It all started with two Canadian friends, bonded by their passion for visual effects and years of experience in the industry. One Saturday evening, while playing video games together, they made a bold decision: to create their own school for 3D animation, visual effects, and game graphics. After meticulous planning, they left their secure jobs, said goodbye to family and friends in Canada, and took a leap of faith, bringing only their savings and a few suitcases to Germany.
Our co-founder, Andrei, was working as a Lighting Supervisor at Mainframe in Vancouver, one of Canada’s largest animation studios. His passion for teaching and mentoring young talent had always been strong. In 2007, while visiting an old friend in Cologne, the idea struck—why not start a visual effects school in Germany?
At the time, North America already had established schools offering intensive training led by industry professionals. But in Germany, nothing like it existed. That realization sparked a vision: a world-class VFX school, filling a major gap in the industry.
For a year, Andrei refined the idea, and during one of their Saturday gaming sessions, he shared it with Robb, his long-time friend and fellow graduate of Vancouver’s Center for Digital Imaging and Sound. Robb, then an On-Set VFX Supervisor, was immediately on board. That same night, they started drafting the business plan and curriculum.
For two years, Andrei and Robb worked tirelessly; meeting every single day after work on Skype to develop a structured training program that met the highest industry standards. Andrei brought the creative vision, while Robb was the technical expert, ensuring a real-world, production-focused curriculum.
In 2010, they took the ultimate risk: quitting their jobs in Vancouver and moving to Germany with just their savings and a dream.
They secured funding through Sparkasse KölnBonn, which believed in PIXL VISN’s ambitious concept. With the loan approved, they personally renovated the first 230m² campus space in Cologne’s MediaPark, built a cutting-edge learning environment, and recruited expert instructors. By January 2012, the first course launched; with just four students.
PIXL VISN quickly grew. By 2015, student enrollment had skyrocketed, prompting a move to a 600m² facility, later expanding to 1,500m² by 2019. The curriculum evolved alongside rapid industry advancements in software and hardware, ensuring students remained ahead of the curve.
By 2018, PIXL VISN had entered the elite circle of the world’s top VFX schools, ranking 6th globally on The Rookies platform. Just one year later, the academy climbed even higher - securing 3rd place worldwide in animation and maintaining a Top 10 ranking ever since.
Today, PIXL VISN stands as Germany’s premier training ground for 3D visual effects, with graduates contributing to blockbuster productions such as Avengers: Infinity War, Game of Thrones, and Disney’s Dumbo.
After all this time, the mission remains the same: to become the leading global school for 3D animation, visual effects, and game graphics.
