Richard Thwaites

Richard Thwaites joined Wētā FX in 2020 with a wealth of experience, having produced visual effects across short-form, series, live-action and animated features for over a decade.

Richard was most recently VFX Producer at Laika, an animation studio in Portland, Oregon, where he oversaw the delivery of animation and visual effects work on their ground-breaking ‘hybrid’ films. Richard was part of the senior team responsible for guiding products through the full visual effects process, from pre-production, shoot, to final delivery. He was VFX Producer on Missing Link (2019), nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and recipient of the 2020 Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and the VES Award for Outstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature.

During Richard’s time as VFX Producer, he has contributed to studio tentpole franchises such as X-Men, Harry Potter, Wolverine and The Hunger Games series. He has also worked with distinguished directors including Peter Weir, Baz Luhrmann, Spike Jonze and Bruce Beresford.

Originally from South Africa, Richard has stacked up 21 years of production experience in media and entertainment, ranging from onset work and client engagement to developing and supporting effective production teams.