People on the Move

Jay D. Roth, the Directors Guild of America’s national executive director, announced two new executive appointments: Rachel Paster is joining the DGA as assistant executive director in the Guild’s New York offices, and Steven Knauss has been promoted to assistant executive director in the Guild’s Los Angeles headquarters.

Paster will be involved in the administration of the Guild’s film and television agreements and represent assistant directors and unit production managers in the Eastern region. Paster, who will report to Eastern executive director Neil Dudich, will also serve as staff liaison to the Guild’s Eastern AD/UPM Council.

In his new role, Knauss will represent assistant directors and unit production managers in the Western region, serve as the staff liaison to the Guild’s Western AD/UPM Council, and oversee matters related to set safety. Knauss will report to Western executive director Danny Bush.

Roth said of Pater and Knauss, “Their labor relations and union experience will be a valuable asset in negotiating and enforcing DGA agreements. We look forward to putting their extensive experience and skills to use in the service of our AD and UPM members.”

Paster has more than 15 years of experience in union-side labor law. Prior to joining the DGA, she was a partner in the labor law firm Lewis, Clifton & Nikolaidis where she focused on representing labor unions in contract negotiations. She has also worked for Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP and Cary Kane LLP, as well as the County Attorney for Nassau County, New York. Paster received both her B.A. and J.D. from the University of Michigan.

Knauss joined the Guild in 2013 as a field representative. Prior to that, he held a number of positions in Nevada and Florida Locals of the Service Employees International Union where he most recently served as healthcare division director and chief negotiator for Local 1107. Knauss received both his B.A. and M.A. from Appalachian State University.

Design-driven production company Transistor Studios has hired Nicola Finn as executive producer. The Londoner has joined the team at Transistor’s headquarters in Brooklyn where she will help to generate new business from around the globe. Her new role also involves production and talent recruitment.

Finn has extensive experience in film production, having worked at agencies and brands around the world including Mother, Wieden + Kennedy, 180, BBH and Nike. Most recently she was managing director and EP for three years at Passion Pictures, a multiple Oscar-winning international animation and film company.

In 2008, when she launched Strange Beast, a London design-focused production company, Finn signed Transistor Studios for UK representation. Together with Transistor’s exec producer, Damon Meena, executive creative director Aaron Baumle and creative director Jamie Rockaway, she produced the multi award-winning BBC “Medieval Mind” trailer.

Finn’s appointment has coincided with the studio winning the pitch to re-brand Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite channel. Transistor has also recently released several new projects, including titles and in-program graphics for Showtime docuseries “Dark Net” and a series of promos for new History Channel series “Join or Die”, which use a unique illustrative look combined with a mix of cel and 2D animation to mirror the tone of the series. Finn will be based in the new Transistor Studios headquarters on Wythe Avenue in Brooklyn. The studio’s warehouse feel is complemented by custom-built and vintage furnishings. Artwork has been specially created by the Transistor team, including a mural designed by art director Lyejm Kallas-Lewis and painted by Lauren Meena.

Cut+Run has hired Bebe Baldwin as executive producer of its Austin office. Baldwin is a former producer for GSD&M, with deep experience in advertising and branded content projects from concept through finish.

During her career at GSD&M, Baldwin produced campaigns for such brands as AT&T, BMW, Marshalls, Southwest, and Walgreens. Agency insight and appreciation of client needs are part of the producing approach that she carries into the EP role at Cut+Run. Baldwin will partner with editors Staci LeVan, Jay Nelson, and the array of talent across Cut+Run locations to grow the Austin office, which has also added assistant editor Nick Kondylas.

“We have been considering how to nurture our growing market and clients in Austin, and Bebe brings us that solution,” said Michelle Eskin, Cut+Run U.S. managing director. “She has a wealth of experience from her years as an agency producer at GSD&M, and also understands our mission to support our clients’ postproduction needs with stellar creativity and service.”

Cut+Run operates under a borderless philosophy making its editors available worldwide on location and via its offices in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin.  Cut+Run’s editing talent includes LeVan, Nelson, Nick Armstrong, Ben Campbell, Isaac Chen, Sally Cooper, Georgia Dodson, Frank Effron, Lucas Eskin, Steve Gandolfi, Jon Grover, TG Herrington, Akiko Iwakawa, Sam Jones, Gary Knight, Pete Koob, Dan Maloney, Joel Miller, Chris McKay, Sam Ostrove, Stacy Peterson, Nathan Perry-Green, Dan Robinson, Chris Roebuck, Robert Ryang, Jack Singer, Julian Tranquille and Graham Turner.

Veteran motion picture and television sound executive Paul Rodriguez has joined Roundabout Entertainment as VP of audio services and development. Rodriguez will lead audio postproduction operations and seek to build relationships with studios; theatrical, broadcast television and streaming producers; animation studios and the wider industry. Rodriguez’s background includes seven years as VP/director of feature sales at Todd-AO/Soundelux.

Roundabout has recently been growing its audio services and gaining new business, particularly in episodic television and animation. The facility has added two mix stages for broadcast work and plans to add a fifth stage with Dolby Atmos capabilities for theatrical projects. Current work includes the Warner Bros. series Person of Interest, now completing its fifth season,  NBC/Universal’s Faceoff and the Netflix original comedy Flaked. Audio work for the new HBO sci-fi series Westworld is slated to begin soon.

“Our audio operations have been performing extremely well, driven by the rise in television production and the quality of our talent,” says CEO Craig Clark. “Paul is the perfect choice to help continue our momentum. He brings experience, deep knowledge, great relationships and enthusiasm.”

Rodriguez’s career in sound spans more than 20 years. At Todd-AO/Soundelux, he helped lead sales for divisions that included some of the top sound editors and re-recording mixers in the industry. He connected studios and sound talent for scores of tent-pole movie releases. His background also includes nine years as sr. VP of Wilshire Stages, two years as director of sound services at 4MC and eight years as president of EFX Systems.

He was co-owner of the Eagle Eye Film Company, a supplier of picture editing systems, and served as its managing general partner for seven years. Well connected throughout the sound community, he currently is an executive board member and treasurer of the trade organization Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE). He also produces the MPSE’s annual Golden Reel Awards ceremony.

Rodriguez is energized by the challenge of building Roundabout’s sound department. “We see a lot of opportunities in television and streaming,” he said. “We’ve got first class facilities, great people and plan to be at the top of the class in all areas of sound.”

Roundabout’s audio services include sound design, sound editorial, ADR, Foley, restoration and mixing. It has four mix stages with Digidesign Icon consoles and Christie digital projectors, a Dolby Atmos-certified finishing stage, five ADR stages and a Foley stage. The company provides facilities for several independent sound companies including Atomic Sound Post, which handles sound editorial for Person of Interest. Audio services complement a slate of picture services that include editorial finishing, color correction and restoration.