Interview with Peder Norrby of Trapcode

I recently sat down with Peder Norrby, the maker of Trapcode, at his apartment in Stockholm Sweden to talk about how Trapcode got started. He also talks about how Shine was developed by accident and what he thinks of Trapcode’s overwhelming popularity. I REALLY wish we had the cameras on for the beers afterwords as well. We got into a great discussion about how working hard becomes so much more fun when you love what you do. Really great talk with a really great guy! Thanks, Peder!

28 people have commented on this post. You should too!

  1. Great interview as well as some useful info. You rock, dude.

  2. Lawrence says:

    Ha! That rocked! Also, how big is Peder’s smoking hand?! Great stuff, and good to see Trapcode’s dad.

  3. Adam Everett says:

    Awesome Interview! Thanks for sharing this Nick!

  4. William says:

    When world’s collide – I love seeing Trapcode HQ! Thanks for sharing.

  5. Lawrence says:

    Here’s some lovely stuff from the trapcode site: http://ku-schneider.com/

  6. Nick says:

    Disappointed not to see the Hat. What did you do with Peder’s hat?

  7. Brett Perry says:

    Great to see Peder! Boy do I envy you getting to talk in person with what I think is the greatest plug in provider for AE. I’m just learning Cinema 4D and was heartened to hear that Peder is also just learning it. I took to AE like a duck to water, but 3D programs really have me grinding my gears. Your tutorials have helped a lot and inspired me to keep at it. My thanks to both of you!

  8. Mike Fix says:

    Really great stuff! Trapcode C4D would be amazing!

  9. Sweet, I remember a friend showing me shine all those years ago. its amazing how far the industry has progressed.

  10. Tobias says:

    i like the trapcode blog whre even he doesn´t know how his own plugins are used to create the effects – that must be the ultimate goal in contributing to the scene of motion graphics!

  11. Anil says:

    Hi Nick,

    I really respect your blog so much because apart from the tech stuff there is lot more here. This blog is one of its kind and this is my second request to you, I would really love to see all the big shots in this industry get together and share their thoughts .

    ALl is well…….. Anil

  12. polypixel says:

    Nice interview, I would like to know more about local basketball team, Trapcode started to sponsoring though :}

  13. Jason says:

    Great interview? Nah..
    Great chat! [which is even better]

  14. Denis says:

    where is the bar footage? I bet that’s even better.

  15. Joe Moya says:

    I wished you had asked him about how they plan on dealing with the 64bit ONLY CS5 upgrade from the current 32bit plug-ins…. additional cost?… free?… discounted cost?…etc.

  16. damn, i wish i could smoke in my office.

  17. Ryan says:

    its kind of annoying how you’re always like “i work really hard and i love what i do”. Don’t get me wrong I think your site is great and you’re really talented but I mean, we get it. I cant even imagine how pretentious that conversation must’ve been.

    • The Gorilla says:

      Well, ANY conversation about work and career can sound pretentious. Especially with successful people. Doing what you love is a great motivator and is a big part of the creative path. Nobody gets into this industry to make money. It’s about passion.

    • Joe Clay says:

      Good reply, Nick. It is all about passion. Really, I think anyone who’s successful is passionate about their work. You can’t have one without the other.

    • Matt Ciaglia says:

      I think you mean no one gets into sculpture or painting to make a living. There was a time when being a graphics designer was considered a considered a career where you made money like being an architect or the commercial arts.

      Back in the 90′s a friend and I made rave flyers. I would hound the promoters for money, my friend would just want to go to the parties for free. He said he did it for the “Scene”. I went with him to a party he designed a flyer for and they wouldn’t let him in. Some scene.

      On NPR today they talked about variable wage. Meaning your company will pay you a little more when times are good or nothing if times are bad. If the recession ended today do you think your boss would give you back the money he took from you to keep the shop open and let you work less hours? NO.

  18. Matt Ciaglia says:

    The cigarette is a nice touch.

  19. pixelsampler says:

    http://motionographer.com/fairness-for-visual-effects-artists-qa/

    “That reminds me of a freelance Motion Designer who just announced that he’s leaving the field, Harry Frank, who wrote:

    “I’ve learned that happiness is not found along the path of making reality show graphics, sizzle reels, or commercials for sugar water. It is not found in the daily stress of courting new clients, while trying to get existing clients to pay their overdue invoices, while juggling three jobs that are all over budget. It is not found in a job where last minute changes and late nights that keep me from reading my son a bedtime story.””

  20. Sammy says:

    Its a shame you didint tell me you where comming to Sweden!, I would gladly have bought you a beer (or ten)and showed you arround, Make sure to tell me next time!

  21. Pingback: Graphic Tuts | Interview with Peder Norrby of Trapcode | GreyScaleGorilla

Comment Rules: I love helpful comments. We don't all have to be friends or agree, but we do have to be nice. Criticism is fine, but rude comments will be deleted. Use your real name and don't be spammy. Have fun and thanks for adding to the conversation!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>