INDUSTRY GUIDE · SUMMER 2026

The Cost of Waiting

Why the biggest hidden cost in creative production isn't what most studios think.

The biggest hidden cost in creative production isn't cloud. It isn't AI. It isn't hardware. It's waiting.

about the author

Tefft Smith

Co-Founder

Opsis Studios

Tefft Smith runs a remote-first studio credited on Wicked, Tron, Thunderbolts, and Scream. He is the live proof that another model works: machines matched to tasks by the hour, artists across three continents in one open room, a fix agreed and rendered in about two minutes.

Nathalie Girard

Executive VFX Supervisor

Alibi Studios

Nathalie Girard has spent twenty-seven years moving from the compositing desk to executive supervisor. She is the operational voice of this guide, with the numbers nobody writes down: the three-day setup delay, the padded bids, the trust that erodes when a start date isn't really a start date.

Mark Benson

Strategic Advisor

CREE8

Mark Benson is one of the most influential leaders in global VFX and creative production, having led MPC and The Mill through periods of rapid international growth and transformation. Across eight international studios, Mark built operating models that balanced creative excellence with commercial discipline, long before “content at scale” became a buzzword. His perspective comes from the sharp edge of running complex, high-craft organisations where structure, talent, and velocity must coexist.](https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-benson-94910413/)