(Los Angeles, CA—July 27, 2023) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2023 Art + Technology grants: Patty Chang and David Kelley; Tristan Duke; Haleigh Nickerson; and Gala Porras-Kim. The grant recipients selected for 2023 will explore deep sea mining; examine the intersection of high-tech imaging, neutrino astronomy, and glaciology; revive the Sojourner Mars rover; and respond to institutional cataloging systems.
ACADEMY MUSEUM OF MOTION PICTURES ELECTS TRAVIS KNIGHT TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES; EFFIE T. BROWN NAMED HONORARY TRUSTEE IN RECOGNITION OF HER INSTRUMENTAL SUPPORT OF MUSEUM CONTENT.
Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 2023—The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures today announced the election of LAIKA president and CEO, producer, director, and animator Travis Knight to its Board of Trustees. The museum also announced the appointment of motion picture producer and former chair of the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee, Effie T. Brown, as an honorary trustee—a lifetime position—effective July 1, 2023.
As the governing body of the Academy Museum, the Board leads the museum toward a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, in addition to securing adequate resources to advance the museum’s mission. Knight and Brown will help continue the success of the museum and its social impact for audiences worldwide.
The Board of Trustees has also re-elected Patricia Bellinger Balzer, Arnaud Boetsch, Olivier de Givenchy, Ray Halbritter, Ryan Murphy, Regina Scully, whose current terms end June 30, 2023, for another three-year term.
Ted Sarandos, Board Chair and Co-CEO of Netflix, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Travis Knight to the Board of Trustees. He is an extraordinary leader who has already made such an impact on the industry at large through his groundbreaking advancements in the art of stop-motion animation and live-action moviemaking.” He continues, “We are also proud to recognize Effie T. Brown, a talented producer who has been a crucial voice for diversity and inclusion at the museum, with this lifetime honorary position.”
Academy Museum Director and President Jacqueline Stewart added, “I join Ted and the entire Academy Museum Board of Trustees in welcoming Travis and Effie. Their commitment to philanthropy and to the advancement of all the disciplines of moviemaking will help the Academy Museum share with our visitors the stories of the past, present, and future of cinema.”
Knight joins current and re-elected Board members Ted Sarandos, Chair; Miky Lee (Mie Kyung Lee), Vice-Chair; Kimberly Steward, Secretary; Jim Gianopulos, Treasurer; Patricia Bellinger Balzer; Jason Blum; Arnaud Boetsch; Olivier de Givenchy; David Dolby; Sidonie Seydoux Dumas; Eric Esrailian; Julia S. Gouw; Ray Halbritter; Tom Hanks; Bill Kramer; David Linde; Eva Longoria; Ryan Murphy; Isis Mussenden; Dominic Ng; Katherine L. Oliver; Alejandro Ramírez Magaña; Shira Ruderman; Regina K. Scully; Jacqueline Stewart; Emma Thomas; Janet Yang; and Kevin Yeaman. Brown joins Honorary Trustee Sid Ganis.
About Travis Knight and Effie T. Brown
Travis Knight, as LAIKA President and CEO, has led all key creative and business decisions at the studio since its founding in 2005. He was lead animator on Coraline (2009), producer on ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014), and Missing Link (2019), and he won the BAFTA Award for directing Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). Under his leadership, LAIKA has garnered worldwide distinction for its melding of the age-old craft of stop-motion with the most cutting-edge cinematic advances and manufacturing techniques. As a result, every LAIKA film has been nominated for an Animated Feature Film Oscar®. Kubo and the Two Strings also garnered a Visual Effects Oscar nomination, only the second time in the history of the Academy that an animated film was heralded in this way. Knight made his live-action directorial debut with Paramount’s hit film Bumblebee (2018). He is directing LAIKA’s next animated feature film Wildwood, which is the most ambitious stop-motion animated film ever attempted.
Knight sits on the boards of LAIKA and Nike. He, his wife Maryse Knight, and their family live in Oregon.
Effie T. Brown (Honorary Trustee) is the CEO and majority owner of Gamechanger Films, where she leads the charge in producing, developing, and financing content by and about women, POC, LGBTQ+, and people with disabilities.
Prior to joining Gamechanger Films, Brown produced Sundance Film Festival winners, Real Women Have Curves (2002), Dear White People (2014) and Rocket Science (2007). Turning to television, Brown appeared and produced HBO’s Project Greenlight as well as executive produced Lee Daniels’ Star on FOX and Disney Channel’s Zombies (2018).
In 2021, Gamechanger Films co-financed Netflix’s Passing (2021), starring Tessa Thompson. Other recent projects include Amazon’s Run Sweetheart Run (2020), and The Inspection (2022), which was a co-financing and producing venture with A24. The Inspection (2022) received three Independent Spirit Awards nominations, was honored at the GLAAD Awards, and won Outstanding Independent Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.
Gamechanger’s 2023 slate includes climate justice documentary Save Yourself! in partnership with TAZO Tea, Sorcerority, starring and co-produced by Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union, and Haant, a horror feature rooted in Gullah-Geeche mysticism.
As a distinguished member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Brown also serves on the Academy Museum Inclusion Advisory Committee and the Producers Branch Executive Committee.
Images: (left) Travis Knight, photo courtesy of LAIKA; (right) Effie T. Brown
About the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The Academy Museum is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. The museum advances the understanding, celebration, and preservation of cinema through inclusive and accessible exhibitions, screenings, programs, initiatives, and collections. Designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano, the museum’s campus contains the restored and revitalized historic Saban Building—formerly known as the May Company building (1939)—and a soaring spherical addition. Together, these buildings contain 50,000 square feet of exhibition spaces, two state-of-the-art theaters, the Shirley Temple Education Studio, and beautiful public spaces that are free and open to the public. These include: The Walt Disney Company Piazza and the Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby, which houses the Spielberg Family Gallery, Academy Museum Store, and Fanny’s restaurant and café. The Academy Museum exhibition galleries are open seven days a week, with hours Sunday through Thursday from 10am to 6pm and Friday and Saturday from 10am to 8pm.
The City of Santa Clarita has annexed three additional movie ranches into its Movie Ranch Overlay Zone (MROZ), including Blue Cloud Movie Ranch, 50’s Town, and Veluzat Movie Ranch
Santa Clarita, Calif. – The City of Santa Clarita has annexed three additional movie ranches into its Movie Ranch Overlay Zone (MROZ), including Blue Cloud Movie Ranch, 50’s Town, and Veluzat Movie Ranch, www.melodyranchstudio.com. Already one of the busiest film communities in Los Angeles County, Santa Clarita anticipates continued increases in filming as a result of the recent annexation.
In April 2013, the City became the first in Los Angeles County to create a MROZ as a way to support existing production and film businesses, while attracting new productions and film companies. Filming at properties located within this Zone benefit from reduced-cost permits and expedited permit processing time. Sable Movie Ranch, Rancho Maria and A Rancho Deluxe were the first three ranches to be included in the MROZ last year.
“The film industry has been a part of Santa Clarita’s business community for more than a century,” said Mayor Laurene Weste. “We are one of the busiest film communities in Los Angeles County, and are committed to developing innovative programs and incentives that help keep the State’s signature industry right here,” she added.
The MROZ provides the film industry with stability and certainty of being able to film at these ranches now and in the future. The MROZ also demonstrates the City’s commitment to the film industry, providing an incentive for film productions to relocate to Santa Clarita.
Santa Clarita is one of the most filmed Southern California film communities in the 30-Mile Zone because of its film-friendly practices and policies, as well as its film infrastructure, which includes nearly 10 movie ranches and more than 20 sound stages. In Fiscal Year 2013-2014, Santa Clarita set new film records with 1,370 film days representing an estimated $33.5 million in local economic impact from location filming alone. August 2014 was another record-breaking month for the film office, with a 19 percent increase in film days and 43 percent increase in economic impact when compared to the year prior.
The City of Santa Clarita is currently home to some of television’s most-watched programming, including “NCIS,” “Switched at Birth,” “The Bridge,” “Chasing Life,” “Franklin and Bash,” “Justified,” “Utopia” and “Wipeout.” For more information, please contact the Santa Clarita Film Office at 661-284-1425 or visit FilmSantaClarita.com.
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