A seventh chapter of the national Association of Independent Creative Editors (AICE) has been formed. The new Atlanta chapter joins those already established in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Minneapolis.
Tim Vece, creative editor, Brick House Editorial, Atlanta, was elected president of AICE/ Atlanta at the foundation meeting last month. Also elected as VP and treasurer, respectively, were editor Michael Tew of Atlanta-based Aux TV (a branch of National Video Center, New York), and Steve Cox, president/senior editor, Outback Editorial, Atlanta.
Other founding AICE/Atlanta companies include Matassa Editorial, Atlanta, Guillotine Post, Atlanta, Todd-AO/Editworks, Atlanta, and the Atlanta facility of bicoastal Click 3X.
Additional board members will be chosen at the next meeting.
The formation of the chapter was spearheaded by Michael Matassa, CEO of Matassa Editorial, who met with national AICE president, Jeanne Bonansinga, editor/owner of Edit Sweet, Chicago, at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention, (NAB) held in Las Vegas this past April.
According to Vece, AICE/ Atlanta will aim to achieve greater visibility for the entire Southeast postproduction community. "We are hoping that the formation of AICE/Atlanta will bring a little more solidarity to the postproduction community, not only in Atlanta but in the whole Southeast area. Instead of operating so separately, we will come together and discuss issues that affect us on a local and national level and basically make sure the rest of the country knows that we are here," he said.
To attain a higher profile for the Southeast community, Vece said that companies will make more of an effort to submit completed work to advertising trade publications such as SHOOT. He added that key people from chapter member shops will also attend national AICE meetings and travel to meet with members from other chapters, starting with Minneapolis which was organized earlier this summer (SHOOT, 7/6/00). While AICE/Atlanta will establish its "own voice and personality," said Vece, forming relationships with the national organization and other chapters is important in terms of seeking advice and addressing industry-wide issues.
Vece and the other board members were elected to serve until the end of the year. Whether there will be another election in December or the just-elected board will continue for the traditional two year-term is yet to be determined.
While Atlanta companies had been a little slow on the AICE uptake-the formation of the chapter was delayed when only four companies turned up to the initial meeting-Vece is confident that AICE/Atlanta will grow.
"Right now we have six houses and we plan to increase that," he related. "Now that we are official, I think we’re going to have an easier time in getting the rest of the post houses on board. I hope that by the end of the year, it has grown to include everyone in Atlanta-and maybe the Southeast region-who is involved in putting together sound and pictures," said Vece.
The chapter plans to meet on a monthly basis.
