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    Powerhouse VFX hires Kevin Blank as West Coast creative head

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1552 Views
    HOLLYWOOD, Calif. --

    Powerhouse VFX has added VFX supervisor Kevin Blank to its creative team. Blank, who recently completed work on Paramount+’s 1923 and Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender, has supervised assorted shows, including Alias and Lost (for which he received Emmy and VES Awards), as well as pilots for such series as Hawaii Five-0, Childhood’s End and Lovecraft Country. In all, he has been nominated for five Emmys and 14 VES Awards.

    Blank now takes on the role of West Coast creative head, expanding Powerhouse VFX beyond its bases of operation in New York, Toronto and Atlanta.

    Ryan Cunningham, SVP, managing director of Powerhouse VFX, said, “Kevin will be a valuable addition to our team as we continue Powerhouse’s evolution into Los Angeles and beyond.” 

    “I’m excited to join the team at Powerhouse,” said Blank. “I’ve been a fan of their work over the years, and I’ve been impressed with their culture and evolution as a company. The opportunity to help build on that foundation and have access to [sister company] Company 3’s creative talent pool helped make joining Powerhouse VFX an easy decision.”

    Blank, a Los Angeles native, started his VFX career on such late 1990s series as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess. By 1998 he had worked his way up to supervising VFX creation for productions from script and concept through final delivery. Blank is a member of the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the Visual Effects Society. 

    Tags:Kevin BlankPowerhouse VFX



    Sean Penn Accuses Academy Awards Of Cowardice At Marrakech Film Festival

    Tuesday, December 3, 2024

    Sean Penn on Tuesday blasted the organizers of the Oscars for being cowards who, in effect, limit the kinds of films that can be funded and made.

    The 64-year-old actor said at the Marrakech Film Festival that he gets excited about the Academy Awards only on the rare occasion that films he values are nominated.

    "The producers of the academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the world of expression and, in fact, have largely been part of limiting the imagination and limiting different cultural expressions," Penn said at the festival, where he received a career achievement award this week.

    "I don't get very excited about what we'll call the Academy Awards," he said, noting exceptions when certain films grace the ceremony, including Sean Baker's " The Florida Project," Walter Salles' "I'm Still Here" and Jacques Audiard's " Emilia Perez. "

    Penn's remarks dovetail longstanding criticisms of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for lacking diversity both within the ranks of its members and in terms of the films that they elect to promote and celebrate with awards.

    The institution has in recent years tried to adopt more proactive steps to reform and rebrand itself, but has faced criticism for not going far enough to make meaningful changes.

    Penn also lauded Iranian-Danish director Ali Abassi and his latest film "The Apprentice" about President Donald Trump. It faced difficulty finding an American distributor in the lead-up to the U.S. election in November.

    "It's kind of jaw dropping how afraid this 'business of mavericks' is when they get a great film like that with great, great acting," he said. "They too can be as afraid as a piddly little Republican... Read More

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