By MILLIE TAKAKI
Postproduction industry veteran Godfrey Pye has been named president of Sunset Digital Studios (formerly Sunset Post), Glendale, Calif. Pye will be at the helm of daily operations and will work with CEO Ron Burdett—who founded the company 19 years ago—to refine the vision and formulate the strategy for Sunset’s continuing advancement into the new digital order. The name change to Sunset Digital Post, which became official in Dec. ’98, was designed to reflect the studio’s HDTV capabilities and its expanded visual effects and compositing talents.
Under the Sunset Post banner, the facility was known largely for its endeavors in the TV program arena. But Pye said that a key goal is to broaden that reach more significantly into spots. "That’s not easy to do when you’re east of Santa Monica," Pye quipped. "But we feel that our HDTV resources will help us get into the commercial market."
Pye brings considerable commercial industry experience to his new roost. Originally a film editor, Pye was a founding father of London-based Rushes in ’78, a facility which rose to preeminence in European spots. Upon the sale of Rushes to the London-headquartered Virgin Group in ’87, Pye began a four-year tenure as managing director for Virgin Television, London and Los Angeles, overseeing its interests in various facilities, including Rushes. Pye was involved in the birth of Virgin shop 525 Post Production, Hollywood (now 525 Studios, Santa Monica). He also introduced Virgin Television to the owners of effects house CIS Hollywood and helped in the former’s acquisition of a 30 percent share in the latter. (CIS later bought back that ownership stake.)
Pye left Virgin in ’90 to join CIS as VP. He was promoted to its president in late ’93. Most recently, Pye served as CEO of Company B, a digital effects and new media facility at Babelsberg Studios, Potsdam, Germany.
He returned stateside for the opportunity to link with Sunset as the HDTV chapter begins to unfold in America. Pye noted that Sunset is currently using proprietary technologies to re-master an undisclosed TV series in HD. He contended that Sunset’s prowess in upconverts and/ or telecine services in HD will help the company diversify into spots. He added that Sunset will have HD compositing services up and running soon.
Sunset Digital Studios offers a range of resources and services that encompass HDTV as well as standard definition television, DVD and electronic/digital cinema. The cornerstone of Sunset’s digital solution environment is its New Media Lab, which focuses on the convergence of media, including television and the computer. The Lab has served as both beta test site and artistic petri dish for creative and technological advancements.
Burdett and Pye agreed that it’s no longer enough to be just a postproduction facility. "The old adage was ‘Fix it in post.’ Today, it’s ‘Create it in post,’" observed Pye.
Burdett said he hired Pye for his "creative expertise and entrepreneurial savvy. He has tremendous proven skills in new business development relative to new and emerging technologies. Mine are in engineering and technology itself, and in inventing the application of the new technology to fit our client’s needs. We’ll each do what we’re best at, then overlap when it comes to taking Sunset to the next level."
Jury Presidents Named For The One Show 2025
The One Club for Creativity has announced the global creatives from around the world who will serve as jury presidents for The One Show 2025.
These creatives will lead judging for each discipline, and have a vote on the work.
Confirmed One Show 2025 Jury presidents, by discipline, are as follows:
--Brand-Side/In-House: David Lee, CCO, Squarespace, New York
--Branded Entertainment: Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil Worldwide, London
--Creative Use of Data, Creative Use of Technology: Nancy Crimi-Lamanna, CCO, FCB Canada, Toronto
--Cultural Driver: Bianca Guimaraes, partner, ECD, Mischief, New York
--Design: Liza Enebeis, creative director, partner, Studio Dumbar/DEPT®, Rotterdam
--Direct Marketing: Vicki Maguire, CCO, Havas London
--Film & Video: Javier Campopiano, global CCO, McCann Worldgroup & McCann Global, Madrid
--Gaming: Taj Reid, global chief experience officer, US CCO, Edelman, New York
--Integrated, Experiential & Immersive: Chris Beresford-Hill, worldwide CCO, BBDO New York
--Fusion Pencil: Walter T. Geer III, CCO, Innovation North America, VML, New York
--Green Pencil: Barbara Humphries, ECD, The Monkeys, Sydney
--Health & Wellness, Pharma: Wendy Lund, chief client officer, WPP, New York
--IP & Product Design: Ronald Ng, global CCO, MRM, New York
--Moving Image Craft & Production: Irene Kugelmann, chief creative officer, DDB Group of Companies Germany, Berlin
--Music & Sound Craft: Joel Simon, CCO, JSM Music, New York
--Out of Home, Print & Promotional: Kainaz Karmakar, CCO, Ogilvy India, Mumbai
--Public Relations: Patricia Ávila, regional director for Latin America, Ágora, São Paulo
--Radio... Read More