Radium, the San Francisco-headquartered digital effects studio headed by principal/creative director Jonathan Keeton, has expanded its Los Angeles operation with the addition of six staffers. Most of the new hires-including creative director Loni Peristere, effects supervisor Chris Jones, executive producer/Los Angeles Steve Schofield and CG artist Robert Hubbard-come over from R!OT, Santa Monica, a full-service studio formed earlier this year when several Santa Monica-based post, animation and effects houses (including Riot, Digital Magic, POP Film and POP Animation) were merged under their parent company, publicly held Burbank-headquartered Four Media Company (4MC) (SHOOT, 3/24/00).
Commercial producer Carla Attanasio and visual effects producer Rick Baumgartner have also joined Radium, Los Angeles. Attanasio was previously freelance producing for Radium, while Baumgartner, a longtime friend of Peristere, had been working in the video game and new media production arenas.
The Radium hirings triple the size of the company’s Southern California operation. "It makes our Los Angeles office almost as powerful as San Francisco," related Keeton. "We’re very careful about making sure that there’s one Radium as opposed to two, but everyone knows that most of the production [on the West Coast] happens in L.A., so it’s important to have a strong presence there."
Peristere, Jones and Schofield, who were instrumental in bringing Attanasio, Baumgartner and Hubbard into the Radium fold, explained that they found the company’s boutique size appealing. "[At R!OT], they’re building a larger entity," said Jones. "Steve, Loni and I felt we would lose the family environment and close relationships with our clients that are so important to us."
"The feeling of family is key to everything that we do," added Peristere. "And the size and top-rate talent [at Radium] complement our style of working."
Since coming aboard Radium, Peristere, Jones, Schofield and Attanasio have teamed on a music video for the band Orgy, which was directed by Nic Mathieu of Los Angeles-based No Prisoners. The clip incorporates both digital and practical effects; JexFX, San Rafael, Calif., produced the latter. In June, JexFX and Radium announced a deal whereby the two companies would collaborate on feature, commercial and other projects involving both digital and practical effects (SHOOT, 6/2/00).
Peristere, Jones and Schofield have been colleagues within the 4MC family of houses for the past three years. Among the trio’s collaborations are a six-spot Intel Pentium III processor campaign, directed by Jeffery Plansker of bicoastal Anonymous for Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG, New York; and a pair of Chevrolet Monte Carlo "Twister" commercials, helmed by Nick Piper of Santa Monica-based Plum Productions for Campbell-Ewald, Warren, Mich.
Peristere, Jones and Schofield were also instrumental in the formation of POPfx, a boutique effects studio which, according to Schofield, was absorbed by R!OT before it really got off the ground.
Prior to the formation of R!OT, Peristere served as digital effects producer/supervising producer at Digital Magic. While there, he oversaw effects for the WB series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. He continues to produce effects for those TV series through Radium.
Peristere graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, in the mid-1990s, and in ’96 he joined Digital Magic. His additional credits include producing effects for series such as The Drew Carey Show, Maximum Bob and the new Fantasy Island, as well as the telefilm Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella and the feature film Volcano.
Just prior to exiting R!OT, where he served as visual effects compositor/supervising producer, Jones completed visual effects work on a Volkswagen spot, "Dream," via Arnold Communications, Boston. Kinka Usher of House of Usher, Santa Monica, helmed the :60.
Jones began his career as an editor, cutting TV promos via Beck-Ola Productions, Los Angeles. In ’94, he joined The Post Group, Hollywood, as a digital compositor, and stayed for three years before moving over to Digital Magic in ’97. His additional credits include digital work on ads for Mitsubishi, Chrysler and Jack in the Box.
A 14-year veteran of the advertising business, Schofield has worked as a designer, director and producer. He began his career producing table-top spots out of now defunct Cafe Film, and later took the executive producer reins at Hollywood-based Encore Video before moving over to Digital Magic three years ago. Schofield also directed and co-designed television/film producer David E. Kelley’s "You Stinker" logo.
