As the recipient of the Los Angeles Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1997, Chernoff is recognized as a talented entrepreneur, helping to found and lead several successful post production companies that, in turn, have launched hundreds of post-production careers. He has built companies and impacted the industry by fostering innovation and by nurturing talented young people to develop their craft, believing that they are the key to a company’s, and hence the industry’s, future. At the vanguard of inventive, creative and collaborative professionals who have led the post production industry, he is a tireless champion of the industry, a keen interpreter of its strengths and needs, and an architect of its future.
Chernoff grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and attended New York’s School of Visual Arts. Between high school and college, at the age of 18, he landed a job as a “can carrier” at a commercial production house. Once there, he learned to sync dailies. When an editor called in sick, he was asked to fill in, thus beginning his editing career.
In 1974, Chernoff moved to Los Angeles and joined Filmcore, a recently formed commercial editing company. Within two years he became partner, going on to play a lead role in the founding of post houses Encore and R!OT. He served as President of 4MC, later Ascent Media Creative Services, overseeing operations in Los Angeles, New York and London.
Chernoff joined MTI Film as a board member in 2003 and was elevated to CEO in 2005. Under his stewardship, the company has become a leading independent provider of post-production finishing and restoration services. Its software division has been the source of products including DRS™ NOVA, an industry standard tool for digital restoration, and CORTEX, a family of solutions for dailies processing and workflow management.
In announcing the award, HPA President Seth Hallen said, “Larry is one of the most thoughtful and insightful leaders I have ever known. His sense of the industry, his understanding of its trends, and his ability to build successful facilities where creative people love to work make him incredibly worthy of this Lifetime Achievement Award. On a daily basis, I meet people who got their start under his tutelage. Larry has literally helped build the future of our industry through the talent he’s nurtured, the companies he’s built, and the innovations he’s created. I extend my congratulations to a brilliant and inspiring leader.”
In acknowledging the honor, Chernoff said “I am, of course, honored to be recognized by my peers. I follow an illustrious list of previous honorees who, like me, have dedicated their professional lives to the advancement of post production and its standing in the industry. I share this award with many people who have consistently partnered with me to create outstanding contributions to the work and industry we love.”
In addition to The Lifetime Achievement Award, other special awards, including Engineering Excellence, The Judges Award for Creativity and Innovation, and honors in twelve creative categories (editing, visual effects, sound and color grading) will be bestowed at the gala.
Tickets for the HPA Awards gala are available now. For further information, contact HPA.
About the HPA® Awards
The HPA Awards were created to foster awareness and recognize the achievements of the individuals and companies that have contributed to groundbreaking technologies and creative excellence within the professional media content industry, and build involvement in the Hollywood Professional Assciation. The HPA is a partner of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®). Information about the HPA Awards is available at www.hpaonline.com. The HPA Awards will be presented with generous support from Foundation Members and sponsors.
About the Hollywood Professional Association
Hollywood Professional Alliance (HPA®) serves the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide expertise, support, tools and the infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television, commercials, digital media and other dynamic media content. Through their partnership with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®), the leader in the advancement of the art, science and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem, the HPA continues to extend its support of the community it represents. Information about the HPA is available at www.hpaonline.com.
About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®)
Winner of an Oscar® and multiple Emmy® Awards, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers® (SMPTE®) is a global leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem. A professional membership association that is internationally recognized and accredited, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. For a century, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. Nearly 7,000 members – motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students – who meet in Sections worldwide, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with Hollywood Professional Association (HPA®), this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at http://www.smpte.org/join.
