Massive Software founder and product manager Stephen Regelous has been nominated for a World Technology Network Award in the entertainment category. Determined by a vote of industry peers, the awards are presented by the World Technology Network (WTN) to recognize work that has a high level of innovation and lasting significance in such fields as biotechnology, space, energy, ethics, design and entertainment. Winners will be named Oct. 8 at the World Technology Awards in San Francisco.
Regelous conceived and developed the artificial intelligence-driven software necessary for producing the epic-scale crowd and battle scenes in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy. "Being nominated for a 2004 World Technology Award is a distinct honor," Regelous said. "Recognition at this level is particularly rewarding because it comes from one's peers."
Nominees for the 2004 World Technology Awards were selected via an intensive, global process in which current WTN members (primarily winners and finalists of previous Awards cycles a group that has grown to include more than 700 individuals across 54 countries) identified the most innovative and influential work in each arena. WTN members from organizations as diverse as the European Union, UNESCO, Harvard University and Warner Bros determined this year's award slate in 20 different categories.
"The World Technology Awards program is not only a very inspiring way to identify and honor the most innovative individuals and organizations in the technology world, but it also is a truly disciplined way for the WTN membership to identify those who will formally join them as part of our global community," said James P. Clark, founder and chairman of the WTN. "I wish Stephen and Massive much continued success."
The WTN nomination comes on the heels of the Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that Regelous accepted in February 2004 for the development of Massive software.
The 2004 Summit for the first time includes a chief technology officers Showcase, enabling a small selection of companies to discuss their work in detail with Summit delegates. For more information, please visit www.wtn.net.
Massive (www. massivesoftware.com) was founded when Regelous programmed a unique piece of software for Peter Jackson to make creation of complicated visual effects scenes involving hundreds of thousands of digital characters a practical reality. Now a standalone, commercially available product, Massive has been embraced by top digital production and effects studios, including Animal Logic, The Mill and Rhythm & Hues.
The World Technology Network (www.wtn.net) is a London-headquartered organization that was created to "encourage serendipity" happy accidents amongst those individuals and companies deemed by their peers to be the most innovative in the science and technology world.
The list of entertainment nominees include:
* Jordan Mechner, Patrice Desilets and David Châteauneuf - Ubisoft Ent.* John Beezer - Shared Media Licensing Inc.* Bram Cohen - BitTorrent* Mark Cuban - Dallas Mavericks and HD Net* Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk - BioWare Corp.* Christof Heidelberger - BridgeCo AG* Thomas Jokerst - Broadbus* Richard Marks - Sony Computer Ent.* Grant Collier, Vince Zampella and Jason West - Infinity Ward* Steve Scherf and Ty Roberts - Gracenote* Will Poole - Microsoft* Gilles Raymond - In-Fusio* Stephen Regelous - Massive Software* Steve Shannon - Akimbo Systems* Yongtae Shin Digicaps
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
