Outpost appoints Jeremy Fernsler as Head of Research & Development

Fernsler, who has previously worked as a Compositor, 3D Artist, Virtual Production Lead TD and VFX Supervisor, will aim to unify the day-to-day workflow of Outpost’s artist across all global studios.

He said: “I’ve been a visual effects artist for 20 years now. What I’ve found over the years is that making something for my workmates, and giving them a better quality of life, that gives me an enormous amount of joy. That’s what I’m hoping will really drive success for myself, Outpost and for all the team.”

After joining Outpost in 2021, Fernsler served as VFX Supervisor on shows such as Star Trek: Picard and Westworld season 4. In the new role he will oversee long-term projects that ensure Outpost is at the cutting edge of technology. 

The studio has seen rapid growth in recent years, with five sites in the UK, Montreal, LA and Mumbai. As the scale of Outpost increases, however, Fernsler hopes to maintain a seamless work environment. He adds: “Everything is about removing friction from an artist’s workday. The more friction you can remove, and the more there are systematic processes, the more those artists able to do the things that we hired them to do.

“We want to make sure that they’re all still their own unique talent but working in a system that allows them to leverage the skills they bring to Outpost.”

Jeremy joined the industry in 2000 and has worked for several major studios. His background in computer science led to roles in emerging technologies - including Virtual Production, and Realtime tool Unreal - and spent four years as a Lecturer at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

His career brings a unique insight into workflow and future technology. Fernsler continues: “I feel like I’ve got a good overview of the entire pipeline. With that overview, it gives you the ability to say: This piece accelerates you here, but also accelerates somebody else over here.

“The early steps are to just look at what everybody is doing – across the different sites, across the different shows – look at all the workflows that are working for different people. Then, it’s being a central point of contact so that we don’t have an enormous amount of repeated invention.”

Speaking of the hiring, Outpost Head of Technology, Tim Chauncey, said: “Jeremy has been an integral part of Outpost for the last 18 months. He's played an instrumental role in delivering shows, building tools and enhancing productivity wherever possible. His enthusiasm and ability to solve problems is second to none.

This is a significant step for Outpost as we continually strive to improve our technology platform.”