Behind the Scenes with Masterpiece Studio: A day in the life with the design team
We’re sharing a behind-the-scenes look into the lives of the talented professionals who make up the design team here at Masterpiece Studio — led by our Chief Creative Officer, Rafi Nizam.
Read on to hear the team’s favourite work memories, their predictions for the future of design, and how they’ve pursued their passions to get to where they are today.
Can you provide some background on who you are and what drew you to Masterpiece Studio?
Rafi: I’m the Chief Creative Officer for Masterpiece Studio. I’ve been with the company for a couple of years now, and I have worked in the entertainment industry, including NBC Universal, for about 20–25 years.
What really excited me about working here is that the company is democratizing 3D creation. As a visual storyteller, I’m quite at home drawing, painting and working with video or traditional animation — but until now, 3D production has always been overly technical. I’m passionate about solving this accessibility problem for other creators like me.
Rohail: I’m a UX Researcher and Designer, and I’ve been here for just over a year. I graduated with a Masters in UX Design.
While I was doing that, I saw all the usual stuff UX designers were working on — but I wanted to try things that hadn’t been done yet, and that’s what led me to Masterpiece Studio. I love that I get to combine all my passions together and make something that pushes the boundaries for creatives.
Nakisa: I’m an Instructional Designer and I’ve been at Masterpiece Studio for just a few months. I graduated in Electrical Engineering, but it wasn’t creative enough, so I made the leap and I got my start in the XR industry.
What I really enjoy about Masterpiece Studio is that it’s in the XR space, but it’s a useful tool that anyone can use. When I first tried the product, I thought it was so cool that I could do these things in VR without extensive 3D training.
Ian: I’m a Contractor Digital 3D Artist for Masterpiece Studio and have been working here for a few years now. I bring an artistic background in digital and traditional design, with around 25 years’ experience in things from traditional fine art and illustration to 3D digital workflows and corporate design.
I’m a huge sci fi geek, so when VR came along and the opportunity to do something in that space presented itself, I jumped at the chance!
Sam: I’m the Lead QA on the team and I’ve been here for 2 years. I used to work on illustration and graphic design for Fortune 500 companies around the world — but with Masterpiece Studio, I was really blown away by what this technology could do for creatives.
When I joined the team, I was excited to bring my design background and tech experience to bridge the gap between the artists and the tool.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Rafi: The thing about a typical day at Masterpiece is that there’s so much variety. Being a startup, it’s an exciting environment because you are breaking new ground and experimenting with so many different facets of your discipline.
On one day you might be creating 3D assets and artwork to put through our ever-evolving pipeline, but then the next day you could be working with the developers to figure out a new way for humans to interact with the software. Each day has fresh challenges, but at the heart of everything we do is a commitment to solving problems for creatives that get in the way of achieving their vision.
Rohail: I cover everything from video editing, UX design, Photoshop, Miro, Figma, and Unity to brainstorming and research — all those things. Every day here requires learning and adaptation; you can never expect any day to be just like the last one because you’ll come across challenges, face them, learn new things and keep going.
Nakisa: My focus is to help first-time users realize what they’re capable of with Masterpiece Studio, so a lot of the time I’m in Figma designing flows and then the rest of the time I’m diving deep into Unity and connecting things. Every day is highly variable!
Sam: I make sure the program is working properly from the artists’ perspective. Each day is busy, extremely diverse, and interesting. We’re always studying new tech, following the artists and applications that are out there, getting to work on UX, doing customer support, testing the apps, and more.
Ian: A typical day at Masterpiece Studio is exciting in the sense that you have the freedom to explore concepts and ideas as well as interact and brainstorm with like-minded creatives. Whether they are coders, UX/UI developers or marketing visionaries, we have the same common goal to produce something truly unique and accessible to both a new generation of creatives and established creatives alike.
How do you help one another get things done?
Rafi: We share and evolve ideas in daily standups and impromptu brainstorms. Communication in the Creative and Design team is fluid and open, yet empathetic. I mean, we are just as open about failing as we are about the wins. There’s a mutual understanding that all of it is advancement towards the goal.
Nakisa helps me by turning concepts into actions; she helps validate whether a concept can be useful to our audience. She looks at what you’re trying to achieve and challenges it from a technical and creative standpoint.
Rohail has a very methodical approach to UX. He brings focus to brainstorms and identifies the most effective strategies that we should put effort into.
Sam is an excellent people person. He helps guide conversations within the creative community, demos new versions of our software, and provides a lot of support on the user front.
Finally, Ian is a talented artist and is well-versed in traditional 3D workflows. He’s a great touchpoint for simplifying complex creative processes so I can understand them LOL!
Rohail: There’s a lot of cross pollination of ideas and constant communication; we’re very collaborative-minded and we answer each other’s questions.
Ian: As a group, we all have our unique strengths within similar creative fields. Any divergence in one individual’s knowledge or skillset usually overlaps with someone else’s, which creates a strong team dynamic.
What are the best and most challenging things about your job?
Rafi: The absolute best thing about my job is that I get to work with so many people who are passionate about our purpose. This team is excited to do something that no one else has been able to: provide a simplified and accessible way of creating 3D content using VR and machine learning so that anyone in the world can benefit from this medium.
The combination of energy, enthusiasm, and problem-solving at Masterpiece Studio is intoxicating — but this industry is uncharted territory, so figuring things out without any sort of roadmap can be an exhilarating challenge.
Rohail: I’d say the most challenging thing is that with so much going on, you’re not always sure where your energy should be focused — but once you talk to the right people on your team, you get a better understanding. As for the best part? I think it’s seeing your work come to life, seeing it function as part of the greater goal.
Nakisa: I love the collaboration between teams and people. Everyone is available to answer your questions and to help you through processes. The most challenging part is that you sometimes feel you’re stretched in a million different directions… but they all connect and they’re all very important.
Ian: The best part is having the artistic freedom to explore and create unique 3D asset designs with a new, exciting medium in virtual reality. However, we’re always challenged to create better assets, improve on future designs as the application grows, and prove that our software is a viable alternative to traditional workflows.
Sam: For me, the fun comes from creating and understanding a whole new creative workflow — which leads into the challenge of building the train tracks in front of the train, because we’re at the cutting edge of technology here.
What’s your favourite memory of working at Masterpiece Studio?
Rafi: The first time I tried our full pipeline was a game-changer because traditionally, that is so incredibly frustrating in traditional 3D apps. My first week was also a real high point because everyone was so welcoming despite me not having a programming background.
Rohail: When I started here, one of the first things I created was an experience journey for the typical user of the app. I identified a few areas that could be improved, and everyone on the team really listened and began working on fixes within the next week or two. I felt like I was taken seriously from day one and I knew I’d made the right choice by joining Masterpiece Studio!
Nakisa: My favourite memory so far is from a walkthrough meeting. In the beginning, it was kind of slow — but for some reason we got into the topics of ants. So I said, “Why do ants never get sick? Because they have tiny ant-T-bodies.” At that point, everyone just ripped off of this joke, and it was great — that’s when I knew I was in the right spot.
Sam: For me, it was the realization that you don’t have to have all the answers; that everyone at Masterpiece Studio was discovering great things together. Also, finding out that despite the remote work setup, the team still feels connected across the distance.
Ian: My favourite memory so far was meeting everyone and finding out about the family spirit at Masterpiece Studio. We all have so much passion for the common goal we’re working toward; we’re always looking out for each other, even if it’s across the world.
What excites you about the future of 3D design?
Rafi: What excites me is that the world will need tools like ours, and we’re already figuring out so much of it now. We are on track to help everyday people survive and thrive in a new digital world that’s headed our way.
Rohail: Before Masterpiece Studio, there has always been this huge barrier to creating — but moving forward, the average person could pick up a VR headset and make something cool. I’m thrilled that we’re allowing all ages and kinds of people to have fun with this space.
Nakisa: For me, it goes back to my teaching experience. There is this one point where peoples’ eyes light up and their brains spark — a realization hits where they think, “I could create anything I want.” Then their imagination just goes wild. Giving people that moment is what excites me about the future of VR and XR.
Sam: I can’t wait to see how technology evolves and how we can get powerful tools in creators’ hands. I want to see what possibilities open up for me and for all the other creators out there who get to try it.
Ian: I am excited for the next generation of VR/XR technology and where it will take us on this creative journey. We’re on the verge of the next big thing with the metaverse and other technology that’s coming.
Any advice for new hires joining the team?
Rohail: I’m very well suited to speak on this because this is my first career job — so coming into this, I experienced some imposter syndrome. If you’re feeling that way, don’t be scared! You will fit in. Everyone’s very open-minded here; everyone knows there is a learning curve. Don’t be afraid to learn and ask questions.
Nakisa: Ask all the questions that you can think of! Bite off more than you can chew… and chew it.
Sam: Bring your own ideas and brush up on your 3D software.
Ian: Dare to think differently and don’t be afraid to be innovative in your approach!
Take your career to a new dimension with our rapidly growing team!
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