A scene from 'Lego, Lego, Wherefore Art Thou Lego', a video created by Dublin start-up Glue VFX and which attracted 120,000 views in one week
Our start-up of the week is Glue, a Dublin-based visual effects and animation company that has completed various projects for companies such as Lego and Nestlé.
“Glue VFX is a Dublin-based visual effects company with an experienced and passionate core team,” explained founder and managing director Ray Mongey.
“We mainly specialise in creating corporate videos that present and promote services and products using a mix of 2D graphics, 3D graphics and composited video footage.”
‘Our ultimate goal is to position ourselves as leading competitors in the VFX and film industries’
– RAY MONGEY, GLUE VFX
The market
“As we are a borderless content creation company and we have worked with clients from around the world including Ireland, UK and the UAE,” explained Mongey.
“We’ve completed work on various projects for companies such as Lego, MARS and Nestlé.”
The founder
The founder of Glue VFX, Ray Mongey
Mongey has been involved in the film and the computer-game-animation industries since graduating college.
“I have travelled the globe while working as a freelance 3D artist for many years and set up Glue VFX when I returned to Ireland.
“Our combined staff have many years training and experience in various disciplines, all are integral to the continued vision and success of GLUE as a whole.”
The technology
“Glue VFX uses various 3D-software packages and we are also prototyping our own video software that will enable users to create a professional personalised video within minutes and it’s as simple as logging onto a website,” Mongey explained.
He said this software offers further scope to use automated processes as a standalone product to create other videos for both business and personal use.
“Our ultimate goal is to position ourselves as leading competitors in the VFX and film industries, by networking to procure more clients. We consistently strive to develop our skills in order to grow our team, streamline processes and deliver to the highest of standards.”
Online presence is critical
As well as attending local business and tech events to network with people in various industries and build relationships, Mongey said that building an online presence is critical.
“By doing so, we will further promote our work and services, getting our name out there to bring new clients and interesting projects to Glue. Our online presence is very important to us and we take good care of our SEO optimisation and social media accounts.”
Start-up life: crawling, walking, running
Mongey said that there are many hurdles along the way when developing a start-up.
“Glue VFX has experienced many of the same challenges faced by any start-up business; learning to crawl, stand, walk and run when necessary – be it scaling rapidly to suit a given project or assigning resources appropriately, delivering high-quality work and services, achieving client satisfaction on time and within budget, meeting overheads and bills, and, indeed, keeping the tax man happy.”
‘Don’t lose faith in yourself or those who offer support, nothing worth doing is ever easy’
– RAY MONGEY, GLUE VFX
He said that there are some great start-up mentoring opportunities available in Ireland from Local Enterprise Offices and, in particular, New Frontiers, which he said was the first major step for Glue VFX in starting up the business.
“It challenged me to dismantle my idea and to test and see if I had a viable business model. I feel that Irish start-ups should combine their varied skillsets to support each other and network to build better businesses in Ireland, which can lead onto great work being nurtured both at home and abroad in the future.”
Mongey said that there are many challenges when starting a new business.
“The most important thing to remember is that there is a need for your services and it is vital to find a mentor such as New Frontiers or your Local Enterprise Office at the early stages.
“Stay positive and if you focus on building the right team of people around you, a positive culture in your company is invaluable, as are your support network of friends and family around you.
“Don’t lose faith in yourself or those who offer support, nothing worth doing is ever easy.”
