As one of the most desirable cities in the world in which to live, Vancouver has played a pivotal role in the destinies of many athletes, performers and creative minds. Whether as a stepping stone at the beginning of their long careers (Academy Award –winner Jim Erickson); a safe harbour for immigrants to start again (Prima Ballerina, Chan Hon Goh ) or reaching the pinnacle of their life’s work here ( NHL’s ‘Captain Canuck’, Trevor Linden, ) the celebrated personalities of this new Inside Vancouver Series by Laura Goldstein, all have one thing in common: MY VANCOUVER THEN & NOW is immeasurably in their hearts.
Farhez Rayani
Majoring in ‘scaring children’ at Monsters University never occurred to Kenyan-born Farhez Rayani as a specialty when attending Simon Fraser University in computer engineering and later Emily Carr studying animation in the ‘90s. Even as a 6-year-old computer wiz kid in Vancouver and obsessed with drawing and creating flip-books as early as grade one, the seeds of his future career were irrevocably sown.
As a Digital Lighting Director at Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California, near San Francisco, Rayani, 36, admits that although he always loved drawing, designing lighting effects is his true passion. “As soon as I graduated, I worked for Alias/Wavefront (now Autodesk) in Vancouver for 5 years. They created a package called Maya, which is a 3D animation program that the entire industry uses. Alias was always into lighting technology and that’s where I really began to specialize.”
via My Vancouver – Then & Now: Farhez Rayani | Inside Vancouver Blog.
Ismailimail 