Windmill Lane head to LA for Oscar Wildes
VFX
[John Kennedy & Deborah Doherty]
[Estimated Reading Time – 3 mins]
On the back of 14 Oscar nominations – the Irish film industry is riding the crest of a wave and Windmill Lane will be on the ground in LA this Oscar season. Head of Production – Deborah Doherty – and Head of VFX – John Kennedy – are travelling to the USA this week to meet industry partners. While there, they will represent Ireland’s longest established VFX and post production studio at the Oscar Wilde Awards 2023 of which they are sponsors.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media in Ireland – Catherine Martin recently announced a trade mission in Los Angeles (link) to promote the Irish screen industry and Ireland’s cultural power ahead of the 2023 Academy Awards. Windmill Lane are at the forefront of Irelands growing international reputation as a hub for animation and, more recently, post-production VFX.
Oscar Wilde Awards, LA
The annual awards ceremony is held by the US-Ireland Alliance to celebrate the contribution Ireland makes to film, television, and music. It takes place during the build-up to the Oscars. The 2023 awards are scheduled for Thursday 9 March at Bad Robot, the Santa Monica production company of JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath. This year Eve Hewson will be honoured with the Wilde Card award and with An Cailín Ciúin, The Banshees of Inisherin and Aftersun being Academy award nominations – this is one year that the Irish will truly rule Hollywood come March. Deborah says:
“We’re really excited to get back to LA again and meet our clients in person as well as representing Windmill Lane at this year’s Oscar Wildes and attending the Woman in Film pre Oscar party and events at the Irish Consul. I am so proud to be part of an industry where so many Irish are being honoured and considering what we do here in Windmill, am especially proud to see recognition for Irish work in this year’s Oscar craft categories.”
[Stephen Pepper]
Major VFX Appointment
This visit comes at a time when Windmill Lane recently announced the major appointment of Stephen Pepper [Article] – a vastly experienced VFX artist who will know the streets of Hollywood well having worked on projects including; Ironman, District 9 & Battleship. Commenting on this hire recently – John Kennedy, Head of VFX, said:
“It’s fantastic to have someone of Stephen’s calibre, reputation and experience join our team. His work across film and advertising speaks for itself. He brings with him the reassurance of great creative leadership that’s going to be of immense value to our crew and growing client base.”
[Dave Quinn]
US Partnerships
With a heavy contingent of Irish talent due to travel state-side in March – there will be a wealth of activities and events that will provide an opportunity to toast a rich vein of form for Irish media on the global stage. However – for Deborah and John – its business as usual having established a solid footing in the US market since 2010 and VFX playing a pivotal role in the companies vision [Sunday Independent Article]. Dave Quinn, CEO of Windmill, discusses;
“We are now 45 years in business and our ambition has not abated even slightly. In fact I believe recent hires and continued demand for content globally represent massive opportunities for us. We need to stay on the forefront of technological advancements – this is key to our corporate objectives – of which VFX is significant. We are honoured to sponsor the Oscar Wilde Awards in 2023 and look forward to catching up with our industry partners – from all over the world – in LA.”
Written by Jason Gaffney
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