LOS ANGELES — Light Iron has expanded its pool of creative talent with the recent hiring of colorist Arianna Shining Star. In addition, the company has announced that post production veteran Liam Ford has joined Light Iron’s leadership team as senior vice president of engineering and technical operations.
Working from Light Iron’s Los Angeles facility, Arianna Shining Star will support clients globally by providing her creative expertise on features, series and more. With a background in painting, drawing and psychology, Shining Star approaches her work with a balance of fine art and narrative insight. Her credits include the features The Fallout for HBO Max and Ibiza for Netflix. In the short-form arena, Shining Star’s portfolio includes campaigns for Nike, Audi, Budweiser, Microsoft, Nintendo and Coca-Cola, along with music videos for Rihanna and Cardi B.
“Arianna brings a wealth of experience, including narrative work that’s been featured at such prestigious festivals as Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and Camerimage,” notes Seth Hallen, managing director at Light Iron. “Her expertise, creativity and keen eye make for an ideal complement to our renowned team, and her extensive body of work for some of the industry’s top studios and clients will further bolster the caliber of artistry that Light Iron is known for.”
“Color grading is a beautiful synergy of art, science and storytelling, and I'm thrilled to be part of a team that is driven by that mission,” says the colorist. “Light Iron has a long-established history of incredible work both artistically and technically, consistently pushing technology forward and developing innovative workflows that enable us to lean into the creative and tell stories more effectively. I love developing show LUTs and being a part of lens and camera tests, and Light Iron’s partnership with Panavision will allow me to further support the creatives during early stages of look development through the final DI."
As SVP of engineering and technical operations, Liam Ford will oversee Light Iron’s technology initiatives and the company’s engineering teams across North America. His extensive background in post production includes key technology roles with Deluxe, Company 3 and most recently Sim, where he served as senior vice president of post engineering. Based out of Light Iron’s Los Angeles office, Ford will report directly to Seth Hallen.
“Liam brings a wealth of experience in post production, and he’s a natural leader and innovator,” says Hallen. “The expertise he brings to Light Iron will help to guide our ongoing innovations and keep us at the forefront of post production technology and workflows. Liam shares our pioneering spirit for giving clients the freedom and flexibility to see their projects across the finish line exactly as they envision and with unparalleled efficiencies, wherever and however they choose to work.”
“From its beginning, Light Iron has been pushing the envelope in post production with a future-focused strategy,” adds Ford. “They continue to maintain that culture of innovation, and I’m looking forward to helping Light Iron push forward even further and achieve its vision. It’s exciting to join such an encouraging, supportive and high-energy environment — I can’t wait to dig in!”