2025 Honors Celebration Program Book by Visual Effects Society

Welcome

Welcome to the 2025 VES Honors Celebration!

It’s our pleasure to host this special VES Honors tradition, celebrating the exemplary artists and innovators who have profoundly shaped the field of visual effects.

On behalf of the VES Board of Directors and our members in 50+ countries, we proudly recognize the creative visionaries and technicians who built our legacy and continue to inspire future generations of VFX practitioners.

This year’s honorees exemplify excellence and dedication, advancing our craft through their artistry, expertise, and volunteer service.

As our industry navigates ongoing change, it’s more important than ever to come together in celebration of our shared community and creative spirit.

Thank you for your continued support of the VES as we shine a light on the pioneering visual storytellers who inspire us all.

Kim Davidson VES Board Chair

Awarded for individual members of the VES who have significantly contributed to the success of the VES.

Bob Coleman, VES 2025 FOUNDERS AWARD

President, Digital Artists Agency, Inc.

In 1998, Bob Coleman founded Digital Artists Agency (DAA), a Los Angeles talent agency exclusively representing an international and award-winning portfolio of VFX artists. He leverages his extensive experience in top-level management positions to further the development of the visual effects craft.

Bob’s visual effects and postproduction career spans over 40 years. He began his journey at Editel Chicago, where he served as VP of Marketing and was later appointed President. During his tenure, he pioneered the creation of the Effects Animation Design Group, which helped position Editel in the realm of 3D animation and digital optical effects.

In 1991, he was recruited by George Lucas to join Skywalker Sound South as Vice President and General Manager. There, he oversaw audio postproduction for major films and television series, including JFK, Grand Canyon, A Few Good Men, The Joy Luck Club, and The Simpsons.

His contributions to the Visual Effects Society (VES) are extensive, having served as Treasurer, Executive Committee Member, Board Member, and chairing various Committees. In 2023, the VES honored him with a Lifetime Membership and named him a VES Fellow.

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VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY

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GAYLE MUNRO DARIN GRANT

Awarded for meritorious service to the Society, the industry, and for furthering the interests and values of visual effects artists around the world.

Dennis Hoffman 2025 VES LIFETIME MEMBER

Dennis Hoffman, a long-time veteran of the film industry, and founding member of VES, has extensive experience across all aspects of visual effects. Most recently, he has served as a production-side VFX Producer on Ted (Universal/Peacock), Uglies (Netflix), and Schmigadoon! (Apple), while also consulting for numerous VFX facilities.

He began his VFX career as a producer at Dream Quest Images, where he rose to VP/Executive Producer. Hoffman was part of the leadership team that negotiated the company’s acquisition by Disney in 1996. Following the sale, he remained at Dream Quest for two more years before joining Cinesite LA, eventually becoming VP/Head of Visual Effects.

In 2002, Hoffman left Cinesite and collaborated with several boutique VFX facilities in Los Angeles before being recruited by Electronic Arts to Vancouver, British Columbia, where he founded Artworx, an artist community within EA. After a year, he returned to VFX as VP/Head of Feature Production at Digital Domain in Los Angeles. Though he valued his time there, family reasons brought him back to Vancouver in 2007, where he became Head of Production at Rainmaker.

When Deluxe Entertainment acquired Rainmaker VFX in 2008, Hoffman was appointed SVP/General Manager of its VFX division, which transitioned into CIS-Vancouver and later Method Studios. He remained with Method until 2012 before joining Framestore to help expand its Montreal facility.

Throughout his career, Hoffman has played key roles in building and expanding studio capabilities, developing client relationships, overseeing budgets and production, and shaping strategic growth. He is equally committed to fostering healthy, supportive environments for artists. His credits include Ted, Schmigadoon!, Cloud Atlas, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Argo, Invictus (VES Award nominee, 2009), Changeling (VES Award winner, 2008), Flags of Our Fathers (VES Award winner, 2007), Letters from Iwo Jima, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Oscar nominees Mighty Joe Young (1998) and Armageddon (1998).

Hoffman is a charter member of the Visual Effects Society (VES), where he has served on the Board of Directors, multiple Committees, and the Executive Committee as Treasurer. After moving to Vancouver, he helped start the VES Vancouver Section, serving on its Board of Managers and as Co-Chair. He also serves on the board of SparkFX Vancouver and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

He holds an MFA in Film from the California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Political Science/International Affairs from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Awarded for exemplary contributions to the entertainment industry at large, and for furthering the interests and values of visual effects practitioners around the world.

Jon Favreau 2025 HONORARY MEMBERS

Jon Favreau is a filmmaker, writer, and actor. He is the creator and showrunner of the beloved Disney+ series The Mandalorian, which has received 52 Emmy Award nominations and 15 wins. He is also an executive producer on The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Skeleton Crew.

He recently wrapped production on the next installment of the Star Wars franchise, The Mandalorian & Grogu, scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.

He also recently completed principal photography on a series based on the character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Disney+.

Favreau has directed and produced live-action adaptations of Disney’s animated films. His 2016 film, The Jungle Book, won an Academy Award and a BAFTA for its visual effects. In 2019, he directed and produced The Lion King, which grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide.

Favreau directed Iron Man and Iron Man 2, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). These films had a combined gross of $1.3 billion worldwide. He also served as an executive producer on The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. In the MCU, he plays the character Happy Hogan in the Iron Man and Spider-Man films.

In 2014, Favreau wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film Chef. This led to the Netflix series The Chef Show, which he co-hosts with chef Roy Choi. His other directing credits include Cowboys & Aliens, starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford; Zathura: A Space Adventure, starring Josh Hutcherson, Tim Robbins and Dax Shepard; the crime comedy Made, which he starred in opposite Vince Vaughn; and the acclaimed perennial holiday family-favorite, Elf, starring Will Ferrell.

Favreau executive produced both seasons of the docu-series Prehistoric Planet for Apple TV+ and the BBC. The mini-series, narrated by broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough, earned multiple award nominations, including a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in News and Information, an Annie Awards nomination for Best Animated Special Production, and an Astra Television Awards nomination for Best Streaming Nonfiction Series. Inspired by Favreau’s Prehistoric Planet, Apple TV+ launched Prehistoric Planet Immersive, which is available on the groundbreaking Apple Vision Pro.

As an actor, Favreau has appeared in films such as Swingers (which he also scripted), The Wolf of Wall Street, and played the role of boxer Rocky Marciano in the biopic Rocky Marciano. His television credits include appearances on Seinfeld, Friends, and The Sopranos

Jon Favreau has received several awards for his work. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023, named a Disney Legend in 2019, and received the Visual Effects Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

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2025 HONORARY MEMBERS

Tim Sweeney

Founder and CEO, Epic Games

Tim Sweeney is the founder and CEO of Epic Games, the makers of Unreal Engine, Fortnite, and the Epic Games Store. Sweeney started Epic in 1991 with the release of its first shareware game, ZZT, and the company has gone on to build a portfolio of technologies and studios to provide an end-to-end digital ecosystem for creators. Sweeney has led the company through the eras of PC, console, mobile, and online gaming, and now, the metaverse – challenging big tech titans like Apple and Google along the way. Sweeney lives near Epic headquarters in Cary, North Carolina.

This title signifies that the individual is recognized for earning an outstanding reputation through sustained contributions to the art, science or business of visual effects, as well as through meritorious service to the Society and the entertainment industry at large for a period of not less than ten (10) years within the last twenty (20) years.

Colin Campbell, VES 2025 FELLOWS

Colin has a 38-year career as a visual effects artist, contributing to over 50 films and TV shows. He started his career in 1987 at Klasky/Csupo, at the time a small animation and graphics company, executing many tasks including motion control camera operator on the animated commercial bumpers for The Simpsons on the Tracey Ullman show. He transferred his experience into the world of visual effects animation camera on such films as The Abyss, Hook, Alien 3, and Death Becomes Her at such companies as Dream Quest Images, Boss Film, and Industrial Light and Magic. He made the transition to digital effects as a compositor in the early 1990s on the early groundbreaking films Babe, Anaconda, and Contact while at Rhythm & Hues and Sony Pictures Imageworks. Preferring to stay as a hands-on creator of visual effects, he continued in various compositing roles on Stars Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Transformers, Avengers: Infinity War, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and His Dark Materials for ILM, Digital Domain, and Framestore. He continues to work as a compositor in various roles from senior, lead, and supervisor.

In 2008, Colin relocated back to Texas while continuing to travel or work remotely. In order to stay in touch with the visual effects industry he ran for a seat on the global Board of Directors for the Visual Effects Society, his first round of three consecutive two-year terms. Traveling between Dallas and Los Angeles every two months for board meetings, Colin advocated for the interests of both the everyday artists and those members who didn’t reside within an official section. He served on both the seminal Archives Committee and the ad hoc committee for the establishment of the Fellows classification. In 2019, he began his second round of three consecutive two-year terms on the Board of Directors. He cochaired the Work From Home Committee, and served on the Strategic Planning Committee for new guidelines regulating VES Section operations. Most recently, he was instrumental in the recruiting push, petition, and finally voting in 2024 to form the 16th and latest VES section in Texas, of which he is currently in his second year as Chair for the local Board of Managers. As an advocate for the growth of the visual effects industry in Texas, Colin is sought after as a guest speaker at universities and screenings around the state, sharing his knowledge and encouraging the next generation of visual effects artists.

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VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY ®

Darin Grant, VES 2025 FELLOWS

Darin Grant has been fortunate enough to work in animation and VFX for almost 30 years. He currently serves as the SVP, Global Technology for Netflix Animation Studios, following the acquisition of Animal Logic in October 2022, where he leads the company's technological strategies and innovations. Over the years, Darin has held significant technology roles at studios such as Digital Domain, DreamWorks Animation, and Animal Logic, where he has contributed to the development of production pipelines and software solutions. He has also consulted with various software providers on industry strategy and M&A activities, including the acquisition and integration of Solid Angle Inc (Arnold) by Autodesk.

Darin is actively involved in many industry volunteer activities. He is the Co-Chair of the Scientific and Technical Academy Awards Committee, the Chair of ACM SIGGRAPH, and Treasurer and Governing Board member of the Academy Software Foundation (ASWF). He was a longtime member of the VES Technology Committee, and believes that active volunteerism in your industry of choice opens opportunities for you far beyond your day job.

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VES HONORS CELEBRATION

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2025 FELLOWS

Gayle Munro, VES

With more than 25 years in visual effects, Gayle Munro has built a career defined by adaptability, collaboration, and a steady hand in an ever-changing industry. Her path into VFX was anything but traditional. After helping to roll out early cellular networks in her native New Zealand, and helping to restore a historic 1931 Wellington cinema where filmmaker Peter Jackson was involved, she joined Wētā Workshop as a Production Manager on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She went on to oversee projects including King Kong before transitioning to Wētā FX in 2006, where she spent four years contributing to Avatar and District 9, to name but a few.

In 2010, Gayle moved to Vancouver and became a cornerstone of the city’s growing VFX community, producing work across multiple studios on both features and episodic at companies like Digital Domain, Image Engine and Method Studios, among other places. Now a VFX Producer at Eyeline Vancouver, Gayle continues to bring major features and series to life, including Netflix’s Wednesday and One Piece Season 2, as well as the upcoming Spider Noir series for MGM+ and Prime Video. Known for her calm leadership, collaborative spirit, and mentorship, she is guided by a simple but powerful principle: treating people the way she wished she had been treated on her own journey.

Across decades of change—from the dominance of features to today’s fast-turnaround streaming landscape—Gayle has remained a trusted voice and a steady presence, inspiring colleagues with her professionalism, resilience, and kindness.

2025 SECTION HONOREES

We salute these Section leaders for their three consecutive terms of service to their Section Board of Managers and for their service of at least four years as a Section Officer.

Rachel Copp

Rachel Copp is an accomplished VFX Producer and executive with over 20 years’ experience across feature films, episodic television, and AAA games. She began her career as a 3D artist in animation and motion graphics before moving into production, where her blend of technical expertise and creative leadership has driven projects of scale and ambition.

Rachel joined the Visual Effects Society six years ago and was soon elected to the VES New Zealand Board, where she has served as Chair or Co-Chair ever since. In this role, she has been instrumental in building connections between local filmmakers and international VFX professionals, fostering collaboration, and championing the recognition of VFX talent across the region. She has also led the VES Oceania nomination events and actively mentors emerging producers and artists, helping to shape the next generation of talent.

Throughout her career, Rachel has overseen thousands of shots across multi-vendor productions, managed international teams, and integrated machine learning into VFX pipelines through practical use cases in asset generation and workflow optimization.

Her leadership, mentorship, and dedication to community embody the spirit of the VES: advancing the art and science of visual effects while celebrating the people who make it possible.

Eric Greenlief

Eric Greenlief is over 30 years into his career of putting images to screen for audiences. With a degree in Industrial Design, he started as a freelance animator in 1994 and shifted to game development in 1998. He’s worked in several roles including Animator, Environment Artist, 3D Artist, Producer, Author and Instructor. In 2002, he landed on his passion for VFX in games and has shipped over 25 titles as a VFX Lead or VFX Artist since then. Eric is currently the VFX Lead on the Destiny franchise at game developer Bungie, creating space magic for tens of millions of players for more than 13 years.

Looking to bring more real-time art to the Visual Effects Society, he joined in 2018, serving on the Washington Section Board of Managers with several years as Chair/Co-Chair, and is currently serving on the VES Awards Committee. He received his first VES Award nomination at the 23rd Annual VES Awards for his work on Destiny 2: The Final Shape.

2025 SECTION HONOREES

Anthony Tan Agon Ushaku

Anthony Tan entered the visual effects industry in 2013 following a slightly unconventional path—while on sabbatical in London in 2011 from a career in finance and government, he landed a chance gig as a film extra, sparking a fascination with the creative and technical challenges of VFX. Taking a leap of faith, he retrained, assembled a reel, and after some struggle, landed a role at Kennedy Miller Mitchell on Mad Max: Fury Road seeing the project through to completion as a post-viz generalist. He then joined Animal Logic in Sydney as a Compositing Technical Director before relocating halfway round the world to Montreal in 2018 to help establish DNEG’s new office, serving as Pipeline TD and Compositing Technical Supervisor. He has since broadened his expertise through a stint as a Product Manager at Autodesk and now works as a Senior Pipeline Developer at Eyeline. He's grateful for having had the opportunity to contribute back to the industry and local community through service on the Montreal Board of Managers.

Agon Ushaku is a highly experienced Senior CG/3D Consultant and CAD Manager with a career spanning over two decades in industrial visualization, VFX, and game development. A passionate educator, he has served as a lecturer in 3D Modeling and 2D/3D Design at Macromedia - University of Applied Sciences in Stuttgart since 2020.

His extensive professional background includes leadership roles at POLYGRAIL GmbH and Unexpected GmbH, where he managed CAD/3D Visuals and led teams in 3D data management. He is also a founding initiator and silent consultant for Chasing Carrots, an independent game development studio.

Beyond his professional work, Agon is deeply involved in the industry's academic and volunteer communities. He has served on the VES Germany Section Board of Managers since 2019, currently serving as its Chair. Agon is also a VES Awards Committee member, where he currently holds the position of Global Director for nomination events. He is a frequent speaker and mentor, having presented at international conferences like FMX and SIGGRAPH, and designed the "Megabrain Masterclass Series" for the VES.

Fluent in 4 languages, Agon combines his technical expertise in high-end DCC software packages with a strong leadership philosophy centered on mentorship and vision.

2025 SECTION HONOREES

Philipp Wolf

Philipp Wolf (he/him), a German serial entrepreneur and producer based in Montreal, leads swyvl, a company out to empower individuals to understand and embrace neurodiversity through immersive experiences. With extensive experience in visual effects producing, Wolf has made significant contributions to blockbusters such as Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Ghost in the Shell. His expertise extends from international co-productions and IP development to emerging technologies, which has led him to spearhead initiatives in virtual production and immersive experiences. Philipp serves as Co-Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Committee and served on the local Montreal Section Board of Managers for 6 years including a tenure as Chair. He serves on the Visual Effects Society Board of Directors and within the Production Innovation Taskforce of the Producers Guild of America.

The distinction is bestowed upon a select group of professionals and pioneers who have played a significant role in advancing the field of visual effects by invention, science, contribution or avocation of the art, science, technology and/or communications.

Glenn Campbell 2025 HALL OF FAME

Glenn Campbell was a prolific visual effects artist whose 200+ career credits include Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Tron, Spaceballs, Johnny Mnemonic, and the Sharknado franchise. He additionally worked on iconic TV series, including The X-Files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He earned an Emmy Award in 2003 for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special for his work on Children of Dune. Glenn was additionally nominated for Emmys in 1996 for his contributions to Space: Above and Beyond and in 2006 for his work on Into the West. He also brought his talents to the director’s chair, with recent credits including Planet Dune and Shark Side of the Moon, both co-directed with Tammy Klein.

(1956-2025)

Glenn began his Hollywood career as a guide on the famed Universal Studios backlot tour, and his personable nature went on to make an outsized impact on the visual effects community. He was a 25-year veteran of the Visual Effects Society, a founding member of its Board of Directors, and a consummate volunteer who served on multiple VES committees and spoke at many artistfacing events throughout his tenure.

2025 HALL OF FAME

(1893-1930)

Mabel Normand

Amabel Ethelreid Normand, known as Mabel Normand, was one of Hollywood’s earliest silent film actresses and a trailblazer for women in film. Born in New York, became one of illustrator Charles Dana Gibson’s “Gibson Girls,” her face appearing in newspapers and magazines across the country. By 16, she began working at Vitagraph Studios and later D.W. Griffith’s Biograph Studios, where she met actor and director Mack Sennett, leading to a lifelong professional and personal connection. Normand joined Sennett in establishing his Keystone Studios in Los Angeles, where she honed her slapstick skills as a comedy actor, embarking on directing and producing. She became the first actress to direct herself in films, the first woman to have her name appear in her film titles, and the first-ever actor to endure a pie to the face.

While at Keystone Studios, Normand played a key role in nurturing the film career of Charlie Chaplin, and appeared alongside him (as well as collaborating on writing and directing) in dozens of projects. Normand and Chaplin notably appeared together in Tillie’s Punctured Romance, directed by Mack Sennett, Hollywood’s first-ever feature-length comedy. In 1916, she became the first woman to have her own film studio, and later went on to collaborate with Samuel Goldwyn, notably starring in his 1918 film Peck’s Bad Girl.

Normand appeared in 167 shorts and 23 feature films in her brief but impactful career. She died in California at age 36, of tuberculosis. Her celebrity went on to inspire the name of Sunset Boulevard’s iconic main character, Norma Desmond, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 30 years after her passing. Normand is remembered fondly for her charisma, fearlessness, and lasting legacy as one of the silver screen’s top comediennes of all time.

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Bo b C oleman, VES

Founder s Award Recipient

Tim Sweeney Honorar y Members

Jo n Favreau

VE S Fellows

Co li n Campbell, VES

Dari n Grant, VES

Gayle M un ro , VES

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VE S Hal l of Fame

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Mabe l Normand

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Rachel CoppEri c GreenliefAnthony Tan

Agon Us hakuPh il ipp Wolf

Eiji Tsuburaya 2025 HALL OF FAME

(1901-1970)

Japanese filmmaker, cinematographer and co-creator of both the Godzilla and Ultraman franchises, Eiji Tsuburaya, was known as the "Father of Tokusatsu" (or Japanese special effects). He was one of the film industry’s most influential artistic and technological pioneers. He worked on over 250 films – including internationally renowned features from Akira Kurosawa, Ishirō Honda, and Hiroshi Inagaki –throughout his prolific career.

Tsuburaya began his film career in 1919 as a camera assistant, working his way up to cinematographer, when he began to explore cutting edge camera techniques such as double exposure, slowmotion, and even built the first iron camera crane. In 1932 he became one of the founding members of what would become the Japanese Society of Cinematographers. Around this time, Tsuburaya was inspired by a viewing of King Kong to switch to special effects, and he quickly joined legendary Toho Studios. There he became an early pioneer of special effects techniques, including the use of miniatures, film strip layering, rear projection, “suitmation” (the use of human actors in creature suits), matte painting, 3D, and optical printing. He launched Toho’s special effects division in the late 1930s. During World War II, Tsuburaya was enlisted to create films for the Imperial Japanese Navy – including Kajirō Yamamoto's epic The War at Sea from Hawaii to Malaya (1942), where Tsuburaya re-created the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Tsuburaya continued to build his career in the post-war years, achieving international renown in 1954 for his special effects work on Godzilla, directed by Ishirō Honda and produced by Toho. Godzilla has since spawned the longest-running film franchise in history, and is widely considered one of the best monster movies of all time. Tsuburaya won the first of six Film Technique Awards for his work on Godzilla. He also notably collaborated with Honda on additional kaiju films including Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964). In 1963, Tsuburaya established his own company, Tsuburaya Special Effects Productions, where he went on to launch the Ultra series with television shows including Ultra Q, Ultraman, and Ultraseven. He died in 1970.