EDWARD L. JONES
Southlake,Texas
Summary
Visionary leader with proven business acumen and strategic decision-making abilities. Bringing 40+ years of entertainment experience and demonstrated success.
Overview
44
44
years of professional experience
Work History
Co-Founder/President/Producer
Immersive Artistry
Santa Monica, California
10.2014 - Current
- Immersive Artistry is a Location-Based Entertainment Company that is building the next generation of entertainment/education experiential location-based venues where storytelling becomes active and alive.
- Current partners are the NFL Football Hall of Fame, Perry Farrell (Lollapalooza founder), Paramount Pictures, Broad Green Pictures, Reel FX Studios, and other pending joint ventures.
- Immersive experience responsibilities include program analysis, concept development, strategic planning with architects and general contractors for the design of the space, budget development and cost control, value analysis, value engineering, scheduling and contract negotiations, team building and staff management, vendor contracting, and integration of creative and engineering disciplines from the start of the project to final installation.
- Developed and implemented business plan to secure venture capital funding.
Film Producer
EMH Consulting Group
Santa Monica, California
01.2014 - Current
- EMH is a film production company specializing in content development and production of original properties.
- Also, EMH has consulted with foreign governments such as New Zealand, Latvia, and Kazakhstan to restructure their movie and media operations into sustainable industries.
- Created budgets and schedules for film production.
- Collaborated with writers, directors and actors to develop a script.
- Negotiated contracts with cast and crew members.
- Arranged post-production activities such as audio mixing, color correction and visual effects creation.
- Oversaw marketing strategies for distribution of films in theaters or other media outlets.
- Worked closely with public relations team to arrange press screenings and interviews.
CEO/Film Producer
Reel FX Creative Studios
Dallas, Texas and Santa Monica
10.2008 - 10.2013
- The studio develops and produces award-winning animation and short-form content.
- Its first animation feature, Free Birds, was released in 2013 and has grossed over $110 million worldwide.
- Its second film, The Book of Life, was released in 2014 and received three industry award nominations, including the Critic's Choice, Producers Guild, and Annie Awards.
- In January 2012, we produced a 3D film with the renowned entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, with Andrew Adamson as the Director and James Cameron as an Executive Producer and Director of Photography.
- Reporting to the Company's Board of Directors as well as, serving as a member of the Board, my primary responsibilities included establishing and managing a film fund of $100 million.
- Developed and implemented high-level strategies to enhance the creative manufacturing pipeline and guarantee its capability of delivering 1½ films per year.
- Successfully grew the Company from a valuation of $30M to $200M with equity in a library of content assets.
- I brought creative vision to Reel FX by overseeing all aspects of the studio's operations and creative workflow as the studio expanded from 80 to over 400 employees.
- I recruited some of the best creative artists, technical personnel, and production management people within the entertainment industry.
- I provided a hands-on role within the Company to ensure the culture of the innovative environment worked smoothly.
Producer/Escape from Planet Earth
Rainmaker Animation
Vancouver, British Columbia
03.2007 - 09.2008
- Rainmaker Entertainment, Inc., is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Los Angeles, California.
- I produced the studio's first feature film, hiring 185 artists from around the world.
- During pre-production/production, my responsibilities included script development, budgeting, organizing the production entity, and recruiting key personnel and services.
- Managed a rigorous schedule, facilitating casting, legal agreements, asset creation, animation, scene lighting, music and sound, and final imagery rendering.
Executive Producer/Happy Feet
Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
02.2005 - 12.2006
- As an executive producer of the Academy Award-winning film, I had the strategic, financial, and creative role of ensuring that the $126 million project was completed for theatrical and home video release
- I was based in Australia as the liaison for the studio, working with the Australian director and producer.
Visual Effects Supervisor/ Associate Producer/Catwoman
Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
05.2003 - 07.2004
CEO
ESC Entertainment a Warner Bros. Company
Alameda, California
07.2001 - 06.2004
- ESC Entertainment developed the complicated action sequences for the films Matrix 2 and 3, which showcased photo-real synthetic humans and environments with immersive virtual cinematography techniques
- These images and respective workflows culminated with six patent applications being filed by AOL/Time Warner.
- With this wealth of data and the right algorithms, ESC created virtual cinematography in which characters, locations, and events could be created digitally and viewed through virtual cameras, eliminating the restrictions of real cameras, years of compositing data, and replacing the use of still camera arrays or, in some scenes, cameras altogether.
- This pipeline was a front-runner to what many people today describe as VR (Virtual Reality) and LED Volume Stages
- Reporting to the Company's Board of Directors and WB Studio's production executives, I had the primary strategic and financial oversight for a $200+ million budget.
- My primary responsibilities included developing and implementing high-level strategies to build a 500+ person studio from ground-up.
- Recruited many of the best creative artists, technical personnel, and production management people within the entertainment field
Visual Effects Supervisor/Associate Producer/Cats & Dogs
Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
02.2000 - 07.2001
Visual Effects Supervisor/Soldier
Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
11.1997 - 10.1998
Founder/CEO/President/Worldwide
Cinesite /an Eastman Kodak Company
Hollywood, California and London
08.1992 - 01.1997
- Cinesite is a visual effects and feature animation studio.
- Kodak established Cinesite in Hollywood and London in 1992 and 1994 as a service bureau for Kodak's Cineon digital film system.
- The Cinesite locations quickly became full-service visual facilities, completing Visual Effects work on many notable films.
- My experience from managing large volumes of visual effects production work from ILM enabled me to work with the engineers/scientists of Eastman Kodak and successfully replicate that analog process into a digital process.
- I led the production and co-development of The Cineon compositing software, which was awarded a Scientific Achievement Academy Award.
- I oversaw all aspects of worldwide studio operations, managed an operating budget of $60 million, and increased the staff from 1 to 400+ employees worldwide.
- I facilitated a global integration of digital software and hardware tools into small and large-scale productions.
Visual Effects and Animation Designer and Supervisor/Space Jam
Warner Bros. Studios
Burbank, California
05.1994 - 11.1996
- Space Jam employed over 600 animators worldwide.
- I was the primary designer and supervisor responsible for not only the film's final look but also for managing the synergy of the teams of artists and technology needed to complete the film.
Visual Artist/Supervisor/Senior Executive
Industrial Light &Magic/A Lucasfilm Division
San Rafael, California
01.1980 - 08.1992
- As an Executive, I managed 13 departments, with two-thirds of the studio under my supervision.
- During my tenure at ILM, I contributed to over 90 films.
Education
B.S., Film and Television Production -
Montana State University
05-1979
Skills
- Business Development
- Contract Negotiation
- Business Planning
- Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Budget Development
- Strategic Planning
- Organizational Structuring
- Revenue Generation
- Board Collaboration
Accomplishments
1989 Academy Award for Best Visual Effects/ Roger Rabbit
1989 BAFTA Award (British Academy Award) for Best Visual Effects/ Roger Rabbit
1988 BAFTA Award (British Academy Award) for Best Visual Effects/ Witches of Eastwick
1996 International Animated Film Society “Annie” Technical Achievement for: “Space Jam”
Professional Affiliations and Memberships
President of Technology Council 1993-1995
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
Founding member of the Visual Effects Society
Member of IATSE
Dallas Film Society/Dallas Film Festival/Board of Directors
Timeline
Co-Founder/President/Producer
Immersive Artistry
10.2014 - Current
Film Producer
EMH Consulting Group
01.2014 - Current
CEO/Film Producer
Reel FX Creative Studios
10.2008 - 10.2013
Producer/Escape from Planet Earth
Rainmaker Animation
03.2007 - 09.2008
Executive Producer/Happy Feet
Warner Bros. Studios
02.2005 - 12.2006
Visual Effects Supervisor/ Associate Producer/Catwoman
Warner Bros. Studios
05.2003 - 07.2004
CEO
ESC Entertainment a Warner Bros. Company
07.2001 - 06.2004
Visual Effects Supervisor/Associate Producer/Cats & Dogs
Warner Bros. Studios
02.2000 - 07.2001
Visual Effects Supervisor/Soldier
Warner Bros. Studios
11.1997 - 10.1998
Visual Effects and Animation Designer and Supervisor/Space Jam
Warner Bros. Studios
05.1994 - 11.1996
Founder/CEO/President/Worldwide
Cinesite /an Eastman Kodak Company
08.1992 - 01.1997
Visual Artist/Supervisor/Senior Executive
Industrial Light &Magic/A Lucasfilm Division
01.1980 - 08.1992
B.S., Film and Television Production -
Montana State University
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