The Visual Effects Society (VES) has selected the State of Texas for its newest regional Section. The VES Board of Directors formally authorized the Section’s creation at its January 2024 Board meeting. The VES Texas Section joins the dynamic worldwide community, which has Sections in Australia, San Francisco’s Bay Area, France, Georgia (U.S.), Germany, India, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, New Zealand, Oregon, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington state. Now in its 27th year, the Society is thriving with almost 5,000 members in more than 45 countries worldwide.
“We are thrilled to welcome our newest Visual Effects Society Section in the State of Texas,” said Nancy Ward, VES executive director. “The Society’s presence gets stronger every year–due in large part to our local leadership who gather and connect our members around the world. Our determination to reach all corners of the globe and to all of the disciplines across the VFX spectrum has yielded us a very rich, talented membership, and that commitment to diversity and inclusion will continue to be a driving force of the organization.”
“VES members in Texas are excited to be recognized as an official Section of the Visual Effects Society,” said Colin Campbell, veteran VES Board member who was instrumental in forming the new Section. “Texas has a long history of filmmaking distinction dating back almost 100 years with Wings, filmed in the heart of Texas and honored as the first film to win the Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Effects. Continuing with this legacy of excellence, our members are comprised of professionals with experience working with some of the biggest names in the industry, including ILM, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Digital Domain and Blizzard/Activision, among others. They represent a diverse cross-section of moving image artistry: feature film and television visual effects, game development, cinematic production, animation, architectural visualization and educators. With the creation of VES Texas, it’s an exciting time to be a Texan in the VFX-related moving image industry!”
As a group, VES Texas members share a common vision in their goals for the Section: outreach to partner with professional industry organizations; working with educational institutions within the state to train and mentor future generations of Texas artists; membership growth to increase its presence within the entertainment community; and social gatherings to promote community and camaraderie.
The new VES Texas Section is gearing up quickly to offer benefits and opportunities to all VES members in Texas. Once it holds its first meeting, the Section will elect officers and begin its outreach to grow and support the VES presence in the region.
