You too can be 'golden', Belfast-born creative tells KPop fans

James Carson said Belfast is providing "world-class technology" for the creative industry

James Carson used to deliver packages for an animation company in London.

Back then he never could have imagined he would be creating graphics for some of the world's biggest movies.

Mulan, Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse and Alice Through the Looking Glass all form part of his repertoire, but most recently he was one of the key players behind the Golden Globe winning film and global sensation, KPop Demon Hunters.

The Belfast born creative is now hoping to inspire the next generation of animators to go "up, up, up" in the industry.

Carson admitted that when he was first applying for jobs "there was a short list of options".

He said that has changed exponentially with the emergence of new companies and the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and now there is "no more hiding" from the arts.

After getting his foot in the door as a runner for an animation firm, he said he was able work his way up, before eventually following job opportunities in Canada.

'A mix of fun and mundane'

He is now a CG Supervisor for Sony Pictures Imageworks overseeing the creation and delivery of 3D computer-generated elements for films and TV shows.

He described his day-to-day work as a mix of the "fun and the mundane".

"There's a lot of meetings involved, but then we also get to do the fun stuff, which is work with the clients and our VFX supervisors to talk about the images and see how they're progressing."

Speaking about working on surprise smash hits like KPop Demon Hunters he said: "It's great and it's so exciting to see it happen, you know.

"You're working on it and you don't know what sort of scale it's going to get to and then it hits home when you see all these people dressing up as the people you were working on the computer screen for so long."

Having just finished supervising a live-action feature Project Hail Mary, starring Ryan Gosling, Carson brought his acclaimed KPop Demon Hunters home to a special showing in Belfast.

The KPop Demon Hunters event formed part of RENDR, a two-day festival exploring the worlds of film, gaming, animation and technology.

It featured a behind the scenes look at the animation process, a dance class and sing-along screening of the animated musical.

Addressing a crowd of over 200 people in Belfast, Carson told the young audience that if they are passionate enough about the creative industries "you can definitely make a job out of it".

"Enjoy the movie and if you enjoy these type of things, maybe begin studying for it," he told them.

"Maybe one day you get to work on KPop 2 or maybe even 3."

'An animator, or a demon hunter'

Phoebe was one of many of who dressed up as their favourite KPop Demon Hunters character, Rumi

Eight year-old Phoebe is a KPop Demon Hunters superfan, who attended the event as her favourite character Rumi.

She said she re-watches the film "almost everyday" and "loves it more every time".

Phoebe said she wants her future career to be one of two options, "an animator, or a demon hunter".

Louisa and Alice along with their mum Laura arrived at the event early to "get the best seats"

Louisa, Alice and mum Laura have been playing the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack "non stop" since the film was released in 2025.

The girls dyed their hair especially for the event and have "not stopped talking about it all week" according to Laura.

She said that while her children enjoy the movie mostly for the music and outfits, it has also helped them with their confidence and love for dancing.

Michael Weir is the director of RENDR festival

Now in its third year, RENDR event director Michael Weir said around 3,000 people attended, coming from every corner of Ireland and further afield.

He said Northern Ireland has entered a "golden age for production".

"I really feel it's Belfast's time especially after Derry Girls and the new Game of Thrones spin-off," he said.

"There's so much potential, there's so much excitement building, and there's a lot of opportunity."

Last year Northern Ireland's largest film and TV virtual production studio was official opened in Belfast.

Studio Ulster provides cutting-edge virtual production, including computer-generated imagery (CGI).

Weir said the opening of Studio Ulster is "something to really build on".

"You know, the infrastructure's there. So we're primed and ready to go and it's an exciting time. It's a lot of opportunity for people."

What is KPop Demon Hunters about?

Golden became one of 2025's biggest hits and could win an Oscar at the Academy Awards on 15 March

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, KPop Demon Hunters follows the adventures of fictional K-pop girl band Huntr/x, as its three members use their music and fighting skills to protect humans from demons.

Things begin to go awry when a group of demons find a way to enter the human world and take on the form of a five-person boy band, known as the Saja Boys.

The divide between the demons and humans gets blurred when it's discovered that one character was once human but betrayed their family, while another is secretly hiding signs of a demon identity.

This film blends action with a story about friendship, trust and staying true to your identity.

KPop Demon Hunters become a cultural phenomenon in 2025, overtaking Squid Game as the most watched title in Netflix history.

Its music also topped the US singles and albums charts, becoming the first soundtrack in history to have four songs simultaneously in the US top 10.