Visual effects house CafeFX and its parent ComputerCafe have officially closed, ending a 17-year run. The shuttering of the Santa Maria-headquartered company comes after CafeFX/Computer Cafe honored its financial obligations to industry creditors and has seen nearly all of its staffers find other employment, according to executive producer/co-founder Jeff Barnes.
In a joint statement released today (12/23), Barnes and co-founder David Ebner explained that “the current economic climate and global marketplace have made it unrealistic for us to continue to deliver the highest quality visual effects work, which has been our hallmark, at a competitive price and a sustaining profit.”
They affirmed that the business closes with its collective “heads held high,” citing a body of work spanning some 80 feature films and hundreds of commercials, music videos, game trailers, ride projects and broadcast opens. In 2008, CafeFX’s ensemble of artists won an Emmy Award for their effects work on the acclaimed HBO miniseries John Adams directed by Tom Hooper (who recently joined Smuggler for U.S. spot representation, and is currently a Golden Globe best director nominee for the feature film The King’s Speech). CafeFX’s other notable credits over the years include effects work on such features as Pan’s Labyrinth, The Departed, Sin City, The Aviator, Iron Man and Spider-Man 3. CafeFX/ComputerCafe also turned out effects work on spots for Burger King, Doritos and Microsoft, among assorted other clients.
Barnes and Ebner additionally expressed thanks in their joint statement to their many clients as well as “our competitors, who always kept us on our toes by pushing the envelope…our families and advisors who have stood by us and have given their patience and understanding on how to stay sane and viable through these turbulent times in our industry.”
Both Barnes and Ebner offered a special thanks to “our staff and all the incredibly talented people that have come through our doors. You are CafeFX. Your hard work, dedication and passion are what made us such a great studio. Because of you we were able to accomplish the impossible over and over again. Words cannot truly express how much we appreciate all that you have done to keep us successful for so many years. We will especially never forget our core staff, who helped to make CafeFX a unique and magical place, and who have now become life-long friends and colleagues.”
Disney Pledges $15 million In L.A. Fire Aid As More Celebs Learn They’ve Lost Their Homes
The Pacific Palisades wildfires torched the home of "This Is Us" star Milo Ventimiglia, perhaps most poignantly destroying the father-to-be's newly installed crib.
CBS cameras caught the actor walking through his charred house for the first time, standing in what was once his kitchen and looking at a neighborhood in ruin. "Your heart just breaks."
He and his pregnant wife, Jarah Mariano, evacuated Tuesday with their dog and they watched on security cameras as the flames ripped through the house, destroying everything, including a new crib.
"There's a kind of shock moment where you're going, 'Oh, this is real. This is happening.' What good is it to continue watching?' And then at a certain point we just turned it off, like 'What good is it to continue watching?'"
Firefighters sought to make gains Friday during a respite in the heavy winds that fanned the flames as numerous groups pledged aid to help victims and rebuild, including a $15 million donation pledge from the Walt Disney Co.
More stars learn their homes are gone
While seeing the remains of his home, Ventimiglia was struck by a connection to his "This Is Us" character, Jack Pearson, who died after inhaling smoke in a house fire. "It's not lost on me life imitating art."
Mandy Moore, who played Ventimiglia's wife on "This Is Us," nearly lost her home in the Eaton fire, which scorched large areas of the Altadena neighborhood. She said Thursday that part of her house is standing but is unlivable, and her husband lost his music studio and all his instruments.
Mel Gibson's home is "completely gone," his publicist Alan Nierob confirmed Friday. The Oscar winner revealed the loss of his home earlier Friday while appearing on Joe Rogan's... Read More