Matthew McManus has come aboard RIOT as exec producer for commercials and other short-form work. McManus will oversee sales, marketing and production for the studios Los Angeles and New York facilities as they continue to sharpen their focus on the upper end of the advertising market and visual effects-driven, project-based work.
In announcing the move, R!OT md Michael Taylor said that McManus role will be to inform advertising agencies and production companies about the studios expanded creative team and new, creatively oriented approach to visual effects and to help them take best advantage of its creative resources. RIOT has made significant staff additions in recent months, including several senior level vfx artists with strong conceptual and design skills. They are helping the studio to broaden the scope of its work beyond what has traditionally fallen under the heading of post-production. R!OT has recently completed commercial projects for Honda, UPS and Budweiser.
Matthew is the perfect exponent for the new R!OT, said Taylor. He has the ideal background and a keen insight into the future of commercial production in general, and into what we are trying to achieve at R!OT in particular.
McManus, who spent the past three years as exec producer at Radium, said he is intrigued by what he sees happening at R!OT and said that he sees his role as helping the studio to rebrand itself. I came here because of the possibility of building something very special, he added. I like the challenge of creating something new and building a new brand. Also, the talent here is superb.
McManus background includes work in visual effects, production and post. At Radium, he served as exec producer on work for Gatorade, Ford, Electronic Arts and Progressive. His music video credits included Missy Elliotts PASS THAT DUTCH, a winner of a VES Award for Outstanding Achievement in Visual Effects in a Music Video in 2004.
A native of Baltimore, McManus began his career with the visual effects house Dreamquest Images. He later served as head of production at the commercial production companies Fahrenheit Films and M-80 Films. He worked as a freelance producer before joining Radium in 2002.
R!OT (www.rioting.com) has offices at 702/730 Arizona Ave., Santa Monica, California, 90401, and at 545 Fifth Ave., New York, New York, 10017.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
