shade VFX announces its expansion to Bergamot Station in Santa Monica and the appointment of Lisa Maher as Business Development Executive.
Santa Monica, CA -- In response to expanding business, shade VFX announced that the company has relocated to Bergamot Station in Santa Monica. The new facility doubles the space for the growing company. Lisa Maher, a veteran visual effects producer, has been named Business Development Executive for the four year-old company. Maher will report directly to Bryan Godwin, shade’s founder, owner and Visual Effects Supervisor, and David Van Dyke, shade’s Executive Producer.
“Lisa is a perfect match for us as shade expands,” Godwin says. “Her relationships and knowledge of the industry along with her production experience are all well-suited to our expansion plans. This move fulfills our current needs and secures our growth plans over the next five years.”
"I'm delighted to be joining the very talented shade team," says Maher. "It's an important time in our industry, especially here in California. I believe that shade is well positioned to be at the center of the rapid changes that are taking place. The focus at shade has always been on building collaborative relationships based on quality work, trust and reliability. I'm looking forward to helping Bryan and David expand those relationships."
Maher most recently held the role of Business Development Executive at Fuel VFX and Dr. D Studios where she represented the Australian firms in the Los Angeles marketplace. Prior to that, she produced visual effects for 16 years overseeing facility work on twenty-five productions. Her main tenures were at CIS Hollywood and at Rhythm & Hues Studios. Maher’s feature credits include Tropic Thunder, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, I Am Legend, Evan Almighty, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Ocean's Twelve.
Godwin started shade VFX with many years of large shop experience and Van Dyke came from a similar background, including previous stints working with Godwin and Maher. This experience helped structure a boutique studio with all the advantages of a big company including robust infrastructure, pipeline and technology, while emphasizing that the staff at shade consists of highly-experienced senior artists as well as junior staffers with the talent to be future stars. This mix of talent creates production efficiencies that keep the company nimble, a critical edge given the challenges of the industry.
shade’s new studio at Bergamot Station includes stage space that can accommodate greenscreen shoots and state-of-the-art technology that is enhanced by the proprietary pipeline in use at shade. Bergamot Station is located on eight acres in the heart of Santa Monica and is Southern California’s largest art gallery complex and cultural center.
“We like to say we’re the little guys who do big things. Bringing Lisa on board is terrific for shade and our clients, because she understands this business from all angles,” says Van Dyke.“Our exceptional artists pull more than their own weight. Together we give clients the attention they deserve. Lisa is a wonderful team player and she appreciates what we’re doing here. It’s a joy to have her be part of our work family.”
“As shade becomes a more mature player in the marketplace, we are very conscious of the challenging time the visual effects industry is currently going through," Godwin concludes. "We’re a great alternative to outsourcing. We're local, fast, efficient and priced well. You don't have to go through the pain of 7am Skype calls or dealing with airports just to have a conversation in person. We're right here and love having our clients come in to work with us.”
Current projects include The Wolverine, and Echo. Recently completed feature work includes Behind the Candelabra, 42, A Good Day to Die Hard, Side Effects, Jack Reacher and Argo. Recent commercial credits include spots for Charter, Pepsi, POM, Hewlett-Packard and Time Warner Cable.
Source: shade VFX
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.
