Greg Flannagan Named EY Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist

It is recognition for a path that began in 2011 with two flame artists, a loan, and a stubborn belief that world-class visual effects could be made from New Zealand.

True to form, Greg is quick to move the spotlight off himself.

“It is a genuine honour to be named alongside founders like this,” says Greg.

“But nothing about this studio has ever been a one-person effort. What we have built is the sum of a lot of talented people choosing to do their best work together, year after year. This belongs to the crew as much as it belongs to me.”

Dare to make it happen

Greg’s route into visual effects wasn’t exactly a straight line.

There was a psychology degree, a shift into computer science, and a fair amount of snowboarding, wakeboarding and surfing along the way before the industry pulled him in for good.

Then, in 2011, Greg and co-founder Paul Dickson decided to back themselves and build something different – a tight culture, seriously good people and the ability to hold its own internationally on the work that mattered most to clients.

What followed wasn’t overnight success. The early years were lean, and there have been plenty of moments since – including a global pandemic and an industry-wide production shutdown – when the safer call would have been to pull back.

Cause and FX chose to back its people instead, carrying the team through the uncertainty rather than cutting it loose.

Why the recognition matters

The EY Entrepreneur Of The Year programme judges finalists across four areas: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, impact and growth. For Greg, it is the two in the middle that land hardest.

“The parts of this I care about most are purpose and impact,” Greg says.

“Nothing about what we’ve built has been a one-person effort. We set out to prove world-class VFX could come from New Zealand and that you could look after your people while doing it. This recognition belongs to the crew as much as it belongs to me.”

Behind the finalist listing is a studio that international productions have come to rely on, built by a crew that Greg has spent more than a decade backing.

One of 16 New Zealand finalists

Greg is one of 16 finalists selected from across New Zealand, spanning education, technology, food, health, manufacturing and more.

The New Zealand winner will be announced later this year and will go on to represent the country at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year event in 2027.

What next

Today, ‘dare to make it happen’ sits at the core of Cause and FX. And it’s business as usual.

There is work on the slate, a crew to look after, and the same quiet ambition that has driven the studio from day one. Greg would not have it any other way.

You can read EY’s announcement of the 16 New Zealand finalists on SecurityBrief, and learn more about the programme on the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year website.

Read more news