Coffee & TV makes four 2D hires

Independent creative studio Coffee & TV has expanded its 2D department with four new hires. Zoe Cosh, Jorg Schulz-Gerchow, Rich Payne and Alfie Vaughan will support the studio’s delivery of VFX as the studio grows.

VFX supervisor Zoe Cosh has 21 years experience in the industry. After starting her career at The Mill on a work placement, she rose through the company, establishing herself as an outstanding Flame and Nuke artist. Cosh has led teams on global campaigns including, the BBC: God Only Knows, Ocado: Just For You, The International Olympic Committee (IOC): Become The Light, PlayStation’s Plus Action Trailer and she has worked closely with Dyson on a series of commercials over the last 15 years.

As an experienced on-set VFX supervisor, Zoe will play a key role to drive the craft and delivery of Coffee & TV’s broad range of projects. Zoe is a passionate advocate for women in VFX; she will also support the studio’s commitment to attract diverse talent and nurture careers in the industry.

VFX supervisor Jorg Schulz-Gerchow has been part of animation and VFX teams for companies including Warner Bros and Disney Toon Studios in Australia. His feature credits include Inspector Gadget 2, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lilo & Stitch 2 and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. He has also produced graphics and title sequences for top UK TV shows, from Britain’s Got Talent, I’m a Celebrity, Love Island, Match of the Day to Who Do You Think You Are.

Schulz-Gerchow was most recently at The Mill in London and Berlin, where he was responsible for the VFX on campaigns including the BMW 7 and i7 films, Wren Kitchens 2022 commercial directed by Michael Gracey and a 3D billboard in New York’s Times Square for Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth. He will provide support for Coffee & TV’s 2D department as it continues to grow.

Rich Payne arrives at Coffee & TV as lead 2D artist, after twenty years working at The Mill and Prime Focus. He ran the DFS account for 10 years at The Mill and worked on a number of other high-profile projects for Audi, VW, Sipsmith, EA sports, Guinness, the Amazon Hyena campaign and the John Lewis Christmas ad in 2017, starring Moz the Monster. Payne will also become one of Coffee & TV’s People Leads, responsible for professionally and creatively mentoring a team of artists.

Outside of the studio, Rich is also a successful food influencer on Instagram, under the handle @dough_and_behold, with an impressive following for his pizza making skills.

Alfie Vaughan joins Coffee & TV as VFX lead. Most recently Alfie was Nuke compositor at The Mill, after starting at the company as an apprentice five years ago. He has worked on campaigns for the likes of PlayStation, EA Sports, Riot, Coors and Coke, as well as crafting VFX magic for Secret Cinema’s Ghostbuster events, a short film for the global launch of the Harry Potter Wizards Unite game and Chemical Brothers Free Yourself promo.

Vaughan is a regular speaker at VFX masterclasses for ACCESS:VFX, the industry-led not-for-profit tackling the lack of inclusivity and diversity in VFX. You can also find Alfie presenting VFX tips and tricks on his YouTube channel, Alfie Vaughan – VFX Artist.

Leonie Moreton, md at Coffee & TV said: “We couldn’t be more excited to welcome such an incredible group of artists to our super talented 2D team. Zoe, Jorg, Rich and Alfie are a dream; the perfect additions to help us deliver a broad variety of projects across short form, film and episodic. Each of them possess the skills, expertise and most importantly, the values to add to the Coffee & TV culture. With the move to our gorgeous new studio in Farringdon on the horizon, we’ll have more space available to collaborate, nurture upcoming talent and deliver exceptional creative work the Coffee & TV way.”

The appointments of Zoe, Jorg, Rich and Alfie follow Coffee & TV’s recent announcement for Pete Burch’s promotion to executive producer and the studio’s new 8000 sq.ft. home in Farringdon. Coffee & TV and Residence Pictures will move to the new space in early 2023.