Senior CG Generalist David Carlson, formerly of Digital Domain, joins the ArsenalFX post production team; Cortney Haile is promoted to head of operations; Casey Conroy is named VFX director.
Santa Monica, CA -- Visual effects studio ArsenalFX, which specializes in high-end commercial finishing, has expanded its in-house team. David Carlson has joined ArsenalFX as Senior CG Generalist, after having served as Senior CG Generalist for many years at Digital Domain. Cortney Haile has been promoted to Head of Operations for ArsenalFX, while Casey Conroy has joined the company as VFX Director.
“Our business has been booming, and as a result, it was simply time to bolster our personnel to keep up with client demand,” ArsenalFX Executive Producer Ashley Hydrick said in making the announcement. “We are truly excited to be adding David and Casey to our team, while Cortney’s promotion is also certainly well deserved.”
Prior to joining ArsenalFX, David Carlson served as Senior CG Generalist at Digital Domain, where he first worked from 2003 until 2005, and then rejoined the company in 2010. During his time at DD, Carlson worked on David Fincher's Clio-winning TV spot, “Gamebreaker," for Nike. Carlson’s other high-profile projects during his tenure with DD included work on Nike’s “Biomorph” spot (Clio Award nominated, and a VES Award winner); a Toyota GT86 spot (VES Award nominated); the Nine Inch Nails “Only” music video, directed by David Fincher; the Halo 4 “Neuron” game trailer (directed by Joe Kosinski); and the feature films Tron Legacy and Oblivion and X-Men: First Class.
Carlson’s background in visual effects stems from a lifelong practice of traditional art, illustration, sculpting and painting. For over 20 years, his quest to always improve his CG generalist skills has earned him numerous awards in the industry. While working in-house with Area 51 VFX, the company won an Emmy Award for HBO’s From the Earth to the Moon, executive produced by Tom Hanks. Carlson has also held in-house positions with such other leading VFX studios as Riot Pictures, Method Studios, Netter Digital, Cantina Pictures, Powderkeg Pictures, Hidden Fortress and Rogue State. He has also collaborated with various industry leaders including Zoic, Blur, and Make Inc., among others.
One particularly noteworthy project Carlson worked on was for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) during its Mars Science Laboratory Rover mission. For that mission, Carlson helped digitally recreate and look-dev the descent stage “Sky Crane” for JPL’s pre-enactment animations. Today, his name is literally on the planet Mars, after JPL invited him to sign a guest book that was sent up along with the rover!
Cortney Haile now serves ArsensalFX as its new Head of Operations, having been promoted from her previous position as an Account Executive. She first joined the company in 2011. A native of the East Coast, Haile began her career in broadcast journalism as a news producer in both radio and television. Upon relocating to Los Angeles, she focused her attention on feature film production. Combining her knowledge of fast-paced television production with her experience in sales and marketing, she worked as a feature film producer, before establishing her own production company, M E Films.
Accepting a position at Lionsgate Films, Haile next segued into the world of post production. From there, she made the jump to the vendor side of the business, becoming an Account Executive with 2G Digital Post. She joined ArsenalFX following that her tenure in that position.
Prior to joining ArsenalFX, Casey Conroy most recently served as a visual effects producer and on-set visual effects supervisor for Warner Bros. Digital Distributionʼs videogame “Mortal Kombat Legacy: Season 2.” Conroy has worked in post production for nearly 20 years, primarily serving as a visual effects producer and/or visual effects supervisor. In those roles, he has led teams in the creation of visual effects, CGI, and motion graphics for commercials, episodic television, feature films, and special venue projects.
Conroy has worked with many commercial clients, including: Mercedes, Jaguar, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, Cadillac, Honda, Nike, Adidas, Coke, Intel, Gatorade, Budweiser, Bud Light, Miller, McDonalds, DirecTV, AT&T, Verizon, FedEx, Activision, and Ubisoft. In addition, he has worked on several Super Bowl commercials, including spots for Intel, Budweiser, Bud Light, AMP Energy Drink and Cars.com.
Among the feature films on which Conroy worked are The Amazing Spider-Man II, The Day After Tomorrow, The Bucket List, and Drive. His episodic television credits include “Six Feet Under,” “Itʼs Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “George Lopez,” “The Drew Carey Show,” and “Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” among others. Conroy has contributed visual effects to numerous projects which have been recognized with prestigious industry honors, including Clio, Cannes Lion, AICP, Effie and Mobius Awards.
Source: Arsenal FX
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
