Visual effects artists Andrew Orloff and Steve Meyer have joined digital visual effects studio Radium. Orloff has been appointed head of CG in Los Angeles and will work closely with his San Francisco-based co-head of CG, Andrew Sinagra. Formerly the head of 525 Post's 3D department, Orloff first came to Radium as a freelance visual effects artist before officially joining the company in January 2002. A graduate of UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television with an emphasis in animation, Orloff is also an instructor at Gnomon School of Visual Effects.

Visual effects and design company A52 has appointed a new management team and has added a new senior producer to the staff. Rick Hassen will fill the position of managing director, having most recently served as executive producer for Venice, California-based visual effects boutique Sea Level. Former A52 staff producer Darcy Leslie Parsons has been promoted to the position of executive producer where she will oversee business development, the bidding process and project management. Scott Boyajan has joined the staff as senior producer.

Independent animation company Happy Hour Entertainment has hired Denis Burger Jr. as its president, games division. Burger will drive all game creation and content for next generation platforms and PC, and also manage all of Happy Hour’s business operations. Previously Burger was president and co-founder of Mudpuppy Studios, an independent game developer that has created titles for Disney, LEGO and Mattel. Happy Hour is currently developing ROCK STAR (working title), an original game that combines music creation with the story of a garage band’s rise to super-stardom.

Media company Hornet Inc. has hired Stephen Mann as CG supervisor. Mann has an extensive background in computer animation and serves as an adjunct professor and Maya instructor for the department of computer art at the School of Visual Arts in New York. He recently served as digital effects supervisor for Kleiser-Walczak, where he handled visual effects work for commercials and feature films.

R!OT Design has appointed Jeremy Hollister to the post of creative director of broadcast design. Hollister will provide creative supervision for all design-related projects undertaken by the studio. An influential member of R!OT's design team since 1996, Hollister has won numerous Promax and BDA awards, as well as other design industry honors for his work for the Sci Fi Channel, ESPN, MTV and other accounts. Most recently he has been signed by London-based production company SKUNK for worldwide representation in commercial and music video direction.

Visual effects, broadcast design and animation studio Click 3x has brought on Jim Collins to head the studio’s animation department. Formerly with the design boutique TZ, Collins has experience in animation, illustration and compositing, and has credits across a variety of media. His experience is particularly strong in broadcast graphics, having recently completed projects for NBC, CBS News, CNBC, MSNBC, Fox, ESPN, Sci Fi Channel and CNNSI. He also has numerous credits in commercials.

Portland, Oregon-based Vinton Studios has hired John RA Benson to manage the studios' computer animation department, where he will oversee all aspects of Vinton's CG production. Before joining Vinton Studios, Benson spent five years as the head of computer animation in the commercial division of ILM. Prior to that, he spent four years supervising traditionally and digitally animated productions at San Francisco's Colossal Pictures.

Gullane Entertainment has named Bill Gross senior vice president, brand strategy. In this newly created position, Gross will oversee, expand and manage Gullane Entertainment's portfolio of global brands and will also oversee the development of new ones. Most recently, Gross was co-founder, president and CEO of Cartoon Pizza. On behalf of Cartoon Pizza, Gross initiated a distribution relationship for educational content with Sesame Workshop, as well as a relationship with Gullane Entertainment. Gross will be based in Gullane Entertainment's New York office.

David Stainton has been upped from his current position of executive vice president to president, Walt Disney Television Animation. Stainton's responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day operations for the division's animated television series and specials, Disney video premieres and February theatrical features (sequels like RETURN TO NEVER LAND). He continues to report to Thomas Schumacher, head of Walt Disney Television Animation and Walt Disney Feature Animation, in his new position.

Santa Monica-based visual effects house Company 3 has hired Henry artist and visual effects supervisor Alex Brodie and visual effects producer Christine Carr. Both arrive from 525 Post Production, which curtailed operations in December. Brodie has a list of high profile credits in music videos and commercials including recent efforts like the Garbage music video "Cherry Lips," which featured an "invisible" band. In the spot, Brodie removed the band’s heads and limbs to make it appear as though empty suits were playing guitars and other instruments.