PostWorks, New York Merges with Mobile Post Production Services Leader Orbit Digital

PostWorks, New York Merges with Mobile Post Production Services Leader Orbit Digital

NEW YORK and HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- PostWorks, New York (http://www.pwny.com/), the east coast's most comprehensive full-service film and High Definition post facility, has announced its merger with Orbit Digital (http://www.orbitdigital.com/), an international provider of mobile post production equipment and services to the feature film and television industries. The announcement was made by PostWorks' CEO David Rosen and PostWorks' COO Rob DeMartin, and by Orbit Digital's Managing Partner Alastair Binks, who has been appointed to the role of President for PostWorks, effective immediately.

For Orbit Digital, which becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of PostWorks, New York, the company's principals and staff members will continue to operate Orbit's existing facilities in Los Angeles, London and New York, while all existing PostWorks facilities will also remain in their present locations. Along with Alastair Binks, all of Orbit's key partners including Pete Conlin, Jonathan Hoffman, Eric Zeller, Chad Andrews and David Felts, will join the management team of PostWorks. Each company will continue to focus on developing their existing businesses while benefiting from the merger's combined resources.

"Through this merger," explained David Rosen, "Orbit's clients will have direct access to the full range of PostWorks' offerings, including film processing, telecine and 2K DI finishing, while PostWorks' clients will have the opportunity to work with Orbit for a complete range of location-based post solutions, supported by the hallmark standards of service which first attracted us to Orbit, and which have earned the respect of Hollywood's elite studios and filmmakers."

"We are widely known for embracing the latest technologies and continually striving to innovate state-of-the-art workflows for the benefit of our clients," explained Rob DeMartin, who is a co-owner of PostWorks, along with David Rosen. "With our addition of The Lab last year, our investments into DI technologies and the full extent of our services addressing every aspect of post production, we are now looking forward to joining the success of Orbit and all the people behind it. Looking ahead, we envision providing the most complete and sophisticated post-production solutions for the world's top filmmakers, beginning on their respective sets and wrapping-up with final master delivery."

Alastair Binks expressed these thoughts on PostWorks: "Orbit has had the opportunity to partner with a number of companies in the past to help provide a comprehensive package of services for our clients. More than any other company, PostWorks has impressed us with the speed and flexibility they've shown in embracing and investing in new technology, workflow ideas and the services required to help clients benefit from technology. As an independent company, it was refreshing to find a company that embraces the same entrepreneurial spirit and culture that Orbit was founded on."

Binks also commented on specific trends that make the union of Orbit with PostWorks especially practical. "We continue to see new opportunities for mobile services in both production and editorial locations that will enable a seamless transition back to the facility environment. The ability to manage data from capture to final delivery in a series of locations is an exciting opportunity that our clients have already identified as a critical path for the future of filmmaking."

A prominent global post-production consulting and equipment rental company, Orbit Digital serves both the feature film and broadcast industries from offices in Los Angeles and New York, including its Midtown NY facility, which offers a new HD color grading theater and also serves as the home for Orbit's Emmy Award-winning broadcast editorial division founded with Senior Editor, Derek Ambrosi.

Orbit's accomplishments include pioneering the workflow and providing the equipment for the first on-site HD digital preview suite -- created for Michael Mann and his crew on the film "Collateral." Earlier this year, the company played a similar role in enabling the first on-location shared HD editorial for another major feature film. The project involved three HD editorial systems on a shared HD Storage network with conform, projection and preview services available at the same location. Orbit currently has several films using the same technology and workflow in the field.

As a provider of leading-edge mobile editorial, color grading, conform and VFX compositing services, Orbit's high-level project work includes "The Da Vinci Code," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," "Inside Man," "The Lady in the Water," "Matchpoint," "The Departed," "The Devil Wears Prada," "Spiderman 2," "Spiderman 3" and Barry Sonnenfeld's "RV" -- as well as television projects for CBS, HBO, NBC, The Sci-Fi Channel, USA, Viacom and many others. Over the past two years, the company has managed projects and provided services for clients in Brisbane, Bucharest, London, Montreal, Prague, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Vancouver, Venice, Vienna and Winnipeg.

PostWorks has provided services for numerous network television series, including "The Wire," "The Sopranos," "30 Rock," "The Knights of Prosperity," "The Black Donnellys" and "The Bedford Diaries." Earlier this year, the company handled film processing and dailies telecine for seven network television pilots. Those network assignments, most of which came from Los Angeles-based production companies, represent the company's highest level of involvement in network television pilots since it was founded 11 years ago.

PostWorks' DI capabilities include 2K and 4:4:4 end-to-end solutions, including film scanning, color grading in a 30-seat theater environment, visual effects compositing, film recording and sound services. DI clients include Jonathan Demme's "Neil Young: Heart of Gold," Tom DiCillo's "Delirious," Michel Gondry's "Block Party," Ryan Fleck's "Half Nelson," Phil Morrison's "Junebug," Griffin Dunne's "Fierce People," Spike Lee's contribution to UNICEF's "All the Invisible Children," the 2004 Academy Award- nominated films "Asylum," "Capturing the Friedmans," "My Architect" and Oscar winner "The Fog of War," as well as IFC Films' 2003 Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominee "A Decade Under the Influence" and numerous theatrical spots, trailers and international broadcast campaigns. PostWorks' team also made major contributions to 2006 Oscar winner "The Moon and the Son," 2005 Oscar winner "Born Into Brothels," 2005 Oscar nominee "Tupac: Resurrection," 2005 Sundance Film Festival American Documentary Grand Jury Prize-winner "Why We Fight," 2005 Sundance American Documentary Audience Award-winner "Murderball" and 2003 Oscar winner "Bowling for Columbine," among many other high-profile film, television and short-form projects.

About PostWorks, New York

Since 1995, PostWorks, New York has emerged as the region's most comprehensive full-service film and High Definition post facility. PostWorks enlists an elite team of artists, engineers and producers and has optimized its entire operation for non-linear, High Definition and Digital Intermediate technologies. Located in SoHo, PostWorks sets itself apart by offering scalable production offices, Avid and Final Cut Pro edit suite rentals and the highest level of commitment to quality and customer service. Our clients include Oscar winning filmmakers, network and cable television programs and award winning commercials and music videos. For more information, please call 212-894-4000 or visit http://www.pwny.com/.

About Orbit Digital

Launched in New York in 1998, Orbit Digital opened its Los Angeles office in 1999 and quickly established itself amongst the world's leading post- production consulting and equipment rental companies. Catering to the needs of top feature film and broadcast clients worldwide, Orbit provides unsurpassed mobile and facility-based SD and HD creative editorial, conform and color-correction services. Orbit is a pioneer in providing custom, location-based post solutions, operating from locations in Los Angeles, London and New York, including its Midtown facility which is home to a new HD theater and screening room, as well as its Emmy Award-winning broadcast editorial division. For additional information, please visit http://www.orbitdigital.com/.

[NOTE TO EDITORS: Please visit this link to view/download high-resolution photos to accompany this story: http://www.darnellworks.com/pwny/nr0044.htm]

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: PostWorks, New York

CONTACT: Roger Darnell, DWA for PostWorks, New York, +1-828-264-8898,
rd@darnellworks.com, or Hayli Halper of PostWorks, New York, +1-212-894-4000,
hayli@pwny.com

Web site: http://www.pwny.com/
http://www.orbitdigital.com/
http://www.darnellworks.com/pwny/nr0044.htm

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