Life & Work with Richard Simpson of Buckhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Simpson.

Hi Richard, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I had learning disabilities as a child. I had dyslexia and dysgraphia as well as ADHD. So learning was a challenge and I was told I’d never be able to attend college or play a musical instrument. I really wanted to learn to play guitar, so I taught myself. I eventually became a professional guitar instructor and went on to obtain a masters degree. I worked at Turner Broadcasting after school and earned an Emmy. Sadly my injuries from various vehicle accidents caught up with me and my spine began to degrade and I was declared disabled about 10 years ago. After being declared disabled I switched to more personal projects and social media. I started do create things just because I wanted to create them. Ive been exploring that ever since.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My learning disabilities were a challenge to be sure. Then I broke my back at 18 on a motorcycle, and then. broke it again in a small sports car 10 years later. The chronic pain that resulted made life a challenge.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I went to film school and afterward I got a job at Turner Studios as a junior 3D Animator. Turner Studios was an in house post production unit for Turner Broadcasting back in the glory days of cable TV around 2017 through 2020. I began working there during my masters degree training when a vice president of production came to teach a class and liked my work and offered me a position doing sports graphics as the operator that was doing it was going to take some time off to have a baby. I had taught myself some 3D prior to that class and was the only one in the class using 3D in my projects. It was an After Effects class which was 2D at the time. Fortune favors the prepared mind as they say. This was my “in” to Turner. Later I was offered an overnight freelance position just watching the render farm as it churned out 3D frames for the next day. This is the lowest position available but I was thrilled to do it. Eventually, it led to a full time offer. I was the only graduate in my class who got a job at Turner. Most went back to doing whatever they did before. It reinforced to me how important it is to stand out, and how important it is to recognize and opportunity when it presents itself. Most of the students seemed to be waiting for graduation before even attempting to find a job. That seemed like a bad idea to me. So I made sure I got to know the teacher of that class who I had found out was an alumni of the school and was a VP of production at Turner. Sure enough, he had a job that he was looking to fill and that’s why he had agreed to teach the class.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
We went to an amusement park called KINGS ISLAND in Ohio when we lived in Kentucky. It was 1976 and the nation was celebrating the Bicentennial and everyone was wearing something celebrating it. It was very festive and even the rides had been repainted to celebrate it I was only 6 years old but I still remember it.

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