Luke DiTommaso is the Creative Director and a Senior VFX Supervisor for Crafty Apes New York. He is a Brooklyn native, who attended and later taught at the School of Visual Arts NYC. Luke got his start as an artist, first as a compositor and later as an on set supervisor. After nearly 20 years as a VFX supervisor with his own company, he joined forces with Crafty Apes. For the last two years he has found a home here working on features like The Exorcist: Believer, and TV series such as Only Murders in the Building and The Equalizer.
Leslie’s dreams of being an artist began when she was three years old, drawing on the walls and furniture of her childhood home in New York City. In time, her artistic pursuits led her to the School of Visual Arts, where she majored in computer art before landing in the professional world of VFX.
Now a 13 year veteran of the industry, Leslie has worked on films and TV shows as both a distinguished supervisor and producer, with credits including all seasons of Star Trek Discovery, Manifest Season 3, The Nighthouse, Marvel’s Runaways, Deadpool 2, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs and more. Leslie’s tireless work ethic, fine attention to detail, and commitment to her clients and colleagues has been instrumental in the growth of the talent and culture of Crafty Apes NY and to the NY VFX industry in general. In addition to all her efforts at Crafty, she is also the (two time) current chair of the NY VES board. However, she still makes time for her artistic passions, including illustration, painting, and photography, along with spoiling her two adorable pet rats.
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Tehmina is a VFX Supervisor with a highly technical background and a lifelong passion for world-building. Her creative path began in childhood designing monsters and immersive environments—a fascination that evolved through painting and photography into a deep love for cinematography. This journey was professionally ignited during her Audio Engineering studies, where she discovered the powerful synergy between sound design, editing and cinematic storytelling.
With a degree in Computer Science and a background in software security and development, Tehmina brings a unique engineering perspective to high-end visual effects. Over her career, she has contributed to more than 50 productions, serving as the on-set lead for over 30 titles. Her credits span prestige television and acclaimed independent cinema, including the Emmy-winning Ripley, Marvel’s The Defenders, HBO’s And Just Like That, and Jeremy Saulnier’s Rebel Ridge.
Transitioning from DMP artist and CG Supervisor to on-set leadership, Tehmina specializes in de-risking complex productions and translating ambitious creative visions into scalable, high-craft realities.
A resident of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, Tehmina is a devotee of independent horror and psychological thrillers. When she isn’t on set or behind a camera, she is navigating the rewarding new challenge of motherhood with her daughter, Evie—a role that has only deepened her focus on building a more efficient, sustainable, and innovative future for VFX.
Growing up outside of Boston, Sarah’s interest in film was sparked directing elaborate horror films in her basement with a cast of her friends and neighbors. Realizing all this fun could actually become a career, she attended Emerson College to cultivate her interest in film. After finding her feet as a PA, Sarah entered the world of VFX just as the NYC industry took off. Sarah’s VFX producing credits include True Detective, Manhunt: Unabomber, Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Ray Donovan. Sarah is excited to be a part of the Crafty Apes team and continue their incredible work in film and television. In her precious spare time, you can find Sarah trying out new recipes, headed to the movies with friends, or running as far as she can.
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Born and raised in NYC, John’s original aspiration was to play professional basketball for the New York Knicks. Once he realized the limitations of being well under 6 feet tall, John transitioned to his passion of TV and film production. His introduction to the industry was as a Construction Set PA for the NBC series “Kidnapped,” which enabled a path into the Production office. Providing countless adventures, some of the most memorable experiences were between working on set with the Coen Brothers and an all star cast on “Burn After Reading,” to being flown (Business Class) to Paris with “Julie & Julia’s” France Unit. John continued as a Production Coordinator for close to a decade, but it was on the set of USA Networks’ “Royal Pains” where he established a life-long relationship with Luke DiTommaso, who was the VFX Supervisor during the show’s 8 season run. John later joined Luke and Andrew Bly as a Bid Producer and eventually Head of Production for their company, Molecule VFX until 2020. After spending two seasons as the Post Supervisor for the Paramount+ series “Evil“, John reunited with Andrew and Luke as a Senior Producer for Crafty Apes’ NY office, where he continues his career in VFX.
John spends his free time taking his 5-year-old on as many city adventures as possible, searching for the best NYC slice (which he currently holds Prince Street’s margarita slice as #1), and he still roots hard for the New York Knicks.
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Nelson’s professional path began in feature animation at Blue Sky Studios, where he served as a Production Assistant and Department Manager, helping coordinate the progression of complex shots and department workflows for major studio releases.
Nelson eventually pivoted to visual effects, expanding his project management skills with Molecule VFX before joining the Crafty Apes team as a VFX Producer. His credits span high-profile features and episodic series, including the Academy Award-nominated Nimona, Disney’s Spies in Disguise, and Amazon’s The Summer I Turned Pretty while also serving as a show-side VFX Producer for projects like Netflix’s limited series Sirens. With a knack for building robust production pipelines and managing global vendor teams across various disciplines, Nelson ensures every project achieves high creative standards while maintaining healthy production margins.
Outside of the studio, Nelson is an avid traveler who has explored over 15 countries. A dedicated photography enthusiast, who is often found capturing his travels through a lens. When he isn’t exploring the globe, he’s nerding out on the next blockbuster or streaming release with his family which fuels his passion for the industry he loves most.
Born and raised in small-town Ontario, Matt moved to the big city to attend the University of Toronto. After graduating he began his career at Mr. X as an assistant VFX producer, contributing to a wide range of projects, including Penny Dreadful, American Made, and the Academy Award-winning Roma and The Shape of Water.
Matt became the studio’s bidding producer in 2017, relocating to Los Angeles and helping bring in projects including Ad Astra, Creed II and Da 5 Bloods. He moved back to Toronto in 2020 to work on the first season of Vikings: Valhalla. In 2021, Matt joined the team at The Molecule in New York, and then on to Crafty Apes, where he has worked as the studio’s VFX producer on Outer Range, Only Murders in the Building and most recently, Tulsa King.
Opal Fleischmann is an East Coast-West Coast hybrid who completed her undergraduate studies in Barcelona and spent the early part of her professional career working as a Spanish translator in the Arts and Education.
After pivoting to the film industry, she worked in post-production across both dailies and editorial departments. Some of her first credits were on Billions, Midsommar, and Little Women. Opal’s official move to VFX came through her work on the Paramount+ series, Evil, a supernatural drama with complex creature builds.
As a VFX producer, Opal is credited on notable projects such as FX’s The Bear, A24’s Crystal Lake, and Song Sung Blue. Films and TV shows Opal loves to revisit are Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Godfather I and II, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, Interview with the Vampire, and Mad Men.
With a career rooted in hands-on CG artistry for commercials and broadcast promos, Blaine began as a CG animator in the fast-paced world of on-air television. Early roles took him to Digital Images in Boston, where he designed signature on-air packaging for major networks, before moving to Atlanta to lead the Visual Effects team at Turner Studios. There he helped shape the look of promotions and branding for properties including Turner Sports, CNN, TCM, and Cartoon Network, delivering work under tight deadlines for some of the most recognized brands in entertainment.
After relocating to New York, he rose to Head of Production at Molecule, Inc., overseeing VFX operations for film and episodic projects, including Apple’s Dickinson, Blaine continued in that role when the company was acquired by Crafty Apes. Having helped build Crafty Apes into a trusted partner for studios like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, Blaine recently stepped into the position of Head of Studio for Crafty Apes’ New York office, where he now guides both the creative and operational direction of one of the industry’s most respected independent VFX houses. Throughout, he’s remained focused on craft, collaboration, and simply getting the best work on screen.