People
People
Barry Levy. Photo courtesy of NELVANA.
Musical Chairs. Disney-owned
effects studio Dream Quest Images has hired Andrew Millstein
as vice president and general manager. He was previously director of visual
effects for The Walt Disney Company's Motion Picture Division. . . . Walt
Disney Television Animation has promoted two of its top executives,
Sharon Morrill and Barry Blumberg, from senior to executive
vice presidents. Morrill, who joined Disney in 1993, will oversee development
and production of Disney Video Premieres, Movietoons and TV Specials. She
currently has more than 60 projects in development and production. Blumberg,
who joined Disney in 1994, will oversee all development and production
for network and syndicated animated series. . . . Animation historian and
author of several books on animation, Jerry Beck, has left his full-time
consulting post at Walt Disney Television Animation to focus on his own
consulting business, The Cartoon Research Company. He is currently
working on projects for Harvey Entertainment, Time-Life Entertainment and
The Disney Channel, and is represented by Burbank, California-based agency,
Animanagement.. . . . John Bullivant, former head of co-production
and acquisitions for U.K. distribution company HIT Entertainment (Brambly
Hedge), has been recruited by Pearson Television to head up
a new animation division which will be a partnership with its sister company,
Penguin Books. With the new division, Pearson and Penguin intend to exploit
existing Pearson animated properties such as Dangermouse and Wind
in the Willows while developing new ones based on Penguin Books. .
. . Film Roman has hired Andi Copley and Danica Katz as
vice presidents of development. Copley, who will oversee prime time and
live-action television development for Film Roman, was previously an executive
producer at the Disney Channel. Katz, who will focus on Saturday morning,
cable and direct-to-video development, was previously director of programming
at Fox Kids Network. . . . Another recent departure from Fox Kids Network
is Sidney Iwanter, who has left his post as vice president of programming
and acquisitions. Roland Poindexter is filling in while Iwanter's
replacement is found. . . .
Stephanie Slack. Photo
courtesy of Porchlight Entertainment.
Los Angeles-based NELVANA Communications (the
U.S. office of Toronto-based NELVANA) has promoted Barry L. Levy
from manager to director of development. . . . DIC Entertainment
has hired M.J. Chisholm as vice president of merchandising. She
previously ran her own licensing/marketing consulting firm, Chiseled Steel.
. . . Palo Alto, California-based Pacific Data Images (PDI) has
promoted Cindy Cosenzo to executive producer, Commercials. She joined
PDI in August 1997 as a producer, after a producing post at London-based
Pizazz Pictures. . . . Leslie Sullivan has left her post as director
of the World Animation Celebration, as has former festival coordinator
Marisa Materna, who recently joined Klasky Csupo as director
of recruitment. It is not yet determined when the annual WAC festival will
take place in 1999. . . . Laurie Hollinger has joined Digital
Domain as vice president of human resources. She was a vp at Paramount.
. . . Karen Schmidt, formerly director of recruiting, training &
development for Warner Bros. Feature Animation, has returned to The
Music Center where she is now chief of staff. . . . The Art Institute
Of Pittsburgh (API) has hired Alan Hyers as president,
replacing Dennis J. Fantaski.
Andrew Millstein. Photo courtesy
of
Dream Quest Images.
Santa Monica, California-based Porchlight Entertainment has named
Stephanie Slack director of worldwide sales. She was previously
employed in the sales and acquisitions department of Pandora Cinema in
Paris. . . . Toronto-based Spin Productions has named Dave Geldart
director of its CG Animation division, Dale Smith creative director
of Design and Gary Thomas senior Henry artist and designer. . .
. Steve Walsh has relinquished his duties as managing director of
EVA Entertainment, to focus on overseeing the completion and launch
of the company's first feature film, A Monkey's Tale. . . . Art
Vitello is no longer directing Fox Animation's second feature film, Planet
Ice, as the studio announced he was in February. The film, the majority
of which will be done in computer animation, is now being directed by Blue
Sky|VIFX staffers Henry Anderson and Chris Wedge. . .
. Actor Daniel Stern (The Wonder Years, Home Alone)
has been cast as the voice of Dilbert for the animated series based on
Scott Adams' comic strip. Additional voices which have been cast are David
Letterman Show comedian and Tostitos spokesperson Chris Elliot
as Dogbert, comedienne and Suddenly Susan star Kathy Griffin
as Alice, Mad About You writer/director and voice actor/director
Gordon Hunt (father of Helen) as Wally, actor Larry Miller
as the pointy-haired Boss and actress Jackie Hoffman as Dilmom.
Dilbert is currently in production at Columbia TriStar Television
for UPN. . . . Miramax Films has hired comic book creator Neil
Gaiman (Sandman) to write an English-language script for Hayao
Miyazaki's animated feature, Princess Mononoke, which will be released
theatrically in the U.S. by Miramax this summer. The highly anticipated
U.S. release will feature a dubbed English voice track, but neither the
music or the picture will be changed, per the strict distribution agreement
with the film's producers, Studio Ghibli. . . . While it has increased
its development department, Film Roman has downsized in the publicity
arena. Former internal publicist Tricia Haarer and Suzy Missirlian
have left, and the company is now being represented by external agency
publicist Michael Saltzman. . . .
Note: Readers may contact any Animation World Magazine contributor by sending an e-mail to editor@awn.com.
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