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Last month, moved by the events of the pandemic and its impact on the industry, HPA announced the formation of an Industry Recovery Task Force (IRTF), focused on the sustainable resumption of the production and postproduction industry service sector, aimed at understanding how to enable content creation in an evolving world impacted by the global crisis. Now, HPA has named industry leader and former HPA president Leon Silverman as chair for this important effort. Regarded as one of the most respected experts in production and post, Silverman is a founder of HPA and continues to serve on its Board. He was honored with an HPA Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2015.  In executive roles at major studios and entertainment companies over the past decades, including Netflix, The Walt Disney Studios, Kodak and LaserPacific, he has focused on the intersection of technology and creativity, working closely with a number of key industry organizations.

“We are at a pivotal moment at an important and challenging time in our industry.  While the pandemic forces us to evolve the way we work to effectively create and deliver content, we also have a real opportunity to not just get back to work, but to move our industry forward. This Task Force will mobilize experts, artists, and technological visionaries from a range of disciplines to thoughtfully collaborate on industry evolution and innovation. The HPA is well suited to help create a common ground and forum for this conversation and while we may not be in the same room, we can still help bring our industry together. I sincerely believe we can emerge from this current crisis stronger and focused on enhancing creativity and content creation itself.”

Details are forthcoming for a series of virtual Town Hall events, bringing together the latest health and safety, technical and creative best practices to our industry and encourage global community dialogue. The first IRTF Town Hall will be held in July, moderated by Hollywood Reporter Tech Editor Carolyn Giardina.  HPA plans to continue this format over the following months as the impact of the pandemic evolves. These events will present the latest knowledge and processes for individuals and companies at work on sets, in post-on-set environments, visual effects companies, studios, production companies, and post production entities.  The first event will feature a panel of experts including medical experts, scientists, political leaders, post production artists, and members of guilds.

“It is extremely important,” noted Silverman, “to collaborate with the key individuals who have scientific knowledge as well as those who have already set standards for returning to work to make sure we are in sync with their guidelines and can educate our HPA community. Ultimately, our aim is to build an incredibly collaborative, creative, and technically sound future.”

The specific schedule and speakers for the upcoming town halls will be announced shortly.  To learn more, visit hpaonline.com.