Bandito Brothers has made a name for itself as one of the premiere production and post-production houses in Los Angeles, creating slick visuals for film, television, and the web. The company's post-production department is headed by Jacob Rosenberg, a former skateboarding video director, whose work in the 1990s so inspired Full Sail Digital Arts & Design graduate Brett Novak, that when the opportunity to work at Bandito Brothers came up, Novak didn't have to think twice.

“Jacob used to shoot all these amazing skating videos; he did all the legendary Plan B and Rodney Mullen stuff,” Brett says. “Any of the old videos you see, that was Jacob filming – and he was just my idol. So I shot him a MySpace message after I was done at Full Sail, and he wrote me back, and it kind of went from there.”

After doing some freelance work on a Ford Focus commercial that Bandito Brothers had shot, Brett met with Jacob and the rest of the Bandito staff and landed a job as Lead Visual Effects Artist at the company. The role has seen him use his Digital Arts skills to create graphics and effects for a number of high profile clients, including BMW, Mountain Dew, the U.S. Navy, and more.

“I’m like a digital jack of all trades here,” he says. “I handle most anything design-wise, and anything visual goes by me at least once. Bandito is incredibly chill, and they make it easy for you to do your best work. It’s an artist’s dream.”

A typical week for Brett has him collaborating with Bandito’s production team before each film and television shoot, brainstorming ideas on the best ways to stage a scene with special effects in mind. After filming he’ll take their footage and add any digital graphics work that needs to be done – whether it’s major compositing, or something as routine as removing an unwanted person walking in the background.

“Most people have no idea what goes into this stuff because it can be so subtle and non-flashy,” he says. “You really wouldn’t imagine a lot of the stuff we do would have digital effects in it in the first place. It’s gotten so that it’s not just about creating those gigantic explosions and crazy effects shots, it’s more things like deleting people in reflections, or creating more clouds in an outdoor scene.”

Heading into his second year at Bandito, Brett’s projects continue to inspire him in new ways, and his latest assignment is also the one he feels closest to – a feature-length documentary on pro skateboarder Danny Way. Way is one of the legends of the sport, and the shoot has seen Brett’s career come full circle – going from a skateboarder himself, to helping create a documentary on one of his heroes.

“The Danny Way stuff is what I’ve been most excited about so far, and I’m really looking forward to being able to talk about it in the future,” he says. “Danny is so important to the sport, and I’m heavily influenced by skating.

“If I don’t enjoy where I’m working, it’s hard for me to be motivated, and this is the first time I haven’t had that in a job. I’ve also got a really good mentor with Jacob as my boss. It’s not like having a boss really, it’s like having a friend reaffirming that what’s in your head is going to look good on screen, and it’s everything you want to have as an artist.”

**To see some of Brett's work, head to BrettNovak.com.