San Diego-area 2D-to-3D conversion company Legend3D has named Rob Hummel president of the company.
Hummel comes from 3D conversion competitor Prime Focus, where he was CEO of post production for North America at the 13-year-old company that has worked on visual effects and conversions for many TV shows, video games, and most infamously recently, the much maligned “Clash of the Titans” theatrical post production conversion from 2D-to-3D.
Hummel will be based at Legend3D’s Los Angeles office and play a highly strategic role, closely collaborating with Geoff Goodman, Legend3D’s executive vice president of new business development, in directing top projects and studio relationships. This appointment will allow Barry Sandrew, company founder and current president to better focus his energy on 3D/VFX technology development and creative oversight of feature films and commercial projects.
The expansion of Legend3D’s executive team is a direct response to the influx of feature film, broadcast commercial, and catalog film conversion projects; Legend3D’s much-praised conversion of “Alice in Wonderland” for Disney; as well as its ongoing 3D work for several major Hollywood studios.
“Rob’s unique strategic knowledge of film and digital entertainment, backed by his comprehensive knowledge and experience in cinematography, post production, animation, film restoration, and all aspects of digital capture, scanning compositing and visual effects will greatly strengthen Legend3D’s ability to continue its mission, said Barry Sandrew, founder, COO and CTO of Legend3D. “He will help produce the seamless, highest-quality 3D storytelling experience that renowned film makers have come to expect from us.”
Prior to Prime Focus, Hummel was the president of Digital Cinema at DALSA Corporation, where he led the charge into the motion picture industry for the company’s 4K camera. He also worked on numerous high-profile projects, including “The Dark Knight,” for which he helped test the post production pipeline and proof of concept to deliver the film in IMAX format. Hummel has also held senior vice president positions at Warner Bros.—where he advised on motion picture technologies, including digital restoration work for “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz”—and at SONY, where he led the development of the company’s Digital Cinema strategy. Additionally, Hummel’s vast portfolio within the filmmaking industry includes leadership positions at Technicolor, DreamWorks Animation and The Walt Disney Company.
Hummel is an associate member of the American Society of Cinematographers and also serves on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Science and Technology Council. He has hosted numerous Academy events, covering a variety of subjects from film formats to 3D cinematography, and also has taught at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2006, Hummel was honored by ShoWest as a pioneer in the digital cinema field, recognizing his ongoing contributions in advancing the digital cinema.
— By Scott Hettrick