This column focuses on education and advancements in the business. Along the way, it has included some of the special people who have made significant contributions in these areas. This week, I’d like to pay tribute to one of them: Charles S. Schwartz.
The Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California (ETC-USC) announced last week that executive director/CEO Swartz has retired from his position at the University-based research organization. Swartz has stepped down because of health reasons.
“Charles took the reins at ETC-USC at a critical moment for emerging digital technologies,” said Elizabeth M. Daley, dean of the USC School of Cinema-Television. “Under his leadership, the Center has played an important role in helping the industry embrace digital content and distribution and new, digital-centered, business models.”
“Charles brought vision, focus and boundless energy to his work and thanks to him, ETC-USC will continue,” said Bob Lambert, corporate senior VP, worldwide technology strategy, The Walt Disney Company, and current chair of the ETC-USC executive board. “ETC-USC’s board of fourteen sponsoring companies unanimously agreed to confirm the direction of the organization and to move ahead with its slate of projects for 2007 and beyond.”
Swartz took his post at ETC-USC in February 2002. Under his watch, ETC-USC’s Digital Cinema Lab became Hollywood’s de facto digital cinema forum, most notably hosting and supporting the Digital Cinema Initiatives work toward establishing digital cinema specifications.
In addition, Swartz has built ETC-USC into a vital educational center for entertainment professionals, producing such events as the Digital Cinema Summit at NAB, Other Digital Stuff: Expanding the In-Theater Experience, the Digital Screening Series and the Entertainment Technology Summit. He also laid the groundwork for upcoming initiatives related to digital content and the digital home.
SHOOT senior editor, technology and postproduction, Carolyn Giardina can be reached at cgiardina@shootonline.com