Black Eye is a camera plugin for Unreal Engine used in game cinematics, film, previs, esports, virtual production and more. We help storytellers craft cinematic shots inside Unreal, using tools that think like real cameras.

We don’t make physical things, we make virtual cameras that try to behave just like real ones do. They're kind of magical.

We're super small, so there's a lot of hats to go around – designer, video maker, dealmaker, tester, marketing content producer, lawyer and accountant interfacer, forum-responder. Website tinkerer, dreamer, hustler.

• Designing new cinematography tools and camera systems, and working closely with our brilliant CTO on development and UX
• Consulting and co-developing for external teams on their camera systems
• Testing, refining, and rethinking everything to make sure it’s intuitive, powerful, and fun to use
• Writing documentation – endless, beautiful documentation (even if no one reads it… holy RTFM)
• Creating marketing videos, tutorials, and other promo content

Here's what we use day to day:

• Unreal Engine
• Visual Studio
• Davinci Resolve
• UAD Luna
• Photoshop
• Google Workspace
• Fork
• OBS Studio
• Figma
• Slack
• Notion
• Github

A Breville coffee machine... and some ChatGPT because don't we all.

Hard

• Cinematography and layout – how to move a camera in ways that reinforce the story
• UX design – complex is easy, simple and powerful is much harder
• Video editing, art direction, and a strong sense of what looks and feels good
• Business strategy – what to go for, what to swerve, the power to know the difference

Soft

• Be kind to people
• Show up and work hard
• Tell the truth – with compassion
• Try to free yourself from the expectations of others

You'd think building the thing would be the hard part. Turns out, that’s just the beginning. The real challenge is in marketing, communication, and connecting with people – getting your work seen and used. The thing is just half of it.

The context-switching when running a small company is relentless. Prioritization becomes hugely important. You're never 'done', so the work/life balance can become blurry. It's offset by having total control, but it can be all-consuming.

Our field is absurdly niche – but maybe that’s the point!

We built a business around a wild idea: camera operator software robots? If there’s a takeaway, it’s this – follow the weird ideas. Even the wackiest, most specific passions can turn into something amazing if you lean into them fully.

What drives me is making things that bring joy to creative people. It sounds simple and maybe even a little cheesy, but there’s something deeply rewarding about seeing someone light up when your tech helps make something amazing.

Some of the biggest goals already have a nice juicy checkmark beside them.

I’ll never get tired of seeing our tools used in massive games and films or of growing a community of creators who use them to do amazing things.

Filtering signal from noise is an ongoing challenge. I’m working on better separating emotional reactions from logical decisions – respecting both, but not confusing them. Patience is another big one. Self-development is an endless pursuit.

I think I’m good at helping people believe in ambitious ideas and in their ability to make them real. It’s less about having all the answers and more about lighting a creative fire, building a safe space, and creating momentum. Let’s make mistakes, try wild things, get lost and frustrated, but keep moving toward whatever version of success we believe in.

That really difficult and challenging person on your project? They’re Your Gift.

You're going to learn more from them about yourself and how to keep things on the rails than probably anyone else. I remember all my Gifts and how they helped me grow quite vividly.

Scale. Going for scale.

Scale can be a byproduct of success, but not the success itself. As soon as people chase scale for its own sake, I'm out. Scale should never eclipse building something compelling as a priority.

Don't get greedy, in all forms.

I won a technical EMMY, which was kind of bonkers.

What really sticks with me are the small teams I’ve been part of where we built powerful, meaningful experiences that overcame huge technical challenges. One project I contributed to has even become something of a timeless cultural classic in the video game world, which still blows my mind, so lucky to have been there.

I've made so many mistakes... are they mistakes? Learning from misadventures de-powers regret.

I said it above and am going to repeat them again because they're so on the money:

• Be kind to people
• Show up and work hard
• Tell the truth – with compassion
• Try to free yourself from the expectations of others

I really don't think there's any replacement for actual, legitimate working hard.

Proper get-it-together, build-and-ship something is where it's all at. Great ideas are easy and cheap. Here's a killer idea. Cool. Can you ship it? A mentor once said, "Real artists ship".

I’ve spent most of my career trying to figure out things that I've never done before, so the discomfort has kind of… morphed. At this point, it’s less fear and more of a familiar hum, maybe a high base-level anxiety I’ve just made friends with. It never fully goes away, but it stops being uncomfortable and starts being fuel.

Critical.

Some of the most important opportunities will happen in the bar across the street from the conference because of an intro from someone who respects your work ethic (see above).

I believe in the concept of work-life balance, and I’m getting better at the execution.

I might sound a bit old-school, but I really do think you need to hustle in your formative years. That early drive builds momentum and opens doors. Once you’re more established, you can afford to ease the throttle a bit. In the beginning? Go hard. It pays off.

Back then, I put a lot more weight on what others thought, especially external validation. When you’re building things to sell, of course, you want people to like them. But over time, I’ve learned to trust our team’s instincts more. We focus on making things we believe are great, and that clarity has been way more rewarding than chasing approval.

I used to think there was a finish line – where you do enough, make enough, and then move on to some entirely different life. However, it doesn’t really work that way, at least not for me.

I took a year off and found myself missing the work. I genuinely love building things, solving creative problems, and working with great people. Is that a privileged POV? For sure, but I’m lucky to really like what I do.

A lower barrier to entry for people to create rich, compelling experiences.

Cine cameras used to be expensive, recording studios used to be expensive, CGI cost a fortune, and now all these tools are becoming accessible to so many more people. Are we going to drown in a slurry of AI slop? Absolutely – and that's the price of democratization.

I’m wary of this question because it assumes that new information would’ve improved my path. The stumbles and missteps were the path. If anything, I’d just tell my younger self to stay curious and keep building.

The lessons land better when you learn them by living them.

• Oura rings
• Aesop
• Vollebak clothing
• Moja Coffee
• Alpaca fiber socks. This is the most important one on the list.

Movies:

• Noi the Albino
• The Band's Visit
• Gummo

Books:

• “In the Land of White Death” by Valerian Albanov and David Roberts
• “An Incomplete Education” by Judy Jones and William Wilson
• “A Pattern Language” by Christopher W. Alexander, Sara Ishikawa and Murray Silverstein
• “The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy” by Douglas Adams – c’mon!