People
The head of games operation at Rovio, Jami Laes, has parted ways with the company as the business behind Angry Birds continues to grapple with an increasingly competitive mobile games market. Jami said that he had left Rovio recently and is planning to launch a new start-up but declined to comment further. A spokesperson for Rovio told GamesIndustry.biz, “Jami had some personal projects he’s decided to focus on and we wish him the best of luck with his endeavours.” David … Read More
Special awardees for the next month’s 15th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCA) have revealed first two names for this year. The Ambassador Award, honouring someone who is helping video games “advance to a better place” through advocacy or action, is going to game designer and academic Brenda Romero, who has been a key figure in video games throughout more than three decades of standout game design, teaching and advocacy. Ambassador Award winner Romero, whose honour was bestowed after open … Read More
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) has announced that Kristine Belson will be the new president of Sony Pictures Animation (SPA). She will be leading the development and production of original material as well as current and future franchises. Kristine will report to SPE co-chairman and Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group chairman Amy Pascal. She joins SPA with a decade long experience at DreamWorks Animation where she was executive producer on How to Train Your Dragon and produced The Croods, for … Read More
Marvel is going all out to cast the best character artists for its new series on Netflix. The studio has cast David Tennant as the major villain in its upcoming Netflix series A.K.A. Jessica Jones. The Doctor Who and Gracepoint star will play Zebediah Killgrave (also known as The Purple Man). The official series description is: “After a tragic ending to her short-lived super hero stint, Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter, ABC’s Don’t Trust the B – in Apt. 23) is rebuilding her personal life and career as a detective who … Read More
Renowned cartoonist and creator of the ‘Common Man’, R.K. Laxman, passed away at the Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital in Pune on Monday evening at the age of 93. Laxman was battling a severe urinary tract infection and kidney failure and was put back on mechanical ventilator support after his health deteriorated, becoming “very critical” since Sunday evening. Incidentally, he was taken off the ventilator last week after his health showed marginal but steady improvement, kindling hopes of a possible recovery. Two … Read More
Michelle Raimo Kouyate, production president of Sony Pictures Animation (SPA), is vacating the slot and transitioning to a first-look producing deal with the studio. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the deal encompasses both animation and live action parts of Sony’s slate. One of her first key roles will be coming on board as a producer on SPA’s Medusa – an animated comedy being developed by My Little Pony director Lauren Faust. A new head for the animation division is yet … Read More
Tiger Aspect Productions (part of the Endemol Shine group) has announced that Tim Searle has been appointed as creative director of animation and children’s for the studio. Tim has been with Tiger Aspect since 2013 as series director of the new Mr Bean: The Animated Series that will be premiering this year. Prior to this, he was head of animation at Baby Cow Animation which he had established in 2001 with Steve Coogan and Henry Normal. At Baby Cow he … Read More
The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, announced today its 2015 Board of Directors officers. The officers, who comprise the VES Board Executive Committee, were elected at the January 2015 Board meeting. The officers include Mike Chambers, who was elected as Board Chair. “We are fortunate to have such esteemed leadership represented on the executive committee. Collectively, these talented professionals bring passion, diverse experience and enormous commitment to our organisation. We look forward to Mike Chambers’ … Read More
Shubham Banerje, a 13 year old Indian origin invented a low cost Braille printer, which helps the visually impaired. He then founded a company Braigo Labs and got investment from tech giant Intel Corp. recently. Braille printers, today cost at least $2000, which are too expensive for most of the blind readers, especially in the developing countries. Shubham built a Braille printer with a Lego robotics kit as a school science fair project after researching about the Braille printers and … Read More
Dr. Naresh Gupta MD, Adobe India has put in his papers after working with the company for nearly two decades. According to Times of India, he will start his own venture in financial markets. Naresh who is also heading the company’s global print and publishing business, will be leaving at the end of the March. Adobe hasn’t yet announced as to who’ll succeed Naresh. “Naresh Gupta has played a key role in shaping Adobe’s technology and global business strategy and … Read More
Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin is all set to voice Papa Smurf’ in the upcoming, still untitled animated Smurfs adventure. The Homeland star is in final negotiations to step behind the studio microphone to portray Papa Smurf, the character previously voiced by Jonathan Winters in the Smurfs films in 2011 and 2013, which were a mix of live-action and animation. The Smurfs is an American 3D comedy film, which was released on 29 July 2011, was made for $110 million and earned … Read More
Ray Dolby, the late San Francisco audio technology pioneer who revolutionised movie soundtracks, will be honoured next week with a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame. Director Francis Ford Coppola and Dolby’s widow, Dagmar Dolby, will help dedicate the star during a 22 January ceremony in front of the famed Dolby Theater, site of the annual Academy Awards. Dolby, who was 80 when he died in September 2013, is one of the few non-entertainers, directors or studio executives honored … Read More