National CineMedia has named Lawrence Snapp to the new role of senior vice president of corporate development and chief digital officer. A Microsoft and digital transformation veteran, Snapp joined NCM in September as senior vice president of corporate development and will lead NCM’s newly formed digital products team focused on delivering innovative consumer experiences and new ways for brands to connect with movie audiences as chief digital officer.
Keshet Studios CEO Alon Shtruzman and has announced the launch of Keshet Films. The newly formed global feature development and production division will be co-headed by award-winning producers Mandy Tagger-Brockey and Adi Ezroni. Keshet Studios is the LA-based subsidiary of Keshet International.
Jerome Dewhurst has joined Roundabout Entertainment’s technical staff as chief color scientist. Dewhurst will oversee and manage the color pipeline for the facility’s growing digital intermediate and color correction operations, and set best practices for color company-wide. He will also lead research efforts to develop new software, technologies and services related to color management.
Post house Light Iron has appointed Rick Anthony to the newly created role of general manager in its New York facility. The addition comes after Light Iron added a second floor in 2016 to triple its inventory of editorial suites.
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers today announced that Shane Murphy has won the $5,000 grand prize in The Vista Project student filmmaker competition and that Jon Navarro was selected as runner-up. Led by cinema-industry pioneer Bud Mayo, chairman of New Vision Theatres, and by Barbara Lange, SMPTE and Hollywood Professional Association executive director, the judging committee named the winners during CinemaCon week, March 27-30 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
National CineMedia has named Scott Felenstein to the role of executive vice president and chief revenue officer in time to kick off the 2017-18 Upfront season. He joins NCM from Discovery Communications where he spent the past 17 years rising through the ranks in various management positions.
New York City-based art and technology company The-Artery is expanding its operations into Los Angeles. Concurrently, the creative studio has named industry veteran Karin Levinson as its head of features and television content. Levinson will helm the new LA office, and will spearhead new business initiatives across the mediums of film, television, advertising, virtual reality and augmented reality.
FuseFX Vancouver has hired visual effects veteran Chris Ryan as CG supervisor as part of a general expansion of its presence in British Columbia. Ryan will lead the facility’s enlarged 3D team on television projects including Zoo and Timeless. He brings more than 20 years of senior level experience in CG and credits on more than 75 motion picture and television productions.
Adults fifty and older make up more than 30-percent of all visits by moviegoers, according to a new study conducted by marketing data analytics firm Movio on behalf of The American Association of real Possibilities (AARP). The study, entitled, The 50-plus Moviegoer, An Industry Segment That Should Not Be Ignored found that mid-life and older moviegoers—in particular, those ages 50 and older—are a powerful force at the box office.
Movio has appointed Craig Jones as chief commercial officer of the company. Jones, who joins Movio after a decade at Vodafone, will divide his time between the company’s Auckland headquarters and Los Angeles offices. He will be responsible for continuing the successful conception and execution of Movio’s global business strategy for Movio Media. Opening new avenues for Movio to generate incremental profit for Movio and Movio’s cinema exhibition partners from their moviegoer data, is among his highest priorities. The appointment, effective immediately, was announced by Will Palmer, co-founder and chief executive, to whom Jones will report.
