HOLLYWOOD, FL — Post production veteran Martin Irwin died on Friday, June 23rd, at the age of 80. Born in 1936 to an immigrant mother and American father, he grew up in Brooklyn, was a member of the US Marines, and received a degree in electrical engineering. He married Barbara Gosset in 1958 and soon after moved his family to Monsey in Rockland County.
Irwin’s first job in the post industry was as a sound mixer at his uncle Murray Dichter’s facility in Manhattan. EUE Screen Gems then hired him in the ’60s. As one of the first companies to purchase the then revolutionary video tape recorder, Irwin helped make EUE one of the dominant forces in the industry. He served as manager of video tape operations and then as vice president of Columbia Pictures, which acquired EUE Screen Gems in the 1970s.
Irwin left Columbia to peruse opportunities in the video industry that he helped develop. With partners, he formed Video Dub then Audio Plus Video International and Atlantic Satellite Corp., forming umbrella corporation Video Services Corp and growing into a multinational corporation. One of these companies, Manhattan Transfer, was a major player in New York during the lucrative ’80s and ‘90s.
Irwin acted as president of Manhattan Transfer, and by then was well known by many of the most talented people in the industry. In his own words, he said: “I hire good people and let them do their jobs.” It’s still echoed by many of today’s top editors and colorists who worked for him.
He leaves five children and nine grandchildren scattered throughout the county. He loved fishing and lake life, and was happiest on the helm of his boat with the breeze in his face.