There are a few new faces at Running Pony Productions. Let’s meet a couple of them, shall we?
Savannah Bearden is our new Production Coordinator, a job that covers a lot of ground. When you’ve got a large amount of projects moving through the system as we do, you need someone with excellent attention to detail to help make sure everything happens like it should. It doesn’t hurt that she’s got a ton of experience in the business, working freelance as a producer and editor for the last 8 years. You may have seen her work on WKNO or on WYPL, the Library Channel. She’s also worked with her dad, local author and filmmaker Willie Bearden.
How does she like the Pony so far? “Basically, I love everyone who works here,” said Savannah. “I love the interactions with them, everyone’s got a really great sense of humor. Everyone’s real loose, even when we have stressful times. Any kind of tension is over really quickly. So, I think that’s probably my favorite part.” And she’s not just a behind-the-scenes person. She also went in front of the camera during a recent Running Pony shoot.
Science fiction and extracurricular activities helped Casey Latiolais, Running Pony’s new Graphic Artist and 3-D animator find his focus. Before Casey joined us, he was working on contract with ad agencies and directly with clients, handling everything from writing to shooting and editing. Casey became interested in video production while working on a marketing degree from Middle Tennessee State University, where some of his friends were in electronic media production. They needed someone to help edit and create special effects. His initial foray into graphic arts was to create light sabers for their production (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHueWwdIR7k).
Advances in technology make adding motion graphics to projects a lot easier, according to Casey. “Honestly, I think that the easiest part of my job is getting the technology to do what I want it to do,” he said. “The hardest part is making it ‘look pretty’, that is, making something that looks good every time without repeating or recycling things.”
