Ellen Poon grew up in Hong Kong in the 1960s. She was a middle child out of five and her mom loved going to the movies. From a very young age she was motivated to excel, and was always an independent thinker. A great teacher at university got her interested in graphics by challenging students to make images and patterns using Pascal. She realized that computer science was an area where she could be super creative. She went on to earn a PhD in computer science from the University of London.
Ellen is a founding member of MPC's Computer Graphics department. During her tenure at ILM, she was the first woman to be made Visual Effects Supervisor. Ellen has won two Hong Kong Film Awards for her work on Hero and Monster Hunt. Her film credits include: Jurassic Park, Disclosure, Star Wars: Episode 1, Jumanji, Frozen, and Raya and the Last Dragon.
Within minutes of meeting Ellen you know you are talking to one of the kindest, coolest, and smartest people you’ll ever meet. It was great to reconnect and hear her story.
