Ed Ulbrich, known for his long tenure at Digital Domain where he last served as CEO, has joined Deluxe Visual Effects as president and general manager, reporting to Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc.’s CEO John Wallace. Ulbrich will lead Deluxe’s Method Studios and Iloura, and unify global VFX operations to extend the scale and capabilities of services for motion pictures and advertising. Ulbrich will also drive and grow Deluxe VR, a dedicated unit leading the creation of virtual and mixed reality experiences for entertainment, communications and commerce.
“Method Studios and Iloura are doing extraordinary work in Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York and Australia,” Ulbrich said, “And there’s an enormous opportunity to unify the talented teams in other disciplines across Deluxe into a global VFX force–making the best use of different skill sets and the economics of different geographies to service clients on a much bigger scale. On the VR side, Deluxe has made a significant investment in helping clients in all areas understand this new medium by building the capabilities of a full service agency and creating groundbreaking new experiences. In both VFX and immersive content it’s an exciting time to be joining Deluxe.”
Ulbrich is a producer and former mainstay at Digital Domain, dating back to the company’s inception in 1993. He helped build, grow and manage one of the largest, most acclaimed, Academy Award-winning, digital production studios in the motion picture and advertising industries. In 20 years with Digital Domain, he held roles including executive producer, president of commercials, EVP of production, chief creative officer, and ultimately CEO, and was the architect of its advertising production business. His producing credits include Lionsgate/Summit’s 2013 feature Ender’s Game and the Tupac Shakur “hologram” for Dr. Dre’s and Snoop Dogg’s 2012 Coachella performance. Ulbrich executive produced the Academy Award-winning visual effects for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Titanic, and What Dreams May Come, along with other top features; music videos for Lady Gaga, Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson, among other artists; and more than 500 commercials. He is both a Cannes Lions Titanium Award winner (2012) and former Cannes Lions juror (2013).
Deluxe CEO John Wallace said, “Our capabilities in visual effects extend across features, television and advertising, with dedicated specialization in VR/AR and 2D-3D conversion. Bringing in someone of Ed’s caliber and experience helps us to be a global provider to our content partners, serve them in new ways and at increasing scale, with the highest quality visuals. His strength in leading teams to continually break new ground and his deep experience across the art, technology and business of VFX will be invaluable.”
Deluxe’s Method Studios recently completed 400-plus visual effects shots as a lead vendor on Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War and is in production on Marvel’s Dr. Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 along with major features from other studios, and VFX and design work on dozens of commercial productions for leading global brands.
