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    Dalzell, Maniatis, Loeffler join VFX boutique KEVIN

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments2210 Views
    VENICE, Calif. --

    Visual effects studio KEVIN, launched in September by Tim Davies, Sue Troyan and Darcy Parsons, has expanded its talent base, hiring Mike Dalzell as head of CG, Theo Maniatis as VFX supervisor and Carl Loeffler as head of technology.

    Dalzell brings years of experience as a CG supervisor and lead artist—beginning as a 3D generalist, then focusing on look development and lighting—at studios ranging from Digital Domain, MPC and Psyop, to The Mill, Sony Imageworks and Method. He was instrumental in look dev for the Emmy Award-winning Coca-Cola “Heist;” VFX Gold Clio and British Arrow winner “Seize Glory” for Call of Duty, and GE’s “Childlike Imagination,” honored with a D&AD Pencil in VFX. He has also worked on commercials for Nissan, BMW, Lexus, Visa, Cars.com, Air Force and many others. He honed his skills on music videos in Toronto, and then on feature films such as Iron Man 3 and The Matrix movies—all Academy Award and BAFTA nominated for VFX, as well as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which won an Oscar and BAFTA for VFX. Dalzell has already led KEVIN teams for Mullen, W+K, The Martin Agency and Target. 

    KEVIN VFX supervisor Maniatis, both a Flame Artist and on-set VFX supervisor, has a wide range of experience in the U.S., London and his native Sydney. “Tim [Davies] and I used to work together back in Australia, so reconnecting with him and moving to L.A. has been a blast,” Maniatis said.  “Personally knowing Tim’s generosity, professionalism and cheeky sense of humor and Sue’s [Troyan] leadership abilities, I knew immediately that KEVIN was a great place to work.”

    Maniatis’ work has been recognized with a breadth of awards including Cannes Gold and Silver Lions, Clio and Promax honors, and an Emmy for Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Factory.”  His craftsmanship emerges in atmospheric spots for Apple Watch 3 + Apple Music’s “Roll” (directed by Sam Brown), TAG Heuer’s “To Jack” (directed by and featuring Patrick Dempsey), Destiny 2’s “Rally the Troops” and Titanfall 2’s “Become One” (created by Blur Studios), and PlayStation VR “Batman Arkham” and Axe “Office Love,” both directed by Filip Engstrom. Prior to joining KEVIN, Maniatis worked with Blur Studios, Psyop, The Mill, Art Jail and Framestore.

    Loeffler, KEVIN’s head of technology, is creating the studio’s flexible and efficient production model using the latest Flame systems, high-end 3D workstations and render nodes and putting new networking and storage systems into place. KEVIN’s new Culver City studio will open its doors in Q1, 2018. Loeffler will guide the current growth in both hardware and software, plan for the future and make sure KEVIN’s studio is optimized for the needs of production. He draws from over two decades experience successfully building out and expanding the technologies for some of the largest facilities in Los Angeles including MPC and Technicolor.

    KEVIN currently is in a fully operational temp studio in Venice, Calif., and already doing business, turning out commercials for Jaguar, Land Rover, Target and Old Spice, and working on a series of spots for the Super Bowl.




    A Closer Look At Proposed Measures Designed To Curb Google’s Search Monopoly

    Thursday, November 21, 2024

    U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled Google maintained an illegal monopoly for the last decade.

    The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Department of Justice could radically alter Google's business, including possibly spinning off the Chrome web browser and syndicating its search data to competitors. Even if the courts adopt the blueprint, Google isn't likely to make any significant changes until 2026 at the earliest, because of the legal system's slow-moving wheels.

    Here's what it all means:

    What is the Justice Department's goal?
    Federal prosecutors are cracking down on Google in a case originally filed during near the end of then-President Donald Trump's first term. Officials say the main goal of these proposals is to get Google to stop leveraging its dominant search engine to illegally squelch competition and stifle innovation.

    "The playing field is not level because of Google's conduct, and Google's quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired," the Justice Department asserted in its recommendations. "The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages."

    Not surprisingly, Google sees things much differently. The Justice Department's "wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court's decision," Kent Walker, Google's chief legal officer, asserted in a blog post. "It would break a range of Google products — even beyond search — that people love and find helpful in their everyday lives."

    It's still possible that the Justice Department could ease off on its attempts to break up Google, especially if President-elect Donald Trump... Read More

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