LONDON – Cinesite (cinesite.com), the independent visual effects and animation studio, has added talent to London headquarters and made a promotion in Montreal. Melissa Taylor comes onboard as general manager in London. Siobhan Bentley is the new head of production, VFX, in London. And Tamara Boutcher is now global head of production for feature animation in Montreal.
Photo (L-R): Siobhan Bentley, Melissa Taylor and Tamara Boutcher
"Melissa, Siobhan and Tamara are proven talented executives with deep knowledge of the visual effects and feature animation industries,” notes Cinesite CEO, Antony Hunt. “In joining our global leadership team they’ll bring a broader range of ideas and approaches to further strengthen Cinesite’s position in the market.”
Cinesite had previously expressed a commitment to achieving diversity across all companies in the group. “Working towards equal representation in an industry which is statistically male-dominated is very important to us all and we’re working hard to improve the balance,” says Hunt.
Melissa Taylor will oversee Cinesite London’s visual effects studio while working closely with Montreal colleagues and group VFX brands Image Engine and Trixter. She brings over 30 years of industry knowledge and relationship-building experience, and comes to the studio from Framestore, where she served as global head of business development.
As head of production for VFX, Siobhan Bentley is tasked with leading, developing and motivating the production teams to drive efficiency and continuous improvement throughout a show’s lifecycle. Bentley joins Cinesite from MPC, where she oversaw the production teams on many acclaimed films.
Tamara Boutcher has been promoted to global head of production for feature animation. In this expanded position, she will be responsible for the production and day to day operations of Cinesite’s growing feature animation service slate, developed and produced out of the Montreal and Vancouver studios. With 20-plus years of experience, Boutcher got her start in animation at The Walt Disney Company.