Luma Pictures has brought aboard creative director/VFX supervisor Simon Mowbray, formerly of Zoic Studios. The move fortifies Luma in the ad arena in that Mowbray has to his credit spots for assorted brands such as BMW, Target, Nike, Microsoft and Volkswagen as well as music videos for Kanye West, DMX, Missy Elliot and Rihanna, among other artists. Additionally, Luma may look to leverage Mowbray’s VFX and filmmaking acumen into its theatrical feature work.
Prior to Zoic, Mowbray served as creative director at Pixomondo. He has 25 years-plus experience in visual effects. Mowbray began his effects career in 1987, working at a number of top VFX shops in Sydney amid the emerging years of CG and compositing. In 1991, he moved to Montreal where he worked as a product specialist for Softimage. From there, he helped found Discreet Logic in 1992, where he served as a creative director. Two years later, he began as an effects artist at Western Images/Good Pictures, remaining there until opening Radium in 1996 with Jonathan Keeton. The duo sold the boutique design and visual effects company to Reel FX in 2007.
While at Radium, Mowbray contributed as creative director to hundreds of film, music video and commercial projects including several MTV Award-nominated music videos. He moved over to Ntropic where he worked as creative director/VFX supervisor before heading to Pixomondo in 2011
Mowbray’s notable credits include Audi’s “Return to Snake River,” a long-form ad produced by Bandito Brothers for Mediacom USA. The spot featured Audi revisiting Evel Knievel’s failed jump of Snake River Canyon. In a tight 10-day turnaround, Mowbray’s team recreated the practical stunt jump in CG to make it larger and more believable in addition to enlarging the actual base camp with CG tents and vans. A variety of shots were created featuring a completely CG Audi RS5, which traversed across virtual tarmacs and background matte-paintings.
Mowbray was also behind the VFX in Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World,” one of 2011’s most popular music videos. On a near impossible turnaround of under 48 hours for post, the team rotoscoped Rihanna from every shot to achieve a signature pink style. A field of CG poppies was also conjured, as well as ample design-on-the-fly matte painting work, compositing and tracking of firework elements.
Mowbray has won numerous awards, including a PromaxDBA Award in Digital Effects for his work on the spot “GMC Yukon – Dot Matrix” as well as several International Monitor Awards. Many of his music videos have also been nominated for MTV Music Awards.
Utah Leaders and Locals Rally To Keep Sundance Film Festival In The State
With the 2025 Sundance Film Festival underway, Utah leaders, locals and longtime attendees are making a final push — one that could include paying millions of dollars — to keep the world-renowned film festival as its directors consider uprooting.
Thousands of festivalgoers affixed bright yellow stickers to their winter coats that read "Keep Sundance in Utah" in a last-ditch effort to convince festival leadership and state officials to keep it in Park City, its home of 41 years.
Gov. Spencer Cox said previously that Utah would not throw as much money at the festival as other states hoping to lure it away. Now his office is urging the Legislature to carve out $3 million for Sundance in the state budget, weeks before the independent film festival is expected to pick a home for the next decade.
It could retain a small presence in picturesque Park City and center itself in nearby Salt Lake City, or move to another finalist — Cincinnati, Ohio, or Boulder, Colorado — beginning in 2027.
"Sundance is Utah, and Utah is Sundance. You can't really separate those two," Cox said. "This is your home, and we desperately hope it will be your home forever."
Last year's festival generated about $132 million for the state of Utah, according to Sundance's 2024 economic impact report.
Festival Director Eugene Hernandez told reporters last week that they had not made a final decision. An announcement is expected this year by early spring.
Colorado is trying to further sweeten its offer. The state is considering legislation giving up to $34 million in tax incentives to film festivals like Sundance through 2036 — on top of the $1.5 million in funds already approved to lure the Utah festival to its neighboring... Read More