The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), the trade organization serving the professional community that provides expertise, support, tools and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of media content, has named industry leader and former HPA president Leon Silverman to lead the HPA Industry Recovery Task Force (IRTF). Regarded as one of the most respected experts in production and post, Silverman is a founder of HPA and continues to serve on its Board. Over the course of his decades long career, he has held executive roles at major studios and entertainment companies including Netflix, The Walt Disney Studios, Kodak and LaserPacific. In these roles, he has focused on the intersection of technology and creativity, working closely with a number of key industry organizations.

As announced earlier, the Industry Recovery Task Force is focused on the sustainable resumption of the production and postproduction industry service sector with the aim of understanding how to enable content creation in an evolving world impacted by the pandemic crisis. The task force’s upcoming virtual Town Hall events will share the latest health and safety, technical and creative best practices and encourage global community dialogue.

Silverman noted, “We are at a pivotal moment at an important and challenging time in our industry.  While the pandemic forces us to evolve the way we work to effectively create and deliver content, we also have a real opportunity to not just get back to work, but to move our industry forward. This Task Force will mobilize experts, artists, and technological visionaries from a range of disciplines to thoughtfully collaborate on industry evolution and innovation. The HPA is well suited to help create a common ground and forum for this conversation and while we may not be in the same room, we can still help bring our industry together. I sincerely believe we can emerge from this current crisis stronger and focused on enhancing creativity and content creation itself.”

The first IRTF Town Hall will be held in July.  HPA plans to continue this format over the following months as the impact of the pandemic evolves. These events will present the latest knowledge and processes for individuals and companies at work on sets, in post-on-set environments, visual effects companies, studios, production companies, and postproduction entities.  The first event will feature a panel of experts including medical experts, scientists, political leaders, postproduction artists, and members of guilds. Video case studies will take us behind the scenes to learn how facilities and companies have managed the challenges of the pandemic.

“It is extremely important,” noted Silverman, “to collaborate with the key individuals who have scientific knowledge as well as those who have already set standards for returning to work to make sure we are in sync with their guidelines and can educate our HPA community. Ultimately, our aim is to build an incredibly collaborative, creative, and technically sound future.”

The specific schedule and speakers for the upcoming town halls will be announced shortly.

Seth Hallen, HPA president said, “The IRTF Town Hall represents the next chapter of how the HPA will engage and bring value to our community and industry. There is simply no one who could take the reins of the IRTF with more skill and leadership than Leon, and the HPA Board remains as passionate and dedicated as ever to creating venues for education and connectivity that deliver real impact. This is more than simple panel discussions, this will be a thought leading, interactive launchpad for our industry’s next steps.”