LOS ANGELES — The Visual Effects Society (www.visualeffectssociety.com) recently elected its 2012 Board of Director officers.
The list includes Jeffrey A. Okun, head of visual effects for Prana Studios, who was re-elected for a fourth one-year term as Board Chair. Okun has contributed visual effects design and execution to a wide-range of films, including the award winning sci-fi hit Stargate (1994), Deep Blue Sea (1999), The Last Starfighter (1984), Sphere (1998), The Last Samurai (2003), Blood Diamond (2006) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008). He is also the author of breakdown, budgeting and tracking software currently being used by professionals throughout the industry.
VFX supervisor Michael Fink will serve as First Vice Chair. He began his career working in film on China Syndrome in 1977 and “cut his eye teeth” on films such as Star Trek the Motion Picture and Bladerunner, later working as a VFX supervisor on War Games in 1982. He has since worked on over 50 films, including Buckaroo Banzai, Batman Returns, Braveheart, Mars Attacks!, X-Men, X-Men 2, Constantine, The Golden Compass, Tropic Thunder, Avatar, Tron: Legacy, Sucker Punch, and Tree of Life. Fink is a founding member of the Visual Effects Society.
Look Effects’ director of marketing Pam Hogarth will serve as Second Vice Chair. Hogarth has spent over 26 years in the world of visual effects, 20 of which doing marketing and education. Before joining Look she spent 12 years helping to build Gnomon School of Visual Effects. While doing that, she found time and energy to devote to the Visual Effects Society, serving multiple terms on the Board of Directors.
Bob Coleman, president of Digital Artists Agency, will serve as treasurer. Coleman founded LA’s Digital Artists Agency to represent an international and award-winning portfolio of artists for work in feature, commercial and related fields. He leverages his experience in top-level management positions at respected industry companies, with his high regard for artists, to further the development of the visual effects craft.
And VFX producer Kim Lavery will act as Secretary. Lavery has experience on both the production and post sides of the film and VFX business, producing for a total of over two decades, having worked for Universal Studios on film production then shifting to visual effects in 1994. Since then, she has been instrumental in building out specialized visual effects boutique studios, working on films such as Frida, Minority Report, Cats and Dogs, Charlie’s Angels, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Terminator 3 and Last Samurai. While working with Weta Digital in various producing roles on, she has contributed to King Kong, XMen 3, Bridge to Terabithia, 30 Days of Night, Enchanted & The Water Horse.
She has served on the VES Awards Committee since its inception in 2002; and has also served as a VES Board Member and Secretary for several terms: 2004 – present.