Tim Belcher has been named managing director of Light Iron, the postproduction creative-services division of Panavision. Belcher’s appointment coincides with former managing director Seth Hallen departing to pursue new opportunities around his passion for workflow innovations and AI.
Belcher arrives at Light Iron from ITV America, where he served as head of finishing operations and technology. Previously, he was sr. VP of West Coast picture operations at Picture Shop, and prior to that, he spent more than 19 years with Technicolor, including seven years as sr. VP of West Coast picture operations, overseeing all episodic and theatrical work. Before joining Technicolor, he held various roles at Rainmaker Digital, Digital Domain and Disney’s The Secret Lab. A graduate of California State University, Northridge, Belcher began his career at The Post Group.
Panavision president and CEO Kim Snyder said. “Light Iron’s services are a cornerstone of Panavision’s commitment to supporting filmmakers throughout production and post, and Tim brings extensive experience and knowledge that will further bolster the company’s expertise. He joins Light Iron at an exciting time, as the company continues to advance its proprietary software development, which is pioneering new workflow developments to unlock even more creative opportunities for clients.”
“I’m honored and thrilled to lead the team here at Light Iron,” said Belcher. “This company is synonymous with innovation and collaboration. It’s always been Light Iron’s mission to push the bounds of what’s possible in post and provide filmmakers with tailored, streamlined workflows that fully empower their creative vision. As the company has grown, the team has remained nimble and maintains its innovative spirit. As a result, Light Iron is home to top industry talent, including our outstanding artists, software developers and entire operations team. I’m excited to work with everyone here at Light Iron and with the Panavision team to embrace the opportunities ahead of us.”
Belcher is based out of Light Iron’s Los Angeles headquarters, where the company’s leadership team includes Andy Kaplan, sr. VP of operations; Liam Ford, sr. VP of engineering and technical operations; Megan Marquis, VP of business development operations; and Peter Lin, director of finance. Light Iron also operates facilities in New York, Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Toronto and Vancouver and can quickly deploy dailies operations in any Panavision facility worldwide. Additionally, Light Iron’s comprehensive remote capabilities enable seamless collaboration with clients around the globe.
Light Iron’s roster of artists includes supervising colorists Ian Vertovec and Corinne Bogdanowicz, sr. colorists Charles Bunnag, Élodie Ichter, Katie Jordan and Ethan Schwartz, and colorists Pat Fitzgerald and Keith Jenson. The company’s full suite of creative services also includes VFX, dailies, offline editorial rentals, mastering and archive.
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More