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Color House Apache Digital Opens in Santa Monica

Master colorists Steve Rodriguez and Shane Reed team with veteran EP LaRue Anderson to launch color-only specialist house Apache Digital.

LOS ANGELES -- A pair of master colorists in the commercial industry and a veteran executive producer have joined forces to launch a color-only specialist house called Apache Digital. The announcement was made by Apache’s new EP/Managing Director LaRue Anderson, formerly EP at The Mill and currently a Vice President of the West Coast leadership of AICE, the trade association for editorial, design, visual effects, color grading and audio post production companies. Renowned colorist Steve Rodriguez, best known for his long tenure at Company 3, and Shane Reed, a colorist and software developer previously with The Mill in Los Angeles round out the company as Senior Colorists/co-Founding Partners.

“Apache has the distinction of being exclusively a color company, and not a post house with color or a VFX house with color,” says Anderson. “Color is our focus, and not an added service or afterthought that simply gets bundled and lost in a total post production package deal. The color grading process can be so in depth and so intense, you really have to commit to it, which is what we do at Apache.”

Reed started his career after college as an assistant cameraman on independent feature films and then crossed over to post production, pursuing a career as a colorist, which led him to Company 3 and The Mill. At the forefront of color science, Shane is also a software engineer and the creator and co-founder of CineGrain, a film grain program that is used by DPs, editorial and VFX houses all over the world. A triple threat cinematographer, colorist and software engineer, Reed has worked on feature films, music videos and spots, including Infiniti’s “Frozen Moment” directed by Michel Gondry, Tide’s Super Bowl spot, “Miracle Stain,” directed by Bryan Buckley, and Mazda’s “CX-9” directed by Janusz Kaminski.

Rodriguez is a highly sought-after veteran who found his calling in post-production straight out of high school in 1978, rising through the ranks and a variety of post houses to master colorist. Rodriquez comes to Apache Digital directly from Tokyo, Japan, where he had been working for two years as chief colorist for Cutters. Over the years, Rodriquez has built an impressive portfolio of work including the feature film Little Miss Sunshine, as well as Nissan’s “Turbo Z” launch directed by Ridley Scott, Nike’s “No Excuses” directed by Errol Morris and Budweiser’s “Classic Rock” directed by David Fincher.

“Our plan is to concentrate on spots and the commercial world,” says Rodriquez. “We do color, we deliver color and we deliver it right. Our goal is to be better, quality-wise, service-wise, than all the rest. No matter who the client is, we don’t care if it’s our best client or a first time walk-in, they are going to get the same attention to detail. “

Apache Digital’s facility, which is in Santa Monica, contains two dedicated color suites, lots of client-friendly work space and amenities, and a full support staff including producers and assistants.

“Apache is a specialist boutique,” says Anderson. “We’re taking it back to basics, with a home-town feel, moving away from the ‘big box’ post-house factory mentality and focusing on craftsmanship and a made-in-America ethos.” 

Source: Apache Digital

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.