ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR CAREER ARE YOU PARTICULARLY PROUD OF?
I was the very first hire of the Atlanta office back in 2020, and I've seen it go through so much- management changes, COVID, strikes, growing, shrinking, growing again, becoming FOLKS, moving offices, you name it! It’s hard to pick just one moment, but I am just really proud of our small but mighty location, full of amazing people doing amazing work. If I've played any part in helping to build that, I consider it my proudest achievement here.

OUTSIDE OF YOUR WORK IN THE VFX INDUSTRY, WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR HOBBIES OR INTERESTS?
I love to read books, crochet, cook, go to the gym, build Legos, do puzzles, and play cozy games on the Nintendo Switch. And I'm a sucker for competition reality TV. Proud Survivor superfan since season 1!

IS THERE A FOLKS PROJECT YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYED?
One recent project I really enjoyed was Hysteria!. We got to make a really cool demon character, and overall the scripts and the work were a lot of fun to be a part of.