The Surrey Institute Of Art & Design has awarded an honorary fellowship toClare Kitson, Channel 4's animation commissioner, for her contribution toBritish Animation. Films commissioned by Kitson at Channel 4 include AlisonSnowden and David Fine's BOB'S BIRTHDAY and ACHILLES by Barry Purves.
North East Calgary, Canada-based Chromacolour International Limited, aninternational leader in the manufacture and sale of traditional and digitalanimation materials, software, and equipment, has appointed John Munro tothe position of Vice-President of Marketing and Sales. "Since joiningChromacolour, John has made great strides towards developing andimplementing a strong marketing and sales strategy for the Company's coreanimation business. John has introduced a number of programs and systems
Toronto-based NELVANA has hired Cathy Laughton as managing director of itsLondon-based operations. Laughton will be responsible for the overallmanagement of the UK office. Her responsibilities include the acquisitionof new properties for production/licensing development, sales to the UK,Germany, Scandinavia, and Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxemborg),and securing co-production opportunities. Laughton joins Nelvana from theJim Henson Company where she served as director of international televisiondistribution.
Marvel Enterprises has hired Peter Cuneo as president and CEO. Cuneo wasCEO of Remington Products, president of the security hardware group ofBlack and Decker, and president of Clairol's personal care division. FormerCEO Eric Ellenborgen resigned to head a media investment concern.
Walt Disney International Europe and Buena Vista Internet Group (BVIG) havepromoted Andrew Barron to executive vice president of new media andbusiness development for Walt Disney International Europe; and Chafic Najiato senior vice president and managing director of Buena Vista InternetGroup Europe. Barron joined WDTV-I in 1995 as director of businessdevelopment. Since then he has been responsible for identifying andnegotiating several Disney Channel agreements, as well as equity
Karl Cohen interviews Rob Coleman, the animation director behind all those amazing digital characters in Star Wars: Episode I "The Phantom Menace."
A survey of computer animation artists, Claire Armstrong, Tim Harrington, and Victoria Livingstone, answering the question, "What ten films would you want to have with you if stranded on a desert island?
Brad Bird's The Iron Giant is turning out to
be the surprise success of the summer, both artistically and with
audiences. Bob Miller interviews Brad and finds out how he has put
Warner Feature Animation back on the map.
Sydney, Australia-based SOUTHERN STAR SALES has appointed TELERI ROBERTS asthe first General Manager of its business unit Southern Star Kids, andKATHERINE KAUFMAN to the position of Sales Executive for Latin America.Roberts has most recently been working as Sales Head of Cascade, theinternational sales division of Scottish Television Enterprises based inGlasgow, and prior to that worked in several sales positions at Channel 4Wales. As General Manager of Southern Star Kids, she will be based in the
Los Angeles-based CLASS-KEY CHEW-PO COMMERCIALS has signed VOLTAIRE as itsnewest director. Voltaire's style includes a combination of stop-motionanimation and live-action. He has done spots for British Nights, CrunchFitness, Cartoon Network, MTV, and The Sci-Fi Channel.
Read what Voltaire has to say about his unique techniques in "How'd They DoThat? - Stop-Motion Secrets Revealed" in the February 1998 issue ofAnimation World Magazine.
Director John Adams has signed to be represented by Santa Monica,California-based AREA 51 Films. Prior to launching his commercial directingcareer last year, Adams was director of broadcast production at DDBNeedham, Dallas.
The Attik/San Francisco has also named Ian Renton Studio Manager. Rentonwill oversee the day to day operation of the studio. He is also responsiblefor insuring that all equipment works correctly, handling briefings withclients, and shepherding design projects from inception to completion. Hecomes from The Attik's Huddersfield, UK office where he was Digital ArtworkManager/Studio Manager.
Vienna, Virginia-based ITS (The Association of Imaging Technology andSound) has named Katy O'Grady Marketing and Communications Manager. O'Gradywill be responsible for producing the ITS monthly newsletter, managing thewebsite/e-mail list, membership and conference marketing, coordinatingpress trade agreements and advertising, and compiling the ITS annualreport. She comes from The American Association for Marriage and FamilyTherapy in Washington, D.C. where she was Marketing Specialist.
The Attik/San Francisco has named Joe Gallegos Director of StrategicPlanning. He comes to The Attik from Saatchi & Saatchi where in Miami,Florida he was Regional Account Supervisor for the Latin American marketfor both Eastman Kodak Company's Professional Division and Nortel Networks;and in Rochester, New York where he was Senior Account Executive.
Vancouver-based Mercury Filmworks has promoted Michael O'Brien to theposition of Production Manager for Mercury's Digital Animation Group.O'Brien has been with the company as co-ordinator since July of 1998,shortly after Mercury Filmworks opened its doors. Prior to joining Mercury,O'Brien worked at Marv Newland's animation studio Rocketship International.
ImagineAsia has hired John Rocco as Director of Animation and Eric Alba asHead of Production. Rocco will oversee direction of all studio animation,including the upcoming 3D animated series THE QUEST: TALES FROM THERAMAYANA. His most recent work includes art direction for DreamWork'sSHREK, Creative Director for the virtual theme park ride DisneyQuest forWalt Disney Imagineering, and Creative Director at Digital Domain. Albawill supervise and coordinate studio production for feature films,
Los Angeles-based DNA Studio has named David Badagliacca as its Head ofSales, Marketing & New Business Development, and Jane Greenstein, as afull-time producer. Previously, Badagliacca supervised the launch ofMaverick Records' Clio Award-winning Web site while at the label. He alsooversaw efforts for other popular, unconventional sites, including a newsite for recording artist Alanis Morissette and a music video madeexclusively for the Web. Jane Greenstein will produce original content for
Animation filmmaker, teacher, and author John Canemaker has been awarded aRockefeller Foundation residency grant in Bellagio, Italy. From July 27through August 25, he will stay at the 16th century Villa Serbelloni onLake Como, where he will work on a storyboard for a personal animated film.From August 31 through September 5, he will be a guest of FANTOCHE, theSwiss Animation Festival in Baden, where he will present twolecture/screenings on Animated Surrealism and Jazztoons: Jazz and Animation.
Cartoon Network has promoted Gary Albright to senior vice president oftrade creative services. Albright will oversee the graphic design of salesmaterials, licensed promotions, network print collateral, and eventenvironments. He will also supervise the development of both theinternational and domestic style guides for Cartoon Network properties usedby both individual licensees and Warner Bros. Consumer Products. Albrighthas been art director at Hanna-Barbera's Orbit City Art Company, design
Disney Consumer Products has named Stephen De Kanter, a 10-year veteran ofDisney Consumer Products, president of Global Licensing, a new organizationthat will oversee Disney's worldwide merchandise-licensing operations. DeKanter has led Disney Consumer Products Latin America since 1989. In hisnew role, de Kanter will be responsible for planning, strategy, andlicensee management for all Disney licensing activities. Walt DisneyInternational has responsibility for the performance of The Walt Disney Co.
Sirius Thinking, Ltd. has hired Sharon Lerner as senior vice-president ofcreative development and animation producer for the new series BETWEEN THELINES, a series for children that is scheduled to premiere on PBS in April2000. Lerner was one of the first ten people hired by Children's TelevisionWorkshop to create SESAME STREET, and was, until recently, thevice-president and publisher of the Random House Children's Media Division.
Full Sail, an animation school in Florida, has hired Rita Street as ChiefEditor of Full Sail's Platinum Creative Department. She will be in chargeof advertising copywriting, editing Full Sail's magazine, GET IN!, abi-annual which is about Full Sail and getting a job in the animationindustry in general, plus writing copy for Full Sail's web-site which willre-launch with a new look in September. Street was formerly Editor in Chiefof FILM AND VIDEO in Los Angeles.
Fox Family Channel has named Nancy Redford Vice President of Programming and Development. Redford will oversee day-to-day management and adminstration of live-action and animated daytime programming and development for Fox Family. She will also serve as production executive on several children's series coming up this fall, including JELLABIES and WEIRD OHS. Redford had been Associate Vice President of Programming and Development for Fox.
PDI (Pacific Data Images) has hired Jennifer Thomas as Executive Producer of PDI's Commercial Division. Most recently, Thomas completed an entirely PDI produced international live-action/CG package for Pepsi. Prior to joining PDI, she produced KFC's "The Little Colonel" campaign. She was also part of the visual effects team on WHAT DREAMS MAY COME. Thomas began her career nearly fifteen years ago in traditional cel animation with Ray Seti at New York-based Sunflower Films.
Vancouver, British Columbia-based a.k.a Cartoon, Inc., Danny Antonucci's studio, has hired. Falconer as storyboard supervisor/storyboard director, and Marlene Robinson-May as storyboard director and animation timing director. Falconer previously worked at Vancouver-based Mainframe Entertainment on REBOOT, BEAST WARS, and WAR PLANETS. Childhood chums Falconer and Antonucci worked together at Vancouver-based International Rocketship in the '80s on Antonucci's LUPO THE BUTCHER.
