NFB Names Richard Cormier Director General

The 30+ year industry veteran will oversee implementation of the organization’s vision and objectives across production, distribution, marketing, and business; he assumes his new role September 11.

Richard Cormier

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) has appointed Richard Cormier as Director General, Programming, Creation, Distribution and Marketing, and Head of Programming. He assumes his new role September 11. The announcement was made by NFB Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson Suzanne Guèvremont.

Cormier will provide creative leadership in his new role while overseeing and implementing the NFB’s vision and objectives in production, distribution, marketing, and business intelligence teams.

An industry veteran with 30+ years’ experience in Canada and the United States, Cormier has worked in audiovisual production and post-production, content creation, and as an innovator in using technology for creative purposes. He is an experienced senior management with an executive MBA from McGill University.

“In the context of an industry environment that’s both stimulating and constantly changing, Richard is coming to us at a key moment when the NFB, now more than ever, needs to reinvent itself while remaining relevant to its audiences,” commented Guèvremont. “With his innate leadership abilities and 30 years of experience in the fields of production, emerging technologies, innovation, and marketing, he will help inspire the momentum needed to allow the NFB’s creative and technology teams, as well as the filmmakers and artists who create with us, to excel and to engage with the public.”

At age 24, Cormier co-founded Buzz Image, the first post-production studio in Canada offering digital visual effects solutions. In 1995, he created an innovative product that allowed filmmakers to review several production processes in real-time. This breakthrough drew interest from Bell/Téléglobe, and he would later partner with the company.

In 1999, Ascent Media recruited him for the Los Angeles-based position of Senior Vice President. He created a successful studio producing films, ads, and TV series. In 2004, he relocated to New York, joining the post-production group Nice Shoes, followed by a 2005 move to Detroit, where he served as President at Ringside. He helped transform the traditional advertising, digital production, and post-production studio into a fully integrated creative services house during his six-year tenure.

Cormier returned and led the global expansion of Moment Factory’s production services. In 2020, he joined MELS, creating a virtual production division and heading the company’s digital creative services.

“I’m inspired by the NFB’s current leadership and excited to be a part of this great and unique institution,” shared Cormier. “Working with the NFB’s teams and with filmmakers and artists across the country, I intend to continue the organization’s rich tradition of taking innovative, creative approaches while also pursuing engagement with younger and more diverse audiences who are connected to the world. As the industry continues to modernize, I want to contribute to our mandate and enhance it by offering perspectives that matter to the lives of Canadians.”

Source: National Film Board of Canada

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Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.