Optimus announced today that they are welcoming aboard Editor/Partner Angelo Valencia, Editor Matt Glover, VFX Supervisor Ryan Wood, Senior Producer Joanna Woods and Assistant Editor Emily Hayes to join the leading production and post house. This team most recently worked together at the Chicago office of Beast/Company 3/Method Studios, and are slated to officially start on April 16.
“We are thrilled to welcome some of the most impressive editorial and VFX talent Chicago has to offer,” said Optimus President Tom Duff. “Angelo is one of the world’s elite editors, but what really sets him apart is his sincerity as a human being, and his loyalty and commitment to his people. We look forward to having him and his core team of Matt, Joanna, Emily, and Ryan join our Optimus family.”
Editor/Partner Angelo Valencia has spent the last 20 years helping create award-winning content for screens of all sizes. He has edited commercials, short films, documentaries, music videos, and feature films. Angelo’s client partners include BMW, Capital One, Southwest Airlines, Walgreens and many more. Angelo has worked on both coasts and now proudly calls Chicago home. An avid traveler and lover of all things bacon, Angelo is constantly searching for the best karaoke bar. Check out Angelo’s reel here.
“The beauty and excitement of this merger is that it truly feels like a puzzle is being solved, with all the necessary pieces fitting together to create a stronger company,” said Valencia. “I am excited to be part of the Optimus family that has been very gracious to me and welcoming to the team. We cannot wait to continue to collaborate with all our friends and clients the best way we know how.”
Editor Matt Glover, with 10 years experience, has cut two Emmy Award-winning films, including “Chicago: The Most American City,” a short film for NATO, and “Emergence,” a film about dance. He’s cut work for Apple, Maui Jim, Nintendo, SC Johnson and Walmart, among others. A Detroit Native, Matt has called Chicago home for the past 15 years. He enjoys sailing, music and all two-wheeled forms of transportation. You can see his reel here.
VFX Supervisor Ryan Wood creates high-end visual effects, including compositing, finishing, CGI/3D animation and on-set VFX supervision. Ryan has helped deliver original, award-winning feature film and commercial content for a wide variety of clients including the Super Bowl Pacman commercial for Bud Light, the VFX for the commercial release of Nintendo's last Star Fox game, and the finish and compositing for the award-winning "Dad and Andy" for Whirlpool. See more of his work here.
Senior Producer Joanna Woods brings eight years experience overseeing all aspects of the post process. She is second-to-none as a senior-level producer, and has such an engaging and charismatic vibe that she inspires those around her to do their best, most creative work. She has post-produced campaigns for brands including Allstate, Coors Light, Hallmark, Kellogg’s and Walmart, as well as Pearl Jam’s documentary film, “Let’s Play Two.”
Assistant Editor Emily Hayes brings six years experience as an editorial assistant, both at premiere post houses and as a freelancer. Winner of Camp Kuleshov Tent City 2014, she has assisted for brands such as Always, Capital One, McDonald’s, Miller Lite and Reebok. Emily is passionate about documentary content and has collaborated on biographical shorts for athletes including Josh Gordon, Mike Marjama, Justin Pugh and JJ Redick. She has also cut music videos and social content for artists including Neko Case.
About Optimus
Optimus is a leading production and post-production house located in Chicago. A true one stop shop, Optimus and its production arm One at Optimus offer a full suite of creative services, including production, editing, color correction, visual effects and design, audio mixing and finishing. For more information, please visit www.optimus.com, http://design.optimus.com and www.oneatoptimus.com. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Optimus161 and www.facebook.com/OneAtOptimus.
