Feature and commercial director Michael Bay is set to helm a new project–Digital Domain.
The Venice-based digital studio and production company that creates special visual effects and other visual imagery for feature films, commercials and music videos has been acquired by South Florida-based Wyndcrest Holdings, LLC, a group led by Bay and investor John Textor.
James Cameron, Stan Winston, Scott Ross, Cox Enterprises, and IBM previously owned the company, which includes a feature unit, commercial unit, and D2 Software subsidiary. The purchase price of the deal was not disclosed.
Founded in ’93, Digital Domain maintains a commercials division that has been awarded 34 Clio Awards, eight Cannes Lion Awards and numerous other advertising honors. The studio has won Academy Awards for Visual Effects (Titanic, What Dreams May Come); and AMPAS Awards for Scientific and Technical Achievement for proprietary imaging software. (Digital Domain’s D2 Software subsidiary was established to productize the software tools developed by Digital Domain, such as the award-winning Nuke compositing package.)
Bay and Textor will now co-chair Digital Domain’s board of directors, which is expected to add new members. Carl Stork, a long-time senior Microsoft executive and principal of Wyndcrest Holdings, has been elected CEO and a member of Digital Domain’s board of directors. Stork succeeds Scott Ross who is stepping down as CEO while remaining a consultant to the company. C. Bradley Call will continue as president and COO.
Ed Ulbrich, senior VP of production/executive producer at Digital Domain’s commercial unit, saluted the outgoing Ross, the only original partner who was still active in the business. “I will forever been indebted to Scott Ross,” he said. “I have learned a lot from him and he has been a great teacher for a very long time.”
TRANSFORMER
In addition to his new role, Bay continues to maintain his Santa Monica-based commercial production company The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness. His commercial credits include ads for Nike, Budweiser, Levi’s, Coca-Cola, Isuzu and Mercedes. Perhaps his most honored spots are from the California Milk “Got Milk?” campaign, including “Aaron Burr,” a spot that helped the helmer earn the ’95 Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement for Commercials.
Bay’s feature credits include Bad Boys, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II, and The Island. The latter was produced through his feature production company Platinum Dunes.
Bay was readying to begin production on his next feature, Transformers, at press time. He said in a released statement: “Having worked with Digital Domain in the past, I am well aware of the talent and creativity of the team here, and understand first-hand why the company has a well-earned reputation for creative and high-quality work. Rapidly evolving digital visual effects technology is going to allow motion picture directors to tell even more compelling and visually stunning stories in the future, and we believe that Digital Domain is uniquely positioned to take advantage of these new technologies, as well as new distribution channels and platforms.”
“It’s a great day for Digital Domain,” said Ulbrich, who emphasized that customers would not see any change as a result of the deal.
He went on to explain that the new management team aims to infuse the company with capital to allow it to produce its own content, including animated features. “They can raise the capital and succeed in that mission,” he commented. Ulbrich added that the company expects to take more technology to market via D2.
“At a time when every top grossing motion picture is relying on digital visual effects to help tell compelling and entertaining stories, we believe this translates into a bright future for companies in this field, and we believe Digital Domain represented a unique opportunity to invest,” said Stork. “The creative and talented team at Digital Domain has a great reputation in both the feature film business and in the commercial advertising community for high-quality, award-winning work. Adding the expertise, business acumen and diverse relationships of the Wyndcrest principals will allow Digital Domain to capitalize on the rapidly expanding opportunities in the entertainment business.”
