Weta’s Richard Taylor represents New Zealand at Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year
Richard Taylor, co-founder of Weta Workshop and Digital and representing New Zealand, was one of 47 business leaders from 39 companies competing for the title of Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year over the weekend. All have won national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year titles and were in Monte Carlo representing their countries in the world’s only global business award.
Guy Laliberté, the founder and CEO of Cirque du Soleil was named Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year for 2007. Guy Laliberté represented Canada at the Awards.
Richard said he was thrilled to have been part of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards. “I am extremely honoured to have been among the astounding talent which is here in Monte Carlo. It has been an immensely enriching and rewarding experience to meet and socialise with people from around the world who are at the top of their game,” he said.
Richard says he dedicated his Monte Carlo experience to the team that supported his and partner Tania Roger’s creative vision. “My involvement in this competition recognizes the successes Weta has achieved with the combined support of a team that embody four key traits: passion, enthusiasm, tenacity and talent. Tania and I could not have achieved our creative goals without this crew, and for that, I dedicate this experience to them.”
Richard has been in Monte Carlo for the past week, meeting the international independent panel of eight judges that included former Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year winners and judges.
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards director Roger Hatrick-Smith, who was with Richard in Monte Carlo, said Richard’s participation in Monte Carlo represents New Zealand’s ability to successfully participate in the global business environment.
“It’s a great barometer of New Zealand business, to have Richard Taylor representing us on the world stage. The opportunity to showcase Richard, his business and New Zealand business within this forum is invaluable,” he said.
Richard commented that all of the 46 other finalists were making impressive and significant contributions to global business and to be part of this group was an honour.
“There were contestants such as Canada’s Guy Laliberté who took Cirque du Soleil to the world and India’s Tulsi Tanti who started Suzlon, which is now the fifth largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world. All of these people had highly inspirational business stories to tell. Meeting them and many others in this environment has been inspiring,” he said.
Richard began what would grow to become Weta as a small effects business, with his partner Tania Rodger, in the back of their Wellington flat in 1987.
Richard Taylor, with his co-directors Peter Jackson and Jamie Selkirk, have made Weta into a multi-million dollar business, which operates out of a 65,000 square foot facility in Wellington and provides physical and digital effects for films, advertisements and television shows, as well as now diversifying into high end collectibles, publishing, commercial chainmaille manufacturing and television production.
Along the way, Richard has personally won five Oscars and been involved with the highly acclaimed The Lord of the Rings trilogy and most recently King Kong.
Entries are now open for New Zealand’s 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, which will be announced at an award banquet on 14 November, 2007.
Variety is reporting that New Line is getting sued again over Lord of the Rings profits, this time by a group of Kiwi actors. The actors feel that some questionable accounting has made it impossible to ever get paid a “5 percent of net revenue” clause outlined in contracts from merchandising based on characters they portrayed. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Wednesday.
This sounds similar to the contentions of Peter Jackson that New Line is participating in unfair accounting practices that keep talent from getting paid. Jackson and New Line are famously litigating over money on that front, although a New Line official said last week at the Cannes film festival that he thinks it will be settled. Lots of news stories are circulating that New Line’s new fantasy film “The Golden Compass” is being marketed as LOTR IV.
Those filing the lawsuit aren’t Hollywood stars but the names will be familiar to TORnados: Noel Appleby, Jed Brophy, Mark Ferguson, Ray Henwood, Bruce Hopkins, William Johnson, Nathaniel Lees, Sarah McLeod, Ian Mune, Paul Norell, Craig Parker, Robert Pollock, Martyn Sanderson, Peter Tait and Stephan Ure.
The full Variety story can be found right here.
Iain writes: Spotted an article in my local paper (Evening Advertiser) that caught my eye immediately:
“A top scientist is to reveal the secrets behind the magic of Harry Potter. At the Cheltenham Science Festival;, in June, fans of both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings will have the opportunity to find out how computer technology created the films’ special efforts.
At the festival presentation, sponsored by the Swindon-based British Computer Society, Andrew Fitzgibbon, the winner of the 2006 BCS Needham Award, will present Screen Magic, about the use of computer vision in creating 3D special effects for the film industry. He will illustrate how he uses technology to bend the audiences’ perception of what they are watching.
He is a senior researcher at the Microsoft Research, Cambridge, UK and researches the intersection of computer vision and computer graphics, with excursions into neuroscience, which have allowed him to work on the special effects for Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings among other films.
He will be joined by Andrew Daffy, who will explain the secrets behind the magic of his work which includes the James Bond opening titles and BBC2 tags.”
Link to specific event: cheltenhamfestivals.com
Details on Andrew Fitzgibbon
Details on Andrew Daffy (imdb)
From WETANZ.com: Weta Designer Stephen Crowe returns to the forums to answer as many questions as he can on NZ Thurs 31 May. Here are some of the highlights from last week’s blitz…
Here’s a snippet:
What was your first project with Weta and what was your best?
Stephen: “I was originally brought in to work on the Neon Genesis Evangelion live action movie – which was good fun, and a very steep learning curve for me. The BEST one is probably what I’m working on right now – which of course I can’t talk about!”
How do you find managing the often competing demands of a full work week, extra-hours freelance work, family, socialising and personal projects?
Stephen: “It’s really incredibly difficult to fit it all in, and to say that I’m ‘managing’ these aspects of my life would be grossly unfair to that word!
“Progressing some personal projects is becoming more and more important to me … in particular a graphic novel concept that I’ve been kicking around for a wee while now.. the book takes place somewhere else, or sometime else (is that specific enough?), or probably BOTH, and the main character is a freelancing engineer who is offered a lucrative and attractive contract to go and work on a nearby island that is populated by a mysterious but benevolent race of beings who have largely kept to themselves since their arrival quite some time ago. The engineer ends up becoming involved in a SINISTER PLOT, no less!
“So lots of fun sci-fi design opportunities to keep me happy, and some action/drama to pull it all together. The challenging part will be writing the thing – so maybe a collaboration is in order, as I’ve never written fiction. So utilising my spare half hour per month to it’s fullest, I should be done by about 2047! Keep an eye out…”
Weta Designer Daniel Falconer and a mystery designer also jumped onto the Forums to join in, too!
Congratulations to Weta Forum members Ulrik_fC, hsaunderson, Targos, oldduffer and Arranz, who won a King Kong poster signed by Stephen himself.
Stephen will be hopping on again tomorrow NZ Thurs 31 May (that’s Weds to those of you in North America), so make sure if you haven’t already, you sign up and create an account (free!) to chat to Stephen and the crew.
Fresh off his visit from ‘The Tonight Show’, Orlando Bloom headed over to the ‘Ellen Degeneres Show’ to promote ‘Pirates III’. Take a look at the clips below!
Orlando Bloom on ‘Ellen’ Part 1
Add to My Profile More VideosOrlando Bloom on ‘Ellen’ Part 2
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This may be too little too late, however I now have the clips from Orlando Bloom’s visit to ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ from earlier this month. Take a look!
Orlando Bloom on ‘Jay Leno’ Part 1
Add to My Profile More VideosOrlando Bloom on ‘Jay Leno’ Part 2
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