Stargate Studios, a global production company specializing in virtual production and visual effects, has hired sales and marketing specialist Thayer Jester as VP of business development. Her responsibilities will include developing new business opportunities and strategic relationships for Stargate in the North American market. Jester’s 15-year career in the entertainment industry includes executive positions at Ascent Media Group and The Image Resolution where she was responsible for developing and securing new accounts with clients such as Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount, Columbia Tri-Star, Lionsgate Entertainment and NBC Universal. Stargate Studios, currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, has won numerous Emmy and VES awards over the years. Stargate currently has offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Vancouver, Toronto, Berlin, Cologne, Malta, London, Dubai and Mexico City. The company’s global network allows clients to access more than 250 visual effects artists and supervisors all over the world, as well as high-speed data transfer and simultaneous international rendering. Current projects include The Walking Dead in Atlanta; Grey’s Anatomy, House of Lies and Ray Donovan in Los Angeles; and 12 Monkeys and Haven in Toronto. In London, the studio is working on Apocalypse Slough and in Malta the popular Spanish series El Principe is in production. Stargate Mexico recently opened to work on Queen of the South….
Calabash Animation has named Ilene Silberman of Silberman Productions, New York, as its new East Coast sales representative…..
UNIT9 has secured the Abu Dhabi Collective to take on representation in the Middle East across all five of the digital shop’s units–Films, Digital, Games, Technology, ad Virtual Reality. Barry Brand, co-founder of the UAE-based Abu Dhabi Collective, and a creative director with more than 25 years of experience at top global ad agencies, will handle UNIT9. He has been living in the Middle East for the past seven years building M&C Saatchi’s Abu Dhabi office. UNIT9 recently partnered with M&C Saatchi to create a memorable CGI and motion graphics experience for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ annual government summit in Abu Dhabi. The production company’s first project for a client in the Middle East, the largely-projected animations accompanied Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s 30-minute closing speech….
Adrian Torres has joined Vaddio to handle West Coast sales. He brings over 15 years of experience in AV technology for manufacturers including Crestron and Extron. Torres will play an instrumental role in developing strong relationships in the PRO AV and unified communications channels in the West Coast region and will concentrate on Vaddio’s dealer/integrator development, communication and support within his assigned areas (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming)….
