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Home » Post Factory Adds New CTO Liam Ford and Post Production Exec David Feldman

Post Factory Adds New CTO Liam Ford and Post Production Exec David Feldman

Post Factory NY is on a tear. Over the past year its New York branch has embarked on a serious upgrade to staff, snatching top talent from the likes of Company 3 and Deluxe. Facilities get suites filled with the latest gear too.

“Post FactoryNY is transforming from a local hospitality business to a world-class finishing facility,” says Alex Halpern, the LA-based company’s founder.

New CTO Liam Ford, for example, began at Company 3 in 2004 as a DI Systems Manager, rising through the ranks to become VP of Technology at that top house by 2013. Meanwhile David Feldman comes in from posts as Director of Feature Sales for Company 3 and Deluxe; he’s now Post Factory’s Senior Vice President for Features and Television (full releases on both appointments follow below).

Good news that the City can add another healthy post house that aims for the top of the market. The 30-percent tax set aside for postproduction passed a couple of years ago helps.

Post Factory has the resources to follow CEO Halpern’s vision: it’s backed by Toronto-based investment firm Granite Partners. Granite is an interesting operation, pegging its investments towards “profitable, well-managed, mid-market manufacturing and service companies with sales in the $10 million – $100 million range.” The investment firm, which also

Here are the two new staffing announcements.

Post FactoryNY Appoints Liam Ford as CTO

Post FactoryNY announces the appointment of Liam Ford as Chief Technology Officer. Ford joins the company with more than a decade of post-production engineering and IT experience, most recently as Vice President of Technology at Company 3, New York. At Post FactoryNY, Ford will assume the lead role in technology operations, strategy and planning. His first task will be to guide the technical aspects of a major expansion of the facility’s color grading and finishing services for theatrical and television projects.

“We’re thrilled that Liam has joined our team as Post FactoryNY transforms into a top tier finishing facility that will be able service our clients from the first frame of capture to final delivery of product,” said Post FactoryNY founder Alex Halpern. “Liam is going to help us build the right infrastructure to support the vision I’ve had for Post FactoryNY as a bespoke facility with the capacity to tackle the most complex and challenging projects. Our environment is designed to allow creative thinkers comfort and latitude in their approach, while providing them with the best talent across all delivery mediums. In his role as CTO, Liam will aggressively lead that talent to develop innovative and cost effective solutions in today’s ever changing technological environment.”

Ford originally joined Company 3 as a DI Systems Manager in 2004. He was promoted to Director of Technology in 2010 and to Vice President of Technology in 2013. In the latter role, he had oversight for technology operations at facilities in New York and Atlanta. He began his career with Title House in Hollywood.

Ford said that he is eager to help Post FactoryNY build its color and finishing resources, and develop the infrastructure needed to support the most demanding theatrical and television projects. “We want to provide film and television producers with a premium finishing experience, so that they can focus on content and story knowing that we’ve got the rest of the post process handled. My role is to craft a technology environment that is tailored to the very unique needs of filmmakers and their projects. It’s a very exciting, and interesting process to be a part of.”

Post Production Exec David Feldman Joins Post FactoryNY

Post FactoryNY, a SIM Group company, has appointed David Feldman as Senior Vice President for Features and Television as part of the facility’s ongoing effort to broaden and enhance its service offering. Feldman, previously Director of Feature Sales for Company 3 and Deluxe, New York, will lead sales and customer relations for newly expanded features and TV finishing services at Post FactoryNY. He will also liaise with other SIM Group companies to provide film and television producers with packaged services covering multiple aspects of production and post.

David Feldman, Post Factory NY’s new Senior Vice President for Features and Television.

“Post FactoryNY is transforming from a local hospitality business to a world-class finishing facility,” said Alex Halpern, the company’s founder. “We’re expanding our menu of services and the pedigree of our staff to provide filmmakers the tools and support they need to realize their visions. Whatever medium, genre, or location filmmakers choose to give life to their stories, we will support them with the most complete toolset possible.”

Feldman said he was attracted to Post FactoryNY by the opportunity to help build a new world class finishing division for filmmakers. “I wanted to join a company where people come first, a company with a good moral compass. Today, every facility has the technical firepower to meet emerging needs, but what is in short supply are people with talent and a commitment to provide world¬-class service.”

Current film projects for Post FactoryNY include Collateral Beauty (New Line), Keeping Up with the Joneses (Fox), Gifted (Fox Searchlight), Mena (Universal), The Wall (Universal) and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (TriStar).

“Like most of our team, David was a filmmaker first, which is key to understanding the needs of clients in helping achieve their goals. His passion for the craft of filmmaking and the community of artists he’s worked with will help our team, facility and clients maximize their talents to create the best work they can,” added Halpern.

Feldman brings 20 years of post-¬production experience in executive¬-level sales, operational, and production roles. At Company 3 and Deluxe, he managed relations with studios, networks, independent producers and others for post services ranging from dailies through digital cinema delivery. Previously, as Senior Digital Intermediate Producer for Company 3 and Encore Hollywood, he supervised post-production finishing work for scores of studio and independent features. Earlier in his career, he worked as an assistant editor with credits on films for 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Disney and others.

Feldman added that he is particularly excited by the possibilities of partnering with other SIM Group companies including SIM Digital, which supplies cameras and related gear, Bling Digital, a specialist in dailies and workflow management, and Chainsaw, a Hollywood post facility. “We can handle projects, large and small, from beginning to end,” he said.

About The SIM Group:

Backed by Toronto-based investment firm Granite Partners, the SIM Group is a leading supplier of production equipment, workflow and post-production solutions. With offices spanning North America, the SIM Group provides stellar products and services for features such as the recently released “Warcraft,” to the hugely successful “Game of Thrones,” to the Oscar-winning film “Spotlight.” From reality shows including “American Idol,” to blockbusters “Deadpool” and hit series “Mr. Robot,” SIM Group has collaborated with producers, directors, cinematographers, post-production supervisors and studios to bring their vision to life.

Toronto and Vancouver provides grip and lighting from PS Production Services and can be complemented with SIM Digital cinematography and playback equipment from any of its offices in Canada, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Bling, Chainsaw, Pixel Underground, Tattersall Sound and Picture and Post FactoryNY provide an array of services from dailies, to online and offline editing, to final color/DI and visual effects, to sound editorial and mixing.

Bling provides a comprehensive workflow solution in the US, Canada and abroad, as well as off-site service through POD (Post on Demand). Chainsaw provides creative editorial and extensive finishing services with some of the top colorists in the industry. Pixel Underground is a Toronto-based post-production company that also provides physical and file-based media fulfillment and encoding/distribution services, while Tattersall Sound and Picture is a provider of sound editorial and mixing for motion pictures and television. Post FactoryNY is considered one of the East Coast’s top independent post-production facilities. For more information, visit simgroup.com

About Dan Ochiva

New York City-based journalist and NYCPPNEWS founder Dan Ochiva writes and consults on film, video, and digital media technology.

Community & Partner Links

How Sony’s New Virtual Sound Technology Can Change How We Hear Films

Kami Asgar and Jessica Parks are post-production heavyweights who work with major studios, namely Sony. As a sound designer (Asgar) and as a post executive (Parks), their collective resume touches on everything from Apocalypto to Grandma’s Boy to Venom.

Parks has recently shifted her focus from supervisor to hands-on sound design, and we talk about how it’s never too late to pivot on your career path and find the thing you love doing wherever you are in life.

Click on this link to read the rest of the article on No Film School’s site.

NJ – Governor Murphy signs $14B Incentive Program Bill – the NJ Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 Film tax credits — amending existing programs to include provisions for so-called New Jersey film partners and New Jersey film-lease partners and allowing an additional $200 million of tax credits annually over 13 years.

Click this link if you want to read the full article on the Lexology site. http://bit.ly/35NtDx6

Film Commish announces date for production restart

In her December 18, 2020 news update, MOME Commissioner Anne del Castillo announced that the Film Office is now accepting permit applications for production activity that begins on July 27th.

She also announced awards now (Awkwafina) and more. To read all of the Film Commish’s bloggy sort of news column, click here.

Stimulus Offers $15 Billion in Relief for Struggling Arts Venues

The coronavirus relief package that Congressional leaders agreed to this week includes grant money that many small proprietors described as a last hope for survival.

For the music venue owners, theater producers and cultural institutions that have suffered through the pandemic with no business, the coronavirus relief package that Congress passed on Monday night offers the prospect of aid at last.

To read the full article on The New York Times’ site, click here.

If you want to start production, here’s the latest news from the Mayor’s Office

Phase 4 production guidance is available on the Film Permit website. All production activity, whether it requires a Film Permit or not, must comply with New York Forward Industry Guidance.

For more information see, please refer to the State Department of Health’s Interim Guidance for Media Production During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Please review the guidelines and FAQ before submitting permit applications. The Film Office is operating remotely, so please allow additional time for Film Permit processing.

The above paragraphs contain links to the various FAQ – just mouse over the relevant words.

Nikon to Stop Making Cameras in Japan

Nikon has fallen on hard times as of late as its camera sales have cratered, and now there’s a new indicator of how dire its financial situation is: the company is reportedly pulling the plug on making cameras in Japan after over 70 years of doing so.

To read the full article on Petapixel’s site, click here.

NVIDIA Uses AI to Slash Bandwidth on Video Calls

NVIDIA Research has invented a way to use AI to dramatically reduce video call bandwidth while simultaneously improving quality

What the researchers have achieved has remarkable results: by replacing the traditional h.264 video codec with a neural network, they have managed to reduce the required bandwidth for a video call by an order of magnitude. In one example, the required data rate fell from 97.28 KB/frame to a measly 0.1165 KB/frame – a reduction to 0.1% of required bandwidth.

To read the rest of this article on Petapixel, click this link.

 

 

 

Union Health Plan Dodges Film Workers’ Suit Over Virus Relief

Law360 (October 9, 2020, 5:22 PM EDT) — The Motion Picture Industry Health Plan’s board can’t be sued under ERISA for allegedly flouting its duties when it relaxed plan rules in response to COVID-19, a California federal judge has ruled, nixing a proposed class action filed by two cinematographers who still couldn’t qualify for benefits.

In an order entered Thursday, U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the board of directors’ motion to dismiss Greg Endries and Dee Nichols’ Employee Retirement Income Security Act suit accusing board members of breaching their duty to treat all plan participants fairly.

Endries and Nichols, members of Local 600 of the International Cinematographers Guild, said in July that the board left them and others “out in the cold” in its attempts to address the problems COVID-19 caused for plan participants.

But Judge Klausner agreed with the board’s contention that the case, which alleged a fiduciary breach, should be tossed because plan administrators don’t act as fiduciaries when they amend health care plans.

Read the full article on the Law360 site by clicking here.

Russo Brothers Received Close to $50 Million From Saudi Bank

Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo photographed at the PMC Studio in Los Angeles for the Variety Playback Podcast.

The Russo brothers, directors of the all-time top grossing film “Avengers: Endgame,” quietly secured a roughly $50 million cash infusion for their production company AGBO from Saudi Arabia earlier this year, multiple sources tell Variety.

In a deal brokered and closed at the beginning of the pandemic, the Russos received the investment from an undisclosed Saudi bank in exchange for a minority stake in the brothers’ Los Angeles-based shop.

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