Kevin Friel
Kevin is a multifaceted visual director based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His journey into the world of visual storytelling began in Ottawa, Canada, where he directed music videos while studying Broadcasting and Journalism in high school. Kevin's passion for the craft led him to graduate from Algonquin College with a degree in Television Broadcasting in 2002.
Kevin's early career was marked by a series of successes, including a hit music video on Canada's iconic MuchMusic channel and collaborations with Universal Records. He has contributed to thousands of hours of content for various prestigious clients, including the Ottawa Senators, MBNA Mastercard, Deloitte, Marks, and CTV's 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. His work has spanned news and current events programming for CTV Ottawa, Global News, and CPAC.
In 2010, Kevin's career took an international turn as he produced commercials and strategic training tools in six different countries for Dallas-based health and wellness technology company, EvolvHealth. His move to Vancouver in late 2016 marked a new chapter in his career, where he embraced roles as a Motion Designer, VFX Artist, and on-set VFX Supervisor at GFZ Studios on several feature films. He also served as the Lead Motion Designer at Victory Creative, working with brands such as Nike, Google Canada, and The Toronto Raptors.
Kevin's diverse skill set in pre-production, shoot day, post-production, and delivery, coupled with his passion for innovative technology and creative collaboration, have made him a sought-after visual storyteller. He has been a Camera Operator and Director of Cinematography for over two decades, a Motion Designer and VFX Artist for 18 years, and a successful Producer, Writer, and Director for a decade.
In recent years, Kevin has continued to push the boundaries of storytelling by experimenting with Virtual and Augmented Reality, procedural design and compositing through Houdini and Fusion, real-time motion graphics and atmospherics through TouchDesigner, motion and performance capture, and game-engine real-time rendering and non-linear narrative in Unreal Engine and Unity.
Kevin's expertise in visual effects has also been showcased in his role as a production coordinator and associate production manager, where he specialized in virtual production. He has worked on several high-profile projects, including overseeing lighting, virtual camera, and virtual production editorial departments at BRON Digital for their Unreal Engine 4 powered animated series, 'Fables.' His collaboration with Epic on custom tools development and troubleshooting in Unreal Engine has been instrumental in advancing virtual production techniques. At DNEG, Kevin contributed to the success of major films such as the Oscar and multiple-BAFTA VFX award winning "Dune", "Bullet Train," "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," and "Haunted Mansion," where he coordinated efforts in FX, environment, animation, and CFX departments, respectively.
Since September 2023, Kevin has been a Content, Operations & AI Consultant for NAPS Mycology in Vancouver, where he creates visual assets and content for facilitator training, client facilitation, education, and marketing. He also focuses on business operations workflow design, efficiency auditing, and the research, strategy, ethics, and implementation of AI tools and assistance platforms.
With over two decades of experience in full-service visual content strategy, creation, and execution for broadcast, online, and social media, Kevin continues to innovate and inspire in the world of visual and immersive storytelling. His portfolio can be viewed at KevinFriel.com.