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Refuge Visual Effects

VFX & Post-Production
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4
Founded
2013
Employees
11-50
Offices
5

About Refuge Visual Effects

Refuge Visual Effects is an independent visual effects and animation studio serving film, television, and streaming productions. Founded in Portland in 2013, the company creates photoreal characters, creatures, environments, and story-driven visual effects, ranging from subtle invisible fixes to large-scale digital imagery.

Its work combines character and creature animation, digital doubles, compositing, matte painting, simulation, and on-set supervision. The studio's capabilities include fluid, fire, smoke, blood, and insect-swarm effects; blue- and green-screen integration; set extensions; creature look development; and LED-volume cleanup. It also supports production and motion design, title sequences, and concept exploration through its design-focused sister unit, Refuge Design.

Screen work

Refuge's credits span episodic series, feature work, commercials, game cinematics, music videos, and concert visuals. Selected productions include:

  • Shōgun
  • Fallout
  • One Piece
  • The Righteous Gemstones
  • The Peripheral
  • Cross
  • Superman & Lois
  • The Bondsman
  • The Bride
  • Yellowstone, 1923, and Landman

The studio received a 2024 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for its work on Shōgun. Its work on The Righteous Gemstones was also recognized with a 2024 HPA Award nomination.

Production approach

Refuge positions its practice around technical problem-solving and flexible collaboration, pairing creature and character work with live-action compositing and practical-set integration. Its visual-effects services support productions from early concept development and data capture through final delivery, with particular experience in historically grounded imagery, futuristic interfaces, environmental reconstruction, and demanding simulation work.

The company operates from its Portland headquarters and has production presences in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Albany, and Trenton. This multi-regional footprint supports clients across North America while retaining the focused scale of a boutique VFX partner.

More about Refuge Visual Effects

Leadership

  • Fred Ruff is the founder, Head of Studio, Executive Creative Director, and VFX Supervisor.
  • Alex Thiesen serves as Executive Vice President and Executive Producer; Kavita Jhaveri is Head of Production and Senior VFX Producer.
  • Department leadership includes Kyle Rottman as Head of Compositing/VFX Supervisor, Mitch Gates as Head of CG/CG Supervisor, and Joel Stephens as Head of Finance.

Design collaboration

Refuge Design is a co-located design-centric sister unit led creatively by Joshua Cox. It draws on Refuge VFX's simulation and 3D expertise for near-future concepts, motion graphics, futuristic screen interfaces, title design, and commercial visual branding.

Notable credits

24 credits
  • Shōgun
  • Fallout
  • One Piece
  • The Righteous Gemstones
  • The Peripheral
  • Cross
  • Superman & Lois
  • The Bondsman
  • The Bride
  • Yellowstone
  • 1923
  • Landman
  • Westworld
  • You
  • See
  • For All Mankind
  • Star City
  • The Underground Railroad
  • Cowboy Bebop
  • XO, Kitty
  • Helstrom
  • Grimm
  • Mayans M.C.
  • The Lumineers: Brightside

Offices

Where Refuge Visual Effects is based

5 locations

  • Portland office

    Headquarters
    1040 NE 44th Ave, Suite 2, Portland, OR 97213, USAPortland, Oregon, United States

    Global headquarters and primary production facility.

    +1 (503) 336-9346
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  • Vancouver office

    Suite 1750, 1055 West Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6E 3P3, CanadaVancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Canadian direct operations and talent hub for streaming and episodic VFX.

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  • Albany office

    418 Broadway, Ste. 11288, Albany, NY 12207, USAAlbany, New York, United States

    Opened 2026

    East Coast client-relations and executive-production presence expanded in May 2026.

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  • Ewing Township office

    820 Bear Tavern Road West, Trenton, NJ 08628, USAEwing Township, New Jersey, United States

    Opened 2026

    New-business development and regional post-production representation expanded in May 2026.

    View map

  • Los Angeles office

    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Production, client-management, and creative-supervision hub.

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