Luma Pictures reviews

Beware the dangling carrot! I think Luma is the worst in the industry when it comes to empty promises. They dangle the carrot of "Just try harder, you can do it, you can become staff, you can get a raise, you can get benefits, you can become family" over and over again, but that carrot is always just a step or two away. They even make a public spectacle, bringing the entire company together to announce who just got made staff, who gets to go on a company trip for free, etc. so that you're always aware of what's just outside your reach. I think the upper management and the owner have such history together that they have become blinded to the talent coming in to work for them. Growth in the company is rarely about the individual's talent (extremely talented is the bare minimum in this case) but about how willing you are to change your identity to be that of the department heads. Prepare to spend a lot of time going out to party if you are interested in career growth. Many times I was thrown into difficult situations so they could 'test my capabilities' but then after the shot was done they would tell me that I didn't preform well enough to get to do more of it without really ever explaining why or helping me develop my skills so that I could be an asset to the team. I even had a conversation with the owner asking what I could do to be more value to this company and his response was to 'do some tutorials and build my skills after work and on the weekends'. What?! Despite having an entire floor of people who I could have been easily paired with and taught all I needed to know, the way to be a better artist was not to receive feedback from my co-workers but instead watch internet tutorials?! I decided not to partake in all the parties and 'culture building events' despite them being strongly suggested. Luma tries to make its employees like family. Which I get, that's just a style of doing business, but I already have a family and I want to spend time with them outside my work--I spent 9 hours a day, 5 days a week with those people, it's not unreasonable to turn down the opportunity to party if I have a life outside of my job. Because I chose to not attend all their events, I was outside of the 'family' and I believe this to be one of the contributing factors to the impassable wall of career growth at Luma. I wasn't willing to change who I was to be more like them, and therefore there wasn't much future for me at all. I spent almost 2 years at Luma. Despite the cons it was a decent first place to work, get some experience and credits under your belt, and then move on to bigger and better things. And that's my advice. If you're looking to work at Luma, just go into the job aware of the dangling carrot. Work hard, develop yourself, ask lots of questions, learn from your talented co-workers, and then leave when your contract is up and go work for a better studio, a place where work doesn't pretend it's your family.

As others have mentioned, the level of maturity exhibited by many seniors and management at Luma is more akin to a frat house or keg party than a professional climate designed to foster artistry and collaboration. While a "fun atmosphere" can be a nice release from a daily grind, it causes issues with deliveries, professional courtesy, and enhances friction between the "in" and "out" groups. (During my time a show was pulled because we were not able to make deliveries. One project was vastly preferred to another.) Freelancers are often included in employee meetings where benefits, bonus, etc is discussed. None of which freelancers can participate in. This is frustrating, unprofessional, and a waste of time. Payam's interviews and conversations about rates often involve a script that paints Luma as a lonely outpost clinging to reasonable work hours (the term "reasonable" is up for grabs), decent pay (if you'd like to default on things), and a love for their employees (at least those that have been around forever). He also underlines that there are other choices that certainly pay more than Luma, but that you'd be thrown to the wolves in a brutal and mercurial industry. Surely you'll be eaten alive! So you should effectively lower your rate, tuck your tail between your legs, and take a seat so the "fun" can begin... The most fascinating thing about this process is if you were to discuss this experience with other artists, you'll find his schtick has been largely unchanged for nearly a decade. Many of the seniors are very talented, but in looking at their history you'll notice few have ever worked anywhere else or if they did it was fleeting before landing at Luma. This makes them incredibly insular. Outside thinking or applying external experience is not typically welcomed and if it is, it's certainly not rewarded financially or through advancement. If anything they may resent you for your experience or view you as a threat rather than an asset (see paragraph one: maturity) In the immediate 3 years since leaving I managed to more than quadruple my pay (to be fair, it was way below standard) and attain benefits elsewhere--something Luma would have you believe is rare or at least terrifyingly risky.