PITTSBURGH—Barbara Ford Grant has been appointed president of NEP Group’s newly formed NEP Prysm Stages business unit, the company said.
Part of NEP Virtual Studios, NEP Prysm Stages was launched in late 2021 to support the company’s growing global network of permanent stages designed for film and TV.
Ford Grant joins NEP from arts and entertainment company Meow Wolf where she served as CTO, overseeing its mixed-reality platform and IT divisions. She previously served as senior vice president of digital production services at HBO where she oversaw studio production and post-production operations and growth and next-gen technologies. Prior to that, she worked at entertainment companies Digital Domain, Sony Pictures Imageworks and DreamWorks Animation with credits including “Game of Thrones,” “Maleficent,” “Alice In Wonderland” and the “Shrek” franchise.
The newly appointed NEP Prysm Stages president currently serves as the chair of the Scientific and Technical Awards Committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is a member of the Technology Committee of the Visual Effects Society and recently worked as a strategy consultant to MovieLabs.
“We are excited to welcome Barbara to NEP Prysm Stages,” said Cliff Plumer, global president of NEP Virtual Studios. “We’re seeing another key inflection point in the entertainment industry where creative and technology changes – like virtual production – are revolutionizing the filmmaking process. Having been on both sides of the creative and technical processes, Barbara is excellent at building solutions that empower artists and storytelling, making her a perfect fit for NEP as we embark on leading our clients and the industry into the future.”
NEP’s virtual production capabilities, including in-camera visual effects (ICVFX), enable directors and creative teams to see an entire scene complete with visual effects and CG enhancements live on set and to restage, revise digital sets, make lighting changes and adjust camera angles on the spot.
In November 2021, NEP announced its first Prysm Stage at Trilith Studios in Atlanta. The stage is one of the world’s largest virtual production facilities, featuring a fully enclosed 80- x 90- x 26-foot virtual production volume in an 18,000-square-foot purpose-built soundstage.
“I am honored to join this world-class team and have the opportunity to lead NEP Prysm Stages at such an exciting time for the company and the burgeoning virtual production industry,” Ford Grant said. “Together with NEP’s team of technology and production experts and global reach, I see NEP Prysm Stages accelerating virtual production access and capabilities across the globe.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
