Digital Domain is expanding its business with plans to open a new visual effects outpost in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company also has named veteran production executive Gloria Borders to the position of president, feature film operations, overseeing visual effects production across its Venice, California, and Vancouver studios.
Digital Domain’s expansion is funded by a new infusion of capital from its parent company, Wyndcrest Holdings.
Cliff Plumer, CEO of Digital Domain, said, “The current economic climate has created a new set of challenges for all companies in the entertainment industry. By expanding our talent and resources across multiple locations we are able to offer solutions to production challenges–whether they’re economic, creative, or technical.”
Digital Domain’s main studio in Venice will continue to be the base of the company’s feature film visual effects and advertising production operations. Meanwhile the 20,000 square-foot visual effects studio in Vancouver is being built out with the company in the process of recruiting and hiring 50 to 60 digital artists, primarily from Canada, for an opening in early 2010, The intent is to expand the Vancouver shop’s employee base to 100-plus by the end of that year. The new Vancouver studio will mirror technology and processes at Digital Domain’s Venice headquarters, enabling the company to seamlessly extend feature film visual effects work across identical production pipelines.
By basing its visual effects outpost in Vancouver, Digital Domain is able to take advantage of local production and R&D incentives, and also benefit from the region’s artist talent pool, educational programs, and well-established production industry. The first project Digital Domain will bring to its new studio will be to take on additional visual effects work for Disney’s Tron: Legacy, which is already in production at Digital Domain’s California studio.
As for Borders, she has been working with Digital Domain in a consulting capacity architecting and planning the studio’s global expansion since early ’09. She joined the company from DreamWorks Animation, where she was head of studio, overseeing the productions of Shrek The Third, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa and other productions. Prior to DreamWorks she was head of postproduction at Revolution Studios, where she managed all post and visual effects work. Previously, she was VP of Lucas Digital and general manager of Skywalker Sound, where she oversaw soundtracks for Saving Private Ryan, Titanic, Toy Story and Toy Story 2, Fight Club, A Bug’s Life, and others. She received an Academy Award for sound effects editing for Terminator 2: Judgment Day and was nominated for her work on Forrest Gump.
With the expansion, Digital Domain executive Mark Miller will now focus more of his time on development of original content as executive producer. Commercials division president/executive producer Ed Ulbrich continues to oversee the company’s advertising and marketing operations and develop new cross-media projects with filmmakers.
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