Makers #6: Eric Vienna and Mike Martin

The unlock.

Eric: Make.exe came from a simple problem: we wanted for our creatives to embrace AI tools faster and further. Many felt overwhelmed, unsure or even fearful of how fast things were changing. I wanted to figure out what was happening, how we could tackle it and get people as excited as I am about it.   I believe the future belongs to creative generalists, and AI is the catalyst making that shift possible by dissolving the boundaries between disciplines. I wanted to show how these tools could be used to expand skill sets and unlock new ways of working.   What started as an internal livestream battle for Huge creatives quickly grew into a live event. As soon as that shift happened, I knew Mike had to be involved. Motion and 3D animation are what bring these ideas to life and that’s what was missing. The very first mockup I did for this was me versus Mike —a battle that didn’t exist yet— but it immediately sold the idea.

It felt like the perfect convergence of talent and abilities. I had complete faith that we could do something bigger. Mike was the obvious partner for me to build this.

Mike: Make.exe was a personal story for me too. I’ve been a longtime esports fan, especially fighting games, so the idea of creating a full live broadcast graphics package with over-the-top motion, inspired by professional Street Fighter tournaments, immediately sold me. The biggest key learning that I had through the process was trust and partnership. Eric can give me an idea and let me run with it. I can go away, tap into my motion team, explore brand design and come back with something elevated.

Eric: Once it became a live event, it felt real in a new way. We weren’t just streaming—we were building a physical space, a stage and an experience. That shift gave us permission to take bigger risks, like creating the sculpture that became a symbol of the night: a tribute to the last 30 years of computer graphics, culminating in a future-facing AI battle scene. Rather than focusing solely on AI, we used the moment to celebrate the full lineage of innovation that made it possible.

We bought 20 TVs and needed motion on every screen. I knew Mike and his team could deliver. I prototyped the experience in Unreal Engine to give everyone a proper sense of what it would look like in the real world. Kurt Lorey built the scaffolding from scratch, then Mike, Roger Young, Gino Nave and the rest of the motion team joined us on site—mounting screens, designing motion for each, bringing it all together using both AI and traditional craft.

Problem solving.

Eric: When the creative team sat down at the table in LA and started to collaborate, it reminded me that being in a physical space is where the best work gets done. The breakthrough for me was realizing just how much we needed to get done—and how powerful it was to sit together, do our own thing, jam and support one another. That for me was the breakthrough moment of “Holy s*** this team is a bunch of killers.”

Mike: Agreed, having been able to collaborate with each other and problem solve in a studio space has really elevated our craft, our team and our trust.

Future collaboration.

Mike: Eric pushes me outside of my comfort zone and just being a part of his process for the past few years, understanding his workflow, at first it felt like wizardry. I don’t understand what he’s doing to come up with these ideas. That level of thinking has been monumental for me in my growth and how I holistically approach projects.

Eric: For Mike, it’s this insane focus on technical detail, formulaic thinking, structured thought and putting guard rails on stuff. I think that mindset comes directly from 3D work, which requires a very technical way of thinking. But I think more importantly, Mike is the most humble guy in the world, yet one of the most talented people I’ve ever met. That combination creates a perfect leader and mentor to his team.

What’s next?

Eric: I’m motivated by the idea of continually making better work and that really comes from building teams who care deeply about their craft. As leaders in our respective disciplines, we try to bring people into our way of thinking—sharing the energy, ambition and belief needed to imagine something wild and then actually bring it to life.

Mike: It’s about getting people excited, building inspiration, intrigue and challenging each other. My biggest takeaway was hearing from my team and even from people who never touched Make.exe, say: "This is really cool, I want to be part of it."