Michael T. Nicolaou has joined Blur Studio as general manager. Nicolaou will oversee day-to-day operations at the visual effects, animation and design studio and participate in the implementation of the studio’s long-term expansion, including its planned move into feature film production. Nicolaou comes to Blur Studio from the high-tech firm Boxx Technologies. Previously, he served as a regional director for technology solutions provider Intergraph Corporation.

Ian Downes, managing director of Fox Kids Europe's (FKE) consumer products business in the UK, has been promoted to managing director of FKE’s consumer products division. Downes will replace Jean-Philippe Randisi, who will leave the company on December 31, 2002. Effective October 7, 2002, Downes assumed overall responsibility for FKE’s consumer products activities, including home video, while also retaining responsibility for the UK consumer products business. Randisi will work with Downes until December 31, 2002, to ensure an orderly transition.

Just days after the announcement that former Disney Resorts president Paul Pressler has left to take a position as president and chief executive officer of Gap Inc., Disney has announced his successor. James A. (Jay) Rasulo, a 17-year veteran of The Walt Disney Company and chairman and chief executive officer of Euro Disney S.C.A. has been promoted to president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide.

Former MTV marketing director Greg Baldwin has been appointed vice president, marketing and talent relations, Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI). Based in Los Angeles, Baldwin assumes responsibility for all of SPTI's promotional marketing and talent relations' activities in support of the company's three lines of business - licensing, international networks and international productions. Most recently, Baldwin served as the director, music marketing for MTV Networks in New York.

Award-winning animation director Mike Smith is the latest addition to Portland, Oregon-based Vinton Studios. A multiple Clio award winner, Smith brings more than 20 years experience in animating international commercials, network IDs and music videos in his 2D graphic style that utilizes mixed media techniques, including puppetry, live-action, cut-outs and computer animation. In addition to directing commercials and working with Vinton’s newly acquired cel animation company, Celluloid Studios, Mike will be engaged in the development of feature film and entertainment projects.

Digital visual effects studio Radium welcomes four new staff members: CG supervisor Aladino V. Debert, senior computer artist Mary Beth Haggerty, inferno artist Scott Rader and CG artist Erik Shepherd. Haggerty and Shepherd will be based in the San Francisco location, while Debert and Rader will join the Los Angeles office. A native of Argentina where he attended the School of Architecture at the Buenos Aires University, Aladino V.

The Academy of Art College in San Francisco has hired animator Lisa Mullins as the animation lead for their Computer Graphics and 3D Animation department. Mullins has experience working in 2D, stop-motion and computer animation, and has worked in commercials, television, games and film. Her feature credits include HOLLOW MAN, DINOSAUR and SOUTH PARK THE MOVIE. After a stint at Walt Disney Feature Animation Studios, Mullins freelanced on projects for Vinton Studios and Wild Brain.

Marvel exec Allen S. Lipson, Esq., will take over as CEO of Marvel Enterprises effective January 1, 2003, upon the retirement of Peter Cuneo, current president & CEO. Following his retirement, Cuneo will continue to serve as a Marvel board member and advisor. Lipson has been Marvel's executive vice president business & legal affairs since November 1999, where he played an integral role in structuring and negotiating the company's strategic entertainment and licensing relationships.

Yet another animation player has struck out on his own. Following the news last week of former TV-Loonland head of programming John Bullivant forming his own company to create and develop character based projects, UK animation scriptwriter Alastair Swinnerton has announced he has left Skryptonite, the animation production company he co-founded five years ago. Swinnerton has now set up a new company called BA20 Entertainment in order to develop and market animation properties in a style similar to that of LEGO's BIONICLE, which Swinnerton helped create.

Animation and digital visual effects studio Sparx* has brought on Manuel Le Hir and Guillaume Marien. In their new sales development roles, Le Hir and Marien will be working alongside the co-founders of Sparx*, Guillaume Hellouin and Jean-Christophe Bernard. "In the face of a fast-developing market, we wanted to acquire additional resources that would help boost the studio’s growth while respecting its original values. We chose these two particular personalities for their remarkable career track records, their huge management talent and their corporate spirit," said Hellouin.

DIC Entertainment announced today that they have signed Nancy Bassett to head up all of their licensing and merchandising sales initiatives worldwide. Bassett comes to DIC from Viacom Consumer Products where she was the vice president of worldwide sales for Paramount Pictures' licensing division. During Bassett's tenure with Viacom she served as the general manager of Viacom Consumer Products Canada and as managing director of Hamilton Projects. Bassett also held executive positions at Alliance Atlantis Entertainment and Sega of Canada.

Television executive John Bullivant has launched Kickback Media, a new executive production and development outfit. According to Bullivant, the aim of Kickback is to create, develop and finance character and design-based intellectual properties. The television activities will focus predominantly on the children's market and will include both animation and live-action content.

Goodspot Design and Goodspot Editorial has appointed Lisa Cleff to the position of vice president of sales and marketing for both divisions. Cleff joins newly appointed executive producer Mandy Martin, with whom she enjoyed a successful working relationship during their time together at design studio Attik/San Francisco. Prior to joining Goodspot, Cleff served as director of sales and marketing for R!OT Design in Manhattan. Her entree into the world of broadcast design came during her three years as U.S. director of business development at Attik.

Award-winning Los Angeles based writer and producer, Atul Rao, will be joining Toonz Animation India as the story editor and co-art director for its upcoming 3D series ADVENTURES OF HANUMAN. Rao and his family will join Toonz in India in November 2002. Starting as a staff writer at Nelvana Entertainment, Rao wrote for animated hits such as BABAR, CAREBEARS, BEETLEJUICE and TINTIN and then spent four years as producer, head writer and performer for Canadian cable network YTV.

Warner Bros.' Lorenzo di Boneventura has stepped down from his position as executive VP of motion pictures to take a role at the studio producing independent films. As reported in VARIETY, di Boneventura, who was promoted to the position of exec VP less than two months ago, said he wanted to move to indie producing to "stretch his creative muscles," which were apparently atrophying under the strains of heading a major motion picture studio.

PowerHouse Studios, Inc., a group of affiliated companies in the technology, entertainment, game, healthcare and education industries, has appointed Jay Elliot as CEO. Elliot will be responsible for overseeing the entire PowerHouse operation from its headquarters in Los Angeles. As a member of PowerHouse's Board of Directors, Elliot has recently overseen the acquisition of Agate Technologies, Inc. as well as entertainment development partnerships with Bluetorch Media, Nuvo Studios and Thrilling Entertainment.

Diana Longarzo has been named vice president of international strategy and business development for the Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG). In this role, Longarzo will lead strategic product development and business development for WDIG's mobile and broadband businesses. Longarzo joins WDIG from Longarzo Consulting, a consultancy she founded that specialized in business strategy for entertainment and media companies such as Palm, Inc. and QBEO, Inc., an interactive television company.

VARIETY reports that veteran Turner exec Betty Cohen will leave the company to shop a multi-platform program targeted to young adults and teens. Cohen, who began with Turner in 1988 in the on-air promotions department at TNT, went on to oversee the creation and launch of Cartoon Network and served as its senior executive for ten years. In June 2001, she stepped down from her position as president of Cartoon Network Worldwide, but stayed within the AOL/ Time Warner family to develop projects like the one she has on the market.

The Animation Guild has informed AWN that animator Tom Ferriter has passed away at the age of 74. He started his animation career at Disney in 1955, and went on to work for Filmation, Hanna-Barbera, Krantz and Chuck Jones. He returned to Disney in 1976, where he remained until his retirement in 1990. Ferriter's credits include THE FLINTSTONES TV series and the feature films THE LITTLE MERMAID, THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE, THE FOX AND THE HOUND and THE WHITE SEAL.

Animator Dave Lombardi has joined ComputerCafe, after previously working with the animation and visual effects studio on the teaser-trailer for the upcoming film THE HULK. Lombardi recently completed work for ComputerCafe as animation supervisor on effects for SPY KIDS 2. His credits span film, television and music videos, and includes work on the STAR TREK series DEEP SPACE NINE and VOYAGER, as well as commercials for Sony Vaio and music videos for Ludacris and Janet Jackson.