How We Got Here
Every decision we made came from watching students struggle with the gap between education and employment. Here's what happened along the way.
Started With a Problem
Talked to dozens of junior artists who couldn't land jobs despite having degrees. Studios kept saying the same thing: graduates knew software but couldn't actually build game-ready assets. So we rented a small space in Barcelona and built curriculum around production pipelines instead of isolated tools.
First Studio Partnership
A mid-sized studio needed environment artists but kept rejecting candidates. We offered to train specifically for their workflow. That pilot program put eight people into paid positions and taught us what actual collaboration with employers looks like.
Expanded Specializations
Character modeling kept coming up in student requests. We brought in freelancers working on shipped titles to design the track. Added hard surface and prop specializations next. Each one built around portfolios that actually show range and technical understanding.
Remote Training Launch
Moved half our programs online without losing the hands-on approach. Small cohorts, live feedback sessions, mandatory portfolio reviews every two weeks. Distance shouldn't mean disconnected.
Looking Forward
Planning programs for July and October 2026. Working with three new studios on curriculum input. Testing a mentorship model that pairs advanced students with working professionals. Same goal as always: get people ready for actual production work.
What Training Looks Like
Students work on assignments pulled from real production scenarios. Tight deadlines, technical constraints, revision rounds. We don't simulate the industry, we teach through it.
How We Actually Teach
Production First
Every lesson connects to how studios actually build games. Poly counts matter. Texture budgets exist. LODs aren't optional. Students learn constraints before they learn shortcuts.
Feedback That Matters
Weekly reviews from instructors who've shipped titles. Not vague encouragement. Specific technical notes about topology, baking issues, material definition. The kind of feedback that improves the next model, not just feelings.
Portfolio Over Everything
Studios hire based on what you can show. We push students to finish pieces that demonstrate skill. Three strong assets beat ten half-done experiments. Quality takes time, and we structure programs to allow it.
Real Timelines
Programs run six to nine months because that's how long developing actual competency takes. Anyone promising mastery in weeks isn't being straight with you about what learning this work involves.
Vilmar Espensen
Founder & Lead InstructorWorked as an environment artist for seven years before starting Growthex. Contributed to two shipped console titles and too many cancelled projects. Saw talented people get stuck in tutorial loops or wash out of junior positions because their training skipped fundamentals.
Started teaching part-time in 2018, realized formal education was asking the wrong questions. Left studio work in 2019 to build something focused on employability instead of credentials.