VES Board of Directors Officers 2021; Lisa Cooke to Lead the Global Organization

By NAOMI GOLDMAN

The 2021 VES Board of Directors officers, who comprise the VES Board Executive Committee, were elected at the January 2021 Board meeting. The officers include Lisa Cooke, who was elected Board Chair, and is the first woman to hold this role in the Society’s history. The five officers embody the global makeup up the Society, coming from Sections in the United States, New Zealand and London.

The 2021 Officers of the VES Board of Directors are:

Chair: Lisa Cooke

1st Vice Chair: Emma Clifton Perry

2nd Vice Chair: David H. Tanaka

Treasurer: Jeffrey A. Okun, VES

Secretary: Gavin Graham

“The Society is proud to have exceptional leadership represented on our Executive Committee,” said Eric Roth, VES Executive Director. “This is a group of impassioned and venerated professionals with a vision for the Society’s future, especially amidst this time of dynamic change. We appreciate their commitment to serve our organization and our members worldwide.” 

“It is my great honor and privilege to Chair this society of exceptional artists and innovators,” said Lisa Cooke, VES Chair. “I’m proud to be the first woman in this role, and I’m committed to lifting up our future leaders so that I’m not the last. I look forward to working with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors to support our members during these challenging times and advance the work to propel the Society and the industry forward.” 

Cooke has spent more than 20 years as an animation/VFX producer, creative consultant, screenwriter and actor. Firmly believing that it is vital for science to effectively communicate its truths to a broader audience, Cooke started Green Ray Media, and for the last 10-plus years has been producing animation and VFX to create scientific, medical and environmental media for a broad audience. She served six years on the Bay Area Board of Managers and currently serves as Chair of the VES Archive Committee, and was previously 1st Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.

Emma Clifton Perry is a Senior Compositor with more than 15 years of experience working across feature films, longform/TV series, commercials and advertising at VFX facilities worldwide. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Perry offers remote compositing and VFX consulting services. She has served several terms as Chair, Co-Chair and Secretary/Treasurer on the VES New Zealand Board of Managers and was previously 2nd Vice Chair of the Board of Directors.

David H. Tanaka has worked in visual effects and animation for more than 25 years, including 15 years at Industrial Light & Magic in VFX Editorial and a decade as a Special Projects Editor at Pixar Animation Studios. He is also an Adjunct Professor for the Academy of Art University, San Francisco, specializing in Editing, Producing and Cinema History. Tanaka served three terms on the VES Bay Area Board of Managers, holding both Chair and Co-Chair positions, and is a core member of the VES Archive Committee.

Jeffrey A. Okun, VES is an award-winning visual effects artist known for creating ‘organic’ and invisible effects for film and television, as well as spectacular ‘tent-pole’ visual effects. He is a VES Fellow and recipient of the VES Founders Award, created and co-edited the VES Handbook of Visual Effects, an acclaimed reference book covering all aspects of creating visual effects, techniques and practices, and produces the global annual VES Awards. Okun served as VES Board Chair for seven years.

Gavin Graham is the General Manager of DNEG Montréal, and has spent most of his 20-plus-year career with DNEG. Originally an FX artist with a background in Computer Science, he has also created tools and worked in development in the area of simulation and rendering. Graham joined the VES Board of Directors in 2019, and previously served as Secretary during his six-year tenure on the London Section Board.

Lisa Cooke

Emma Clifton Perry

David H. Tanaka

Jeffrey A. Okun, VES

Gavin Graham

VES Virtual Production Resource Center 

Virtual production is game-changing technology helping to solve new creative challenges and advance the field of filmed entertainment. In January, the VES launched the Virtual Production Resource Center, a new online hub for free educational resources and captivating insights, available to VES members and the industry at large. http://bit.ly/VirtualProductionResources 

• Free educational tutorials 

• Vibrant roundtable discussions with industry pros 

• On-demand access to conferences and inspiring speakers 

• Media stories and publications charting trends, case studies and cutting-edge technology and techniques – including exclusive features from our award-winning magazine VFX Voice 

• Work from home and virtual production guidance and best practices

Dimension Studio collaborated with DNEG in the U.K. on LED wall test-shoots. (Image courtesy of Dimension Studio) 

The Center is evolving along with this dynamic field. Come back often to explore new content.

To help us plan future programming and resources, we encourage all virtual production professionals to take this short survey: http://bit.ly/VirtualProductionSurvey