Daily Inspiration: Meet Hasan Efendi

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hasan Efendi.

Hi Hasan, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
As far as I can remember, I have always been fascinated with games. Growing up, much of my enjoyment stemmed from the virtual worlds I immersed myself in. At some point along the way, I recall being in my middle school IT class, where we had an assignment to create a game using Scratch, a simplified programming language suited for children’s education. I remember being completely absorbed in the assignment, for which I poured hours into making my arcade space shooter with custom graphics and visuals. By the next class, I had something that was quite the product that people enjoyed playing, but that was that, as it was merely a weekly assignment. However, it was then that I realized that I might want to pursue game development in the long run. I craved the idea of making an interactive experience people could enjoy, and seeing them enjoy it was the fruit of my labor. After that, I would spend a lot of my lunch breaks and after-hours inside that IT classroom experimenting and creating different games and having friends try them out. There was other software accessible to us as well, such as Kodu Game Lab, which was a soft introduction to the third dimension. I had primarily produced 2D games with Scratch, so this additional plane of movement opened a whole new world for me. 

However, I kept hitting walls and wanted to make more complex games every time. At this point, I would spend a lot of my time after school researching and learning all I can about games and game engines, and this is when I discovered Unreal Engine, or, as it was known at the time, Unreal Development Kit (UDK). There were other game engines I had played with, such as Unity, CryEngine, and Source, to name a few. However, Unreal stuck with me. It wasn’t long before Unreal Engine 4 came out, and shortly after, it became free. So, I spent most of my time learning Unreal Engine and dedicated it to my childhood fantasy of creating a game. While this ambition of game development had led me this far, I slowly realized that I might be biting more than I could chew with the scope of the projects I was willing to set out on. Ultimately, I had many unfinished prototypes in my projects folder, with no game to come out. It was a good learning experience, and I decided to do less for more. I shifted my focus to creating cinematics and shots, using Unreal Engine as my virtual canvas. And I have been precisely doing that ever since. Initially, it was just an isolated endeavor, which I did simply for my viewing. Then, I began sharing it with family and friends, and before I knew it, I was doing commissions as a freelancer, for which I would produce commercials and visuals for people I knew. I used it as my paintbrush for many classes, from your IB Film to AP Art; it was all Unreal. 

While high school had served as my playground for experimentation, it was soon time for me to choose how to hone in on this craft and broaden my skill set. I set my sights on many different schools, each with personality and focus, but one school came out on top, Gnomon. The premise of living, studying, and eventually working in Los Angeles had a certain kind of glamour to it. Los Angeles was the place to network, and Gnomon, in particular, would be the nexus to host all this fantastic, upcoming talent in this industry. As much as I searched for an education to teach me, my priority was finding a community of like-minded individuals in which I could nurture friendships and continue to push myself and be inspired. I got exactly that and so much more; it has been one of the best decisions in my life. Now, as an alumnus, I am surrounded by some of the most talented and caring people I know from all walks of life. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’ve lived a relatively nomadic lifestyle growing up. Moving from country to country. I was born in Azerbaijan and moved to Turkey, Spain, and Ukraine before I came here. I think that lifestyle in and of itself has made the road bumpier than usual. As a kid growing up, I never really associated a single location as home, so I would always ask myself, “What’s next?” Many of the friends I would make growing up would only be temporary, as I knew I wouldn’t be around for much longer. With my environment constantly changing, the one thing that has always remained consistent is my interests and passion. So, while I didn’t get to maintain the relationships in my life for the long term, part of me knew that I could at least rely on myself to pursue the bigger picture: to make something people enjoyed. And yes, I did pick up a couple of languages along the way, enough to count on two hands. But as I travel from place to place, my universal language has always been and always will be my art. I see a certain kind of perpetuity in art, especially when juxtaposed with surroundings that were always finite. 

I started Gnomon during COVID-19, and so, like most people in my shoes, I was subject to online learning. There was a slight disappointment, given that my goal in picking Gnomon was to relocate and meet new people. Nevertheless, online wasn’t necessarily the biggest obstacle. I still managed to connect with people and polish my artistic skills with the plethora of classes, albeit with Ukraine being 9 hours ahead of California, I was burning copious amounts of midnight oil. After a year of doing that, I finally came to Los Angeles, and it has been quite a journey since then. It wasn’t long before I arrived that the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, and with both of my parents there and actively working, I’ve lived a duality in my life, detaching the mental from the physical. It has been two years and counting since, and my heart continues to be with Ukraine. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Well currently, I specialize in Unreal Engine as an Unreal Generalist and Technical Artist. That involves anything Unreal. My accumulated time and experience inside Unreal have allowed me to navigate, troubleshoot, and develop pipelines efficiently. However, the technical terminology aside, I generally like to spend my time making tools to produce art I would display in a cinematic format. It feeds both my cravings from a technical aspect, as I get to learn and dive deeper into a particular area of interest and then showcase it with some creative flair, which is always the icing on the cake. At this rate, most people know me for Unreal, especially throughout school. My proudest accomplishment thus far was working on the Pressure: James Cameron Into the Abyss exhibit hosted at the National History Museum of Los Angeles County. I was very lucky to be brought on by a fellow student and friend then, and it was quite the experience to deliver something of that caliber. Even though it was a mark within the infancy of my career, if anything, it felt like an “I made it” moment for sure. And I think it was also a testament to the networking and opportunities I was rewarded with for coming here. I think Unreal Engine has become a staple in this industry, and I feel very lucky to have made the commitment I did back then to learning it since now the opportunities are endless and talent is sought after. I feel I am the right man, in the right place at the right time. 

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Truly accomplishing a task I set out to do is the core root of my happiness. I can’t stress enough how many times I have started something but haven’t finished it. That’s not to say I haven’t found happiness in failure or incompletion, either. Ultimately, everything I do teaches me something, and I take great pride in knowing that I am constantly learning to improve and grow as an individual. However, there is that unique feeling to knowing that something that started in one’s imagination landed on paper and eventually became a fully conceptualized reality. It’s the purest sense of human creativity, and I think every day I strive to achieve even a fraction of my vision, even if it’s a step at a time. I think it’s packaged with knowing that eventually when it’s out there and completed, I can get joy for the same reason the innocent 11-year-old started doing this inside that IT classroom, to entertain people. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hefendi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hasanefendi___/