Vancouver-based Anthem Visual Effects Inc. has appointed Dennis Hoffman as Vice President/Head of Production. Anthem was recently awarded, for the second consecutive year, production of visual effects for Starz/IDT Entertainment’s anthology series Masters of Horror.

The new season, featuring 13 original one-hour movies shot in HD, premieres this fall on Showtime in the U.S. and on SCREAM in Canada. Anthem will also produce extensive visual effects for Starz/IDT’s newest series Masters of Science Fiction, which will air on ABC. Additionally, Anthem is in production on Son of the Dragon and Marco Polo, two miniseries from producer Robert Halmi Sr. Anthem recently wrapped production on effects for the feature film The Butterfly Effect 2, New Line Cinema’s sequel to the 2003 cult movie.

Hoffman joins Anthem from Academy Award ®-winning effects company Digital Domain, where he was Vice President and Head of Production for the feature film visual effects division. There he was responsible for the strategic planning, business development and project management of the division, and oversaw all feature projects including My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Zoom, and Flags of Our Fathers.

Previously, he was senior development director at Electronic Arts Canada with responsibility for ArtWorX, the company’s centralized artist groups, and production of visual content for numerous game titles produced by EA Canada.

Hoffman was also Vice President and Head of Production at Cinesite in Los Angeles where he supervised visual effects production for X-Men, Erin Brockovich, Ali, U-571, Red Planet, Rush Hour 2, and Road to Perdition.

He was also vice president and executive producer at award-winning Dream Quest Images for several years, overseeing Mighty Joe Young and Armageddon, both nominated for visual-effects Oscars in 1998.

“We’re very excited that Dennis chose Anthem to be his new home. He brings a wealth of experience and creativity to the Vancouver effects community,” said Lee Wilson, Anthem’s president and senior visual effects supervisor. “We admire the work Dennis has done over the years, and are pleased to have him as a key member of Anthem’s creative team. I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved in such a short time, and I feel that Dennis’s presence will only add to our success.”

Hoffman said, “I believe that Vancouver is ready to become a leading provider of the most innovative and challenging visual effects. I joined Anthem because they have the talent and drive to help make that happen.” Upon deciding to move back to Vancouver, and after talking to a number of visual effects houses there, Hoffman noted “I was fortunate to meet Lee Wilson, who founded the company two years ago with his two partners. I quickly discovered that Anthem is far more than a start-up company: Lee bringing over 30 years of experience in the industry, along with a continued drive and passion to create spectacular visual imagery. Anthem has gathered an extremely talented group of artists in a very short time. After meeting the team, my decision was easy.”