Debbie Denise has been promoted to evp, Production Infrastructure, and exec producer at Sony Pictures Imageworks, Denise, who joined Imageworks with Ken Ralston in 1995, is a highly respected executive visual effects producer who most recently completed production on the CG feature THE POLAR EXPRESS, on which she also received credit as associate producer. It was her sixth film with director Robert Zemeckis. With this promotion, she continues in her role as an exec producer along with oversight of Imageworks production infrastructure. Together with recently appointed Jenny Fulle, the two evps lead all aspects of Imageworks production, from client relations and bidding to production management and staffing. Both continue to report to Imageworks president Tim Sarnoff.
Debbies extraordinary talent and filmmaker relationships, combined with her exceptional experience as a visual effects producer, have helped us build Imageworks into the company that it is today, Sarnoff said.
The promotion comes as Imageworks completes a busy year of diverse production (SPIDER-MAN 2, THE POLAR EXPRESS, THE AVIATOR) and positions itself for continued expansion with a broad slate of new projects, including SPANGLISH, BEWITCHED, THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, ZATHURA, THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, I DREAM OF JEANNIE, GHOST RIDER, MONSTER HOUSE, SPIDER-MAN 3 and the Sony Pictures Animation features OPEN SEASON and SURFS UP.
Imageworks has grown to be an industry leader by cultivating talent relationships at virtually every major studio and is now home to many of the worlds most talented visual effects supervisors, including Ken Ralston, Jim Berney, Jerome Chen, Sheena Duggal, Rich Hoover, Rob Legato, Kevin Mack, Jay Redd, Theresa Rygiel, Scott Stokdyk and Carey Villegas.
We have accomplished so much in building Imageworks literally from the ground up, offered Denise. We relish the challenge that comes with artistic vision. Its stimulating to work beyond the boundaries of what has been done before and our ability to meet that challenge expands the possibilities of what we can do.
Denise is currently in production on THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO, and MONSTER HOUSE. Among her other credits as executive visual effects producer at Imageworks are 50 FIRST DATES, SEABISCUIT, ANGER MANAGEMENT, MATCHSTICK MEN, PETER PAN, HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERERS STONE, CAST AWAY, WHAT LIES BENEATH, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS and the Academy Award-nominated STUART LITTLE.
Denise began her career in visual effects at ILM, where after working on several commercials, she was promoted to digital department coordinator on HOOK. By 1992 she was promoted to visual effects producer and added the award-winning productions Death Becomes Her (1992 Academy Award, Best Visual Effects) and Forrest Gump (1994 Academy Award, Best Visual Effects) to her credits. Denise continued to hone her skills as visual effects producer on the television series Tales From the Crypt, and feature films The American President and Sabrina. In April 1995, she was named Interim Head of Production of ILM, where she remained until joining Imageworks in the fall of 1995. Denise holds a BFA in broadcasting from the University of Cincinnati.
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. (www.imageworks.com) is an Academy Award-winning, state-of-the-art visual effects and character animation company dedicated to the art and artistry of digital production and character creation. Imageworks is a division of Sony Pictures Digital, which oversees the digital production and online entertainment assets of Sony Pictures Ent.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
