Light Iron expands colourist roster and leadership team

Light Iron, an industry leader in providing innovative post-production creative services and part of Panavision’s end-to-end offerings for content creators, has expanded its pool of creative talent with the hiring of colourist Arianna Shining Star. The company has also announced that post-production veteran Liam Ford has joined Light Iron’s leadership team as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technical Operations.

Working from Light Iron’s Los Angeles facility, Arianna will support clients globally by providing her creative expertise on features, series and more. “Arianna brings a wealth of experience, including narrative work that’s been featured at such prestigious festivals as Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW and Camerimage,” said Seth Hallen, Managing Director at Light Iron. “Her expertise, creativity and keen eye make for an ideal complement to our renowned team, and her extensive body of work for some of the industry’s top studios and clients will further bolster the caliber of artistry that Light Iron is known for.”

With a background in painting, drawing and psychology, Arianna approaches her work with a balance of fine art and narrative insight. Light Iron’s clients will be able to tap into the experience evident in Arianna’s narrative credits, which includes the features The Fallout for HBO Max and Ibiza for Netflix. In the short-form arena, Arianna’s portfolio includes campaigns for Nike, Audi, Budweiser, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Coca-Cola and music videos for such artists as Rihanna and Cardi B. Her credits also include features and series for Vertical Entertainment, Hulu, Nickelodeon and Peacock.

“Colour grading is a beautiful synergy of art, science and storytelling, and I’m thrilled to be part of a team that is driven by that mission,” said Arianna. “Light Iron has a long-established history of incredible work both artistically and technically, consistently pushing technology forward and developing innovative workflows that enable us to lean into the creative and tell stories more effectively. I love developing show LUTs and being a part of lens and camera tests, and Light Iron’s partnership with Panavision will allow me to further support the creatives during early stages of look development through the final DI.”

As SVP of Engineering and Technical Operations, Ford oversees Light Iron’s technology initiatives and the company’s engineering teams across North America. His extensive background in post production includes key technology roles with Deluxe, Company 3 and most recently Sim, where he served as senior vice president of post engineering. Based out of Light Iron’s Los Angeles office, Ford reports directly to Hallen.

“Liam brings a wealth of experience in post production, and he’s a natural leader and innovator,” said Hallen. “The expertise he brings to Light Iron will help to guide our ongoing innovations and keep us at the forefront of post-production technology and workflows. Liam shares our pioneering spirit for giving clients the freedom and flexibility to see their projects across the finish line exactly as they envision and with unparalleled efficiencies, wherever and however they choose to work.”

“From its beginning, Light Iron has been pushing the envelope in post-production with a future-focused strategy,” said Ford. “They continue to maintain that culture of innovation, and I’m looking forward to helping Light Iron push forward even further and achieve its vision. It’s exciting to join such an encouraging, supportive and high-energy environment — I can’t wait to dig in!”

Light Iron’s facilities in Los Angeles and New York each offer the full breadth of creative finishing services, while the company’s locations in Atlanta, Albuquerque, Chicago, New Orleans, Toronto and Vancouver offer dailies services and remote sessions. With unparalleled remote capabilities for dailies, offline editorial rentals, and colour and finishing, Light Iron’s class-leading services are available to filmmakers working anywhere in the world.