MARINA DEL REY -- August 5, 2002: Amy Massingale has joined Rhythm & Hues to head its Commercial CG Production Division. Massingale was previously a Coordinating Producer at Will Vinton Studios, and Director of Sales and Marketing for Dallas-based Big Fish Films. Massingale will focus on the marketing and sales of Rhythm & Hues’ in-house CG directors, flame artists, and post services.

In a related move, Rhythm & Hues has promoted Jane Stephan to Head of 3D Commercial Production, and Karey Maltzahn to Head of Commercial Post Production. Stephan recently served as visual effects producer for the studio’s film production of “The Sum of All Fears,” while Maltzahn will continue her duties as Director of 2D Digital Production for the studio as a whole.

Massingale was attracted to R&H by “their broad range of CG and post capabilities. I knew they were doing charming character animation like Geico’s Gecko and the Coke Polar Bears; but after seeing the “The Sum of All Fears” I was also impressed to see how accomplished they are in the photo-real and visual effects arena. There is a focus here on the artists, which I liked, as well as a mentality of being a big boutique.”

Massingale is quick to identify the studio’s competitive edge: “Because resources are shared between the feature and commercial divisions, the studio has the ability to leverage the talent and tools from one division to benefit the other. The reality is that artists have more time on a long form project to hone their skills and solve R&D issues. So when a commercial project comes in that calls for a similar set of tools, they've already been through the learning curve. As feature films tend to set the trends that commercials follow, it's ultimately the advertisers who stand to gain from this expertise.”

Massingale also points out clients will find that “While it is possible to harness the firepower of the larger studio for most things, we’ve also established a more intimate production unit internally to scale to our clients’ diverse needs. Today’s market demands the ability to be nimble and facilitate creative solutions.”

John Hughes, Rhythm & Hues’ president and founder, stated “Amy is a very strategic thinker and has a good sense of where she wants to take the division. We’re excited to have her on board and are confident that she will lead us through this period of dynamic change in the commercial advertising industry, and into the foreseeable future.”

Embracing the challenge, Massingale notes that “One of my goals here is to build relationships with both ad agencies and outside live action production companies. We have two live action directors on staff and when appropriate, this can be a very attractive way to package an entire project.” However, Massingale is quick to point out her desire to forge alliances with outside live directors, as well. “The biggest opportunity I see is for the studio to collaborate with whoever best serves the creative vision, whether in-house or not."

Massingale is also looking forward to one of the studio’s unusual employee perks: “I can bring my dog to work!”

ABOUT RHYTHM & HUES

Celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2002, Rhythm & Hues is the largest privately owned producer of character animation and visual effects for entertainment and advertising in Southern California. With a 70,000 sq. ft. facility housing more than 300 full time artists and staff, Rhythm & Hues’s three production divisions - Film, Commercials and Design - are industry leaders in their fields. Recent films include “Scooby-Doo,” “The Sum of All Fears” and “Men in Black 2” with “Daredevil,” “Gigli,” “Ring” and “X-Men 2” currently in production. Recent commercials include Geico’s “Gecko” campaign, Cingular’s “Spiderman,” and Nissan “Master of the Sixth Speed,” with ongoing campaigns for Advantage, Ritz Bitz, Burger King and others. Design boasts the highly successful Infiniti print campaign “Where Are the Cars They Promised Us?” and Coca-Cola’s “Polar Bears” billboards. In 1995, Rhythm & Hues received the Academy Award® for Best Visual Effects for its work on "Babe." It is also the recipient of two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards, as well as first place awards from virtually all the international competitions, which recognize excellence in computer graphics.