LONDON — Framestore (www.framestore.com), the Oscar-, Emmy- and BAFTA-winning creative studio, has appointed Michael Stein chief technology officer. His career spans VFX, games, animation and theme park rides, and has seen him deliver transformational tech solutions for many high-end projects. Stein’s new role with Framestore will see him drive the company’s global strategy, as well as guide its R&D advances across areas such as realtime, machine learning and cloud-based technology.
Stein was most recently director, technology studio for Walt Disney Imagineering, Disney’s R&D arm, which is responsible for the global design and build of the company’s rides and attractions. His time there saw him enable the design and build of a multi-billion dollar portfolio of attractions that incorporated tech such as AR, VR and realtime. Prior to this, his career includes time at Pixar and MPC, where he brought his technical expertise and strategic approach to software engineering for projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and The Jungle Book.
“Framestore has a tremendous legacy, and this is a fascinating time to be part of the company’s story,” says Stein. “The hunger for content, the emergence of new studios and the growing interconnectivity across areas such as film, episodic, rides and games means the landscape is more complex and more exciting than ever before. I’m a firm believer in the transformative powers of technology, and this feels like the right move at the right time in terms of opening up new approaches and new opportunities for world-class VFX and compelling, immersive storytelling."