Ex-Shine chief to lead special effects firm behind Gravity and Interstellar
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Version 0 of 1. Alex Mahon, the former chief executive of MasterChef and Broadchurch maker Shine Group, is to head the special special effects firm behind Hollywood blockbusters including Gravity and Interstellar. Mahon, who left the production company following its merger with Big Brother maker Endemol and American Idol producer Core Media last year, has joined as chief executive of The Foundry. Mahon, who helped build Shine into a £700m revenue production behemoth, said The Foundry is about the same size as Shine was when she joined in 2006. The Foundry has about 300 staff and makes around £40m in revenues annually, 90% of which are generated outside the UK, with offices in Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, Shanghai, London, Texas, Dublin and Manchester. “There are parallels,” said Mahon, who is one of the members of the department of culture, media and sport’s advisory panel on the BBC. “It is a UK-based international company of the sort of size Shine was when I was there. It is still the creative industry, but with a much more tech approach. ” The Foundry, which was acquired by HgCapital for £200m in July, is a design and visual effects software firm with film credits including Guardians of the Galaxy and technology licensing deals with Hollywood heavyweights such as Disney, Weta Digital and Sony Pictures Imageworks. Mahon, who started her career as a physicist, said she was motivated by how the company has adapted its model to go beyond special effects into areas including virtual reality and augmented reality. “It makes it more interesting to come into a place like this rather than another traditional production company role,” she said. “How do you bring together engineering and maths with advanced software and creative industries?” Former chief executive Bill Collis will remain as full-time president and board member. “I’m personally looking forward to focusing on identifying new initiatives and technology partnerships to maintain the company’s entrepreneurial spirit.” |