William Vaughan joins Splashlight as Animation Director

Joe Zeff has informed me that we might be able to have future meetings at his studio.
There is an open invitation to Splashlight's open house on May 8th. Joe mentions, "Just make sure that anyone who wants to come sends an e-mail to rsvp@splashlight.com." So please click the rsvp link.  It's exciting news that William is now in NewYork. 

William Vaughan joins Splashlight as Animation Director
NewTek sponsors May 8 open house to welcome William to New York City

Splashlight is pleased to announce the hiring of William Vaughan as its first-ever Animation Director, expanding the capabilities of its creative division to include television commercials, video games and animated programming.

To celebrate William’s arrival, Splashlight plans an open house at its Soho headquarters on Friday, May 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event is sponsored by NewTek, makers of LightWave 3D software. Splashlight and other major studios use LightWave 3D to create computer-generated imagery (CGI) for print, animation and interactive content. Refreshments will be served, and a free copy of LightWave 3D (retail value: $995) will be given as a door prize.

“I can’t imagine a better addition to our team,” said Joe Zeff, Splashlight’s Creative Director. “All of a sudden we’re able to produce commercials and feature films. We’re now able to provide our clients with true multi-platform content — CGI for print, video and interactive.”

William comes to Splashlight from the Digital Animation and Visual Effects School at Universal Studios in Florida, where he was Director of Industry Relations and Head of Curriculum. He has personally trained hundreds of students to become professional animators at major studios such as Rhythm and Hues, Digital Domain and EA Sports. Among his prized pupils: the art department at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and actor Dick Van Dyke. He recently worked with Pixar Animation Studios on characters for “Partly Cloudy,” a short film coming to theaters May 29.

“I'm extremely excited to be part of such an amazingly talented team,” said Vaughan, 34. “Splashlight is the perfect breeding ground to develop animated shorts and features.”

When it comes to LightWave 3D, William wrote the book. Literally. The 1,400-page manual that comes with every copy of LightWave 3D was written by William and his colleagues. For the past six years, he has worked for NewTek as its LightWave Evangelist, training CGI artists throughout the world and authoring more than 300 tutorials and instructional videos. He has played a major role in the evolution of the industry-leading software that is used extensively by Splashlight’s creative team.

William has been published by every major CGI magazine, as well as contributing to 17 books. He has written and directed several award-winning films, and has worked on commercials for well-known brands that include Compaq, Care Bears and Sky Dancers. He has created thousands of original computer-generated characters, including Tofu the Vegan Zombie, which is sold as a collectible toy and featured in an animated short film that has been shown at film festivals worldwide. To view William’s character work, visit www.splashlightcreative.com/characters.mov

William joins a team at Splashlight that is redefining the way that companies create imagery for advertising, marketing and publishing. By combining computer-generated imagery with photography and creative retouching, Splashlight produces content that can be multipurposed for print, web and video. The creative team has produced artwork for hundreds of major magazine covers, including Newsweek, Time and Rolling Stone. Recent advertising clients include Pepsi, M&Ms, Chrysler and Porsche. For more information, visit www.splashlightcreative.com

Splashlight is located at One Hudson Square, 75 Varick Street (at the corner of Canal Street), Third Floor, New York City. To RSVP to the May 8 open house, send an e-mail to rsvp@splashlight.com.

For more information or press inquiries, contact Creative Director Joe Zeff at 646-536-9165, or jzeff@splashlight.com

---

About NewTek
Benefiting producers and artists with its cost-effective and ground-breaking technologies, NewTek Inc. is a leader in portable live production, video editing, 3D animation and special effects tools, including LightWave 3D® and the TriCaster™ product line. NewTek has won numerous industry accolades, including two Emmy® Awards. NewTek products have been used in blockbuster films and television shows, including “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “300,” “Hancock,” “Tropic Thunder,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Lost” and more. Clients include: Fox News, BBC, NHL, NBA Development League, MTV, VH1, the Steve Harvey Radio Show, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). NewTek is privately owned and based in San Antonio, Texas.  For more information, visit www.newtek.com

About Splashlight
Splashlight provides next-generation content solutions for advertising agencies, major brands and publishing companies, blending technology with creativity to deliver high-quality, cost-effective imagery. At its 60,000 sq. ft. headquarters in New York City, Splashlight caters to the world’s leading photographers with top-quality studios, equipment rental and digital capture. Splashlight develops custom solutions for retailers requiring photography and video for e-commerce, and its creative division uses computer-generated imaging (CGI) to produce print, animation and interactive content for advertising agencies, major brands and publishing companies. Recent clients include Calvin Klein, Target, Pepsi, Chrysler, M&Ms and Porsche. Splashlight is privately owned, with locations in New York City and Miami. For more information, visit www.splashlight.com