Modern VideoFilm today announces changes to its executive management team that position it for continued growth and to capitalize on evolving needs for post-production and media distribution services.
Joining the executive team are Scott Avila as CEO, Cooper Crouse as President and Roxanna Sassanian as CFO. In tandem with their arrival, longtime executives Bill Watt, President of Digital Media Services; Mark Smirnoff, President of Creative Services and Jon Johnson, Executive Vice President/Sales will take on added managerial and operational responsibilities. Departing the company are Moshe Barkat and Hugh Miller, previously CEO and CFO, respectively.
Under its new leadership, Modern VideoFilm will seek to broaden its ties to studio clients, independent producers and content distributors, and work more closely with them to implement new workflows, production technologies and modes of media distribution. “We want to partner with our clients to better meet their needs today and in the future,” said Avila. “With the media landscape changing rapidly, we need to be a nimble, forward-thinking company. We are excited about our future.”
Avila, Crouse and Sassanian arrive from similar positions with The Culver Studios where they oversaw a major expansion of studio operations.
Avila noted that Watt, Smirnoff and Johnson provide continuity in management and have strong relationships throughout the film and television industry. “Modern VideoFilm has always had a remarkably talented and committed staff,” Avila said. “Bill, Mark and Jon each have been in leadership positions with the company for more than 20 years, as have many other people on our team. They remain the backbone of the company.”
Modern VideoFilm has been steadily growing and modernizing for more than a decade. Its headquarters in Burbank features a fully file-based infrastructure encompassing both its post production and content management divisions. Its post-production division, which includes operations in Burbank and a state-of-the-art facility in Santa Monica, provides editorial, color grading, visual effects, restoration and dailies services. Its content management division offers complete digital solutions for content distribution along with its longstanding system for physical distribution. It covers encoding, transcoding, meta data, quality control, content access, storage and delivery and maintains over 200,000 physical elements.
The division is currently serving all major studios and independent content owners worldwide with delivery to all broadcast and VOD platforms.
The company has recently expanded its 4K infrastructure for supporting motion picture and television post production projects. In addition, it has added 4K VOD platforms for ultra HD content distribution. Modern VideoFilm is actively investing and developing workflows to support high dynamic range (HDR) imagery.
Modern VideoFilm has received strong support from clients for its growth plans and strategic direction. “Modern has also stood for quality and outstanding service,” said John Pollak, President of Electus International. “They have been a valued partner for years, we have great confidence in their team and look forward to continuing our collaboration.” Modern provides a variety of distribution services for Electus shows including Dating Naked, The Coolest Places on Earth, Years of Living Dangerously, Duck Commander, Food Fighters, Southern Justice, Mob Wives and Running Wild with Bear Grylls.
Modern VideoFilm is currently nominated for four Hollywood Post Alliance HPA Awards for its work on Labor Day (Paramount), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Fox), Reign (CBS), and Game of Thrones (HBO). Current projects include The Book of Life (Fox).
About Modern VideoFilm
Modern VideoFilm is a postproduction house with 30 years of credits on countless high-profile television programs and feature films, including "Modern Family," "Sleepy Hollow," "Book of Life," and "Rio 2." Modern VideoFilm employs nearly 500 artists, technicians, engineers, and support personnel in four primary facilities in Southern California. For more information, visit http://www.mvf.com/
