The Colorist Society Podcast

Alexis Van Hurkman joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  Alexis is a colorist, filmmaker, educator, and the author of the Color Correction Handbook — the book that has been on the shelf of virtually every working colorist for over a decade. For years as a freelance writer, he wrote the official user manuals for DaVinci Resolve, trained colorists across the globe, conducted seminar for the Graduate Film Division at NYC's Columbia University, and presented at events like BRTV and the Amsterdam Supermeet. Today he is the Principal Product Manager of Color at Adobe, and the last three years of his life have been devoted to building something the industry has been waiting for longer than most of us want to admit: Color Mode in Premiere Pro. In this conversation we talk about what it took to build it, what it means for our craft, and what happens to color grading when the walls come down.

Brad Moody joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  Brad is an internationally recognized digital media educator, DaVinci Resolve Certified Trainer, and Apple Distinguished Educator. He currently serves as Chair and Professor of Digital and Interactive Media Production at Daytona State College in Florida, United States. And for more than two decades, he has helped design programs, train instructors, and build learning environments that connect creative education directly to professional practice. He is also a long-standing international juror for major broadcast and creative awards, including PROMAX, spanning Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and beyond. In this conversation with Brad, we go beyond software into judgment, taste, and what truly defines professional work.

Noam Kroll joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  Noam is an LA-based filmmaker, colorist, and creative force whose work spans feature films, music videos, commercial campaigns, and a thriving online platform for independent creators. With a background that bridges cinematography, directing, and post-production, he has built a reputation for emotionally-driven color grading and hands-on, story-first filmmaking. In this episode, Noam Kroll joins us to share his journey from self-taught filmmaker to respected colorist, director, and founder of Creative Rebellion. We explore how his background in psychology shapes his approach to emotionally-driven color grading, his philosophy on LUTs as storytelling tools, and how he achieves cinematic quality on micro-budget productions. Noam also opens up about the future of color in an AI-driven world, the mindset behind solo feature filmmaking, and what aspiring colorists should focus on in their first year. It's a deep, inspiring conversation that bridges art, technology, and creative independence.

Jacqueline Loran joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  Jacqueline Loran is the Co-director at FilmLight. Jacqueline has been critical to the international growth of FilmLight over the years. Despite earning a degree in law, her passion for visual art and design saw her become one of the early and leading females linked to digital colour grading. She is also a voice for emerging young talents and has championed diversity and inclusion, supporting and advocating for equality in the industry. Her visionary leadership led to the introducing of the FilmLight Colour Awards in 2021. In this episode, Jacqueline shares her incredible journey from a Law Degree to becoming a Director at FilmLight. She also talks extensively about the FilmLight Colour Awards which is now in its 4th year. Thanks to Alexa Chollet & Daphne Polski - Producers of the FilmLight Colour Awards.

Daria Fissoun joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  With over 12 years of experience, Daria specializes in post-production for commercial video projects and has collaborated with clients such as Microsoft, Nike, and Konami. Her portfolio also extends to feature film productions in the US, Spain, and the UK, where she has taken on roles as a Post-production Engineer for various Disney+ films.  Apart from being a certified DaVinci Resolve Master Trainer, Daria develops training materials for the software. Notably, she is the author of "The Colorist Guide," and a contributor to many of Blackmagic Design's DaVinci Resolve publications. In this episode, Daria shares her incredible journey into becoming a colorist who develops training manuals for Blackmagic Design, her passion for learning and imparting knowledge, and how she has navigated the industry without a mentor.

Eric Whipp joins Bobola Oniwura on this episode of the podcast.  For over 3 decades, Eric has worked as a colorist on notable films and commercials. He worked on the 2007 Academy Award-winning "Happy Feet" but most would easily recognize him for his work on "Mad Max; Fury Road". Currently, he is a Senior Colorist at Alter Ego, Toronto.  In this episode, Eric shares his incredible journey into becoming a colorist and his insights on what is important to becoming a good colorist. He also talks about his recent collaboration with George Miller on "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga".

Michael Mintz joins me on this episode of the podcast.  For over 28 years, Michael has worked as a colorist at notable post facilities like Post Group, Tunnel Post, New Hat, and Walt Disney Animation Studios. Currently, he is a Senior Colorist at Margarita Mix in Hollywood.  The focus of this episode is decidedly "tech free." We discuss the ins and outs of working with clients, what it takes to run a supervised session, and how to land new work. There are tons of articles and tutorials covering workflow, software, and color science, but we rarely talk about our relationship to clients.

In this episode, I talk with Senior Colorist, Mark Todd Osborne. Mark is known for coloring feature films like Need for Speed, Silk Road, and It Follows. But, in addition to those movies, Mark has graded a wide range of documentary subjects from Phil Spector to Sesame Street. Documentaries can have specific challenges for a colorist. Recreations and stock footage need to fit into the story, and some docs even use a look to set the time and mood. And there can be a debate over whether to restore footage, versus keeping it as authentic as possible.

On this episode of the Colorist Society Podcast, I chat with Sheri Eisenberg, Senior Colorist at Warner Brothers. Sheri's focus is on restoration, and has helped bring some of the biggest classic films into the 21st century. Her work includes restorations of Rosemary's Baby, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Taxi Driver, and Casablanca. As she explains, there's a lot that goes into a restoration from dealing with multiple unmatched sources, how older films fit into an UHD/HDR world, and understanding the viewer's and filmmaker's original expectations of a film.

Billy Hobson, Senior Colorist at Harbor, joins me on this episode of the Colorist Society Podcast. His most recent color work includes Randall Park's "Shortcomings" which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, CBS's FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, and FBI: International, as well as the critically acclaimed Peanut Butter Falcon and Disney's Lady and the Tramp. I first met Billy at a Filmlight event where he explained his workflow with printer lights in Baselight. His mentor, Yvan Lucas, helped guide him towards this technique. I always thought it would make a fantastic subject for a podcast, so we caught up via zoom to record it.

In this episode of the Colorist Society Podcast, I talk with Senior Colorist of Picture Shop, Doug Delaney. Doug is known for his impressive list of film credits like Captain Marvel, Jumanji (2017), Concussion, and The Equalizer. With the quality of streaming becoming more demanding, his talents are now utilized on the Netflix series Dahmer and Love, Death, and Robots. We discuss how the lines between TV and movies are becoming blurred, the challenges of VFX heavy series, and how to know when you've pushed a grade too far.

Host Josh Petok talks with Lynette Duensing CSI about the Colorist Society Hollywood and its mission to promote education and serve as an advocate for the craft of color. She also discusses building a community and gaining proper screen credits for colorists.