Many of you might know Aharon Rabinowitz from his work creating tools and making video tutorials for Red Giant, where he spent 12 years. He recently joined Level Ex — which creates video games for doctors that capture the challenges of practicing medicine — as SVP and creative director.

The company unites a team of game developers, artists and designers with expert physicians and top digital health executives. Together, Level Ex has created a first-of-its-kind game platform that helps physicians master critical skills.

In his new job, Rabinowitz leads a team of artists and writers whose job it is to tell a story through visual identity (video, graphics, etc.) and the written word. “That rolls into marketing,” he says, “but really into everything we do as a company. By clearly defining who we are, we make better choices about the projects we take on and where we put our energy. Staying on mission is hard when you have blue skies — and we really do. At the end of the day, my contributions help in the process of getting the games and tools we make into the hands of doctors, and I love that I can be a part of something that’s truly making a difference in the world.”

How long have you been working in VFX, and in what kind of roles?
I have been working in animation, motion graphics and VFX for 23 years. In that time, I have worked in a lot of different roles including artist, director and software developer, and now I’m on to my role as creative director at Level Ex.

The 12 years I spent at Red Giant really helped me broaden my experience in these areas because of our unique marketing style and the opportunities it gave me to work with the film team.

How has the VFX industry changed in the time you’ve been working? What’s been good? What’s been bad?
I hate to sound all buzzwordy, but it’s gotten supremely cheaper and easier to make great VFX thanks to the democratization of it all through inexpensive software and comparably inexpensive hardware. But what I think really stands out is the movement of video game tech into the film and broadcast world.

Unreal Engine has changed a lot of things. It proves that video game tech can solve other problems outside of games if you find the right nail for your hammer. I am experiencing that in a whole new light in my current gig at Level Ex. 

Did a particular film inspire you along this path in entertainment?
No film in particular, but when I was 3 years old, I watched The Making of Star Wars. I knew from that moment on that I was going to be a visual storyteller… before I could even really understand what that meant.

As much as I love a good film, watching the groundbreaking and hard work that goes into making something new and unique is, for me, a powerful source of inspiration.

Did you go to film school?
Nope, not even a little. I majored in psychology.

What’s your favorite part of the job?
Trying new things and getting unexpected results — but, you know, the good kind.

If you didn’t have this job, what would you be doing instead?
Professional sleeper? Man, I don’t know. This is all I have ever really wanted to do.

Can you name some things you’ve worked on?
My last 12 years were spent at Red Giant, making short films like Old/New with Patton Oswalt, creating software like Universe Holomatrix and Glitch, and leading the marketing team on every piece of collateral. Occasionally, my work would allow me the opportunity to work with some pretty cool people, like They Might Be Giants, solving problems on music videos and the like. It drives my wife kind of nuts when I constantly point out that some of the software I helped make is being used in shows, and it happens a lot.

What tools do you use day to day?
I’m in Adobe After Effects and Adobe Photoshop just about every day. I also hop into Maxon Cinema 4D and Adobe Premiere Pro pretty often. Lots of other little odds and ends too, but those are the big ones.

Where do you find inspiration now?
I am working with a lot of cool people dedicated to combining our unique skills to make the world a better place. It’s crazy to think that you can bring together medical professionals, video game developers and artists to completely change how doctors learn.

What do you do to de-stress from it all?
On the weekends, I take walks with my family through Central Park. I also like to go fishing. I really enjoy Beat Saber on the Oculus Rift.

How is working at a medical video game company different from other animation/VFX work you’ve done?
Honestly, this is a very strange thing for me. With this job, I went from VFX into two seemingly unrelated fields (medicine and video games), and all I can say about it right now is that it’s like drinking from a firehose of knowledge. There’s a whole new language (two, really) I’m learning, and at the same time, I am learning about the neuroscience of gaming and how that can be used to educate people in a much more effective way than anything that has ever been done before. And that’s actually what fascinates me.

When I see the kind of work we’re doing as a team, and how it can potentially save lives, it makes me feel like my work actually matters, even if most of the world will never see it directly. That’s a pretty big difference.