DNEG Hires Two In-House Filmmakers

DNEG has tapped The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power producers Ron Ames and Jesse Kobayashi as in-house filmmakers.

In their new roles, the pair will provide filmmaking, production and technical expertise and advice, working directly with DNEG’s in-house teams to improve and advance the company’s service offerings. Additionally, the pair will collaborate with DNEG’s filmmaking partners to help navigate the digital production process, recommending technology approaches and providing solutions to filmmaking challenges.

Both Ames and Kobayashi began their careers as filmmakers, amassing more than 50 years of combined industry experience.

Namit Malhotra, DNEG CEO,  said: “I have always been impressed with the experience, ideas and clarity of purpose that Ron and Jesse bring to the huge-scale productions that they have managed in the past. From streamlining operations through the deployment of new technologies to fostering seamless inter-departmental collaboration and promoting a healthy work-life balance for their crews, they have always ensured timely and budget-conscious delivery of their work.

“In their new roles at DNEG, they will bring the benefits of this experience and knowledge to our in-house teams and will work closely with our clients to unlock new efficiencies and new technologies in the digital production process as we considerably ramp up our operations following the industry-wide disruption in 2023.”

Ames commented: “Both Jesse and I have worked with Namit and DNEG on a number of occasions over the years, most recently on Amazon Studios’ The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Watching the studio grow over the last decade to become the biggest player in the visual effects industry has been incredible. There are huge opportunities and efficiencies to be found at the confluence of art-making and film technology, leveraging cloud-based production, game-engine integration and unlocking the power of metadata, relational database and ontology systems. Jesse and I are excited to bring the benefits of our years of experience to the amazingly talented teams at DNEG and to work closely with filmmakers to rethink the conventions of contemporary production.”