Molinare owner Century Communications has instructed the Soho post house to increase its share of the VFX market in the UK and is prepared to double the headcount in its VFX department to make it happen.

As many as 30 new staff could be recruited as Molinare seeks to build on the success of recent VFX projects, such as the David Attenborough-fronted stereoscopic 3D series Flying Monsters 3D, which airs on Sky on Christmas Day.

At the same time, Antony Bluff, the Emmy award-winning VFX producer of HBO’s Generation Kill, has taken on the role of senior VFX consultant at the company, while Dayne Cowan, chairman of the UK arm of the Visual Effects Society, has been appointed creative head.

Bluff and Cowan will report to Molinare’s head of VFX, Sal Umerji.

He told Broadcast: “Everyone knows Molinare, but our shareholders really want us to push VFX. There is a plan to take on more senior VFX supervisors. We have a strong 2D team, but need to build our 3D team. On top of our current 35 seats we’re upgrading to 30 more, taking our headcount to 65.”

Bluff will focus on new business, while Cowan will be tasked with leading the team of VFX artists and developing new workflows and pipelines for Molinare’s 3D expansion.

“He will build the pipeline to get us to the level that we need to be at to compete with other post houses,” said Umerji.

Topics