Studio Insights – 80.lv Interviews Sideshow’s Creative Team

Originally published on March 17, 2026. This article includes excerpts from an interview between Kirill Tokarev of 80.lv and Sideshow’s senior creative staff.

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Have you ever wanted to know more about what goes on behind the scenes at Sideshow? To dive deep into the journey of a collectible, from concept to final product?

Journalist Kirill Tokarev from 80.lv recently had the opportunity to interview some of the senior creative team here to chat about Sideshow’s history in the collectibles industry. From our early days with the Universal Monsters to the evolving world of digital sculpting, this interview features unique insights from:

• Dani Bel: Creative Director
• Anna Van Slee: VP of Business Development
• Ricky Lovas: Design Director
• Matt Bischof: VP of Development and Manufacturing

Continue reading for some of the interview highlights. You can see the full conversation at the 80.lv website.

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Sideshow started with Universal Monsters

In 2025, Sideshow announced a return to the license that started us as a company — Universal Monsters. In the interview, Tokarev and the team discuss what that original history actually looked like, and why monsters are so foundational to our artists.

As Anna Van Slee explains, “Our founders were a group of freelancers … doing creature makeup, special effects, miniatures, and model making.” This set the stage for sculpting stylized toys that first appeared in Toys”R”Us stores and other toy shops of the ’90s (long before the proper “collectibles” craze began).

Horror is at the heart of Sideshow’s legacy and is a favorite subject of many of our staff. If you want to dig in further, check out Sideshow’s History with Universal Monsters and our work with Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein.

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Creating a collectible isn’t just what’s on the outside

As the process of sculpting and producing collectibles has evolved, so have Sideshow’s methods. And while great care is given to the visual presentation of each and every piece, just as important is the inner engineering.

“There needs to be an understanding of the internal foundational structure, the laws of gravity, the undercuts, the eventual molding process for manufacturing, and so on,” explains Matt Bischof.

Every action-packed statue and gravity-defying super hero pose you see has to be possible from the inside and the outside. Sideshow’s production team works to ensure structures are supported and to figure out how collectibles separate out for assembly to give you an unboxing experience that’s easy and exciting — and to ensure your collectible stands the test of time.

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Art by fans, for fans.

“The tools may change but the attitude doesn’t. It’s human-made,” says Ricky Lovas. “Every project here is a passion project.”

At the core of Sideshow’s creative process are the geeks who love these characters and worlds. The interview highlights both unique technical and business aspects of the collectibles creation process, but also the excitement and exploration each art project represents.

Dani Bel further emphasizes, “The human aspect is essential … you are utilizing the best tool for the job, and that includes the expertise of your peers.”

In the interview, Bischof, Van Slee, Lovas, and Bel dive further into the significance of notable releases like the Clint Eastwood Legacy Collection, the recent Luke Skywalker™ and X-Wing Premium Format™ Figure, the Grogu™ Life-Size Figure created in collaboration with Legacy Effects, and more.

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Read the full interview at 80.lv for even more amazing discussion on topics such as working with major licenses, how many people work on a Sideshow statue release, and ways in which Sideshow is looking towards the future of collectibles. Thank you to Kirill Tokarev and the team at 80.lv for taking the time to speak with our senior creative team for such an in-depth discussion.

Join the conversation with other fans and collectors over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!