Creative design and digital production studio The Syndicate has hired CG supervisor Adam Watkins for its commercial and feature film projects.
Watkins, who joins The Syndicate from Digital Backlot, has among his credits JOHN ADAMS, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, THE GOLDEN COMPASS, EVAN ALMIGHTY, 3:10 TO YUMA and THE LAST MIMZY. He also served as 3D supervisor on THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 3: TOKYO DRIFT.
Previously at Digital Domain, Watkins utilized his proficiency in Massive software as an animator on key invasion sequences in FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS.
At Uncharted Territory, Watkins was lead character animator for the Emmy Award-winning (Outstanding Special Visual Effects) television mini-series THE TRIANGLE.
During an earlier stint at Digital Backlot, he served as 3D lead on MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and was nominated for a VES Award for Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Motion Picture.
Watkins was also 3D artist and technical director on RACING STRIPES and 3D technical lead on THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW and DARK KINGDOM: THE DRAGON KING.
Watkins has been a software developer, 3D designer and software engineer for several Silicon Valley companies, where he developed "Mayhem," a suite of crowd simulation and character animation tools with applications in feature film visual effects and video games.
He also developed an Internet companion and portable display glasses allowing users to view 3D video game engines stereoscopically.
In his native U.K., Watkins was senior multimedia developer at ICL/KnowledgePool where he created CBT and multimedia applications for clients such as London Underground, Barclays Bank, Avis Europe, Camelot, and Deutsch Bank.
Watkins earned a B.Sc. (Honors) in Information Technology from the University of Salford in Manchester.
The Syndicate has expanded significantly during the last year, now occupying a total of 16,500 square feet in its Santa Monica location, including a fifth floor penthouse with a view of the Pacific.
The Syndicate's staff has grown from 20 to over 50 as the studio broadened the range of services it offers to top advertising agencies, networks and Hollywood studios.
In addition to its initial award-winning telecine and visual effects capabilities, The Syndicate now provides fully packaged creative design and branding, live action direction and production, on set visual effects supervision, a full team of CG artists and animators, and two Flame suites.
The Syndicate recently wrapped visual effects production on THE KEY TO RESERVA, a nine-minute commercial film for the Spanish winery Freixenet under famed director Martin Scorsese.
Earlier this year The Syndicate enjoyed a similar collaboration with Scorsese and visual effects supervisor Rob Legato on the Rolling Stones feature film SHINE A LIGHT which opens in theaters on April 4.
