Nice Shoes appoints Kevin Ratigan and Erik Bayley as junior colourists

Production company Nice Shoes announces the appointment of Kevin Ratigan and Erik Bayley as Junior Colourists. Ratigan has been promoted from his prior role at Nice Shoes as Assistant Colourist, while Bayley joins after six years at Alter Ego.

Having gained a wealth of experience at studios such as Company 3 and Carbon VFX, Ratigan originally joined Nice Shoes as part of their search for up-and-coming talent to nurture under the mentorship of seasoned professionals. Showcasing an extensive knowledge of the industry, Ratigan’s promotion to Junior Colourist comes a mere eight months after his initial hire, and will grant him the opportunity to further grow his own client base at the creative studio.

Throughout his career, Ratigan has worked on a range of mediums, including music videos, commercials, and short films. Particularly prolific in the music world, Ratigan has worked on U 2 Luv by Ne-Yo and Jeremih, Japanese Breakfast’s quirky Savage Good Boy, and Erica Banks’ On They Neck. Other notable projects include The Road to Creativity series, a branded story collaboration between the Washington Post Brand Studio and Subaru, Fashion To Fit’s decadent November 21 Collection ad, and New York & Company’s vibrant Gabrielle Union commercial, starring the actress herself.

Turning to the year ahead, Ratigan has a number of longform projects in the works, and is looking for more to come his way, as well as more experimental projects with VR and real time, a significant interest of his. Eager to push himself creatively, he looks forward to making the most of all that he has learnt so far at Nice Shoes and is continually impressing the team with his technical know-how.

Kevin Ratigan comments: “My experience so far at Nice Shoes has been amazing. Other than the great projects I’ve been a part of, it’s given me an amazing opportunity to pick up new techniques from the many talented artists here, not many get the chance to learn from some of the best in the industry, and I feel very lucky.”

Jason Farber, Executive Producer at Nice Shoes, adds: “We were looking for Resolve-based assistant colourists during the pandemic when we found Kevin, already a freelance colorist with his own book of work. Upon meeting him, it became clear that he was personable, fun to talk to, had a great eye and a wealth of knowledge. Kevin saw the assistant role as a great opportunity to grow, but we knew it would be short-lived based on his talent, it would only be a matter of time until we promoted him. He was an instant fit and the sky is the limit. It’s been a pleasure to watch him grow and inspire our cohort of up-and-coming talent.”

I was drawn to Nice Shoes by their international presence and their potential for growth

Bayley began his career working on feature films, editing Wild Smoke and The Written Waltz for Little Dark Productions and Dragon Peak Productions, as well as directing Life Line for EpikFliks, his own production company. In addition to his longform work, Bayley has graded a number of commercials while developing his skills at Alter Ego. His range is showcased across Red Bull’s sun-soaked Toronto Dance Tour, Red String of Fate’s electric teaser trailer, and Mazda’s sleek campaign for its CX-30.

This impressive start to Bayleys colour career is reflected in his career highlights so far. He particularly relished the chance to see his work projected onto 30 foot screens as part of Kia’s #TheRedCube takeover at Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto, as well as engaging in the creative process with one of his idols, Survivorman Les Stroud, when working as a colourist on his TV documentary Surviving Disasters with Les Stroud.