StudioDaily announces the 50 honorees on its second-annual list of the StudioDaily 50 — key creatives and technologists whose leadership and influence are breaking new ground in media and entertainment. Every person named on the list is spotlighted at a website dedicated to the StudioDaily 50.

Who Are the StudioDaily 50?
The StudioDaily 50 is populated by executives and producers who make great work happen; directors, cinematographers and editors who push the creative envelope; and scientists, engineers, inventors and other innovators who keep pushing the state of the creative arts.

“We’re proud to present the StudioDaily 50, once again identifying a broad range of hard-working professionals,” said Bryant Frazer, editorial director and associate publisher of StudioDaily. “The list honors executives in corporations large and small, pioneering creative thinkers, technologists who make it possible to dream on a screen, and an array of specialists from all corners of the industry.”

The list is broken down into broad categories for easier browsing, but these media pros cross boundaries on a daily basis. Browse the StudioDaily 50 website and you’ll hear from a video engineer who works with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a VFX producer who’s putting her experience into production management software, and Elton John’s drum tech, whose second job is owner of a production company. And you’ll learn about what’s happening in VR, motion graphics, haptic feedback technology, and more. Keep an eye on StudioDaily.com to hear more from the StudioDaily 50.

Congratulations to the 2017 StudioDaily 50 honorees:

The Executives
Brian Cavallaro, MANDT VR
Terry Cullen, 1 Beyond
Shannon Gans, New Deal Studios
Jess Hartmann, ProMAX Systems
Neil Mandt, MANDT VR
Morris May, Specular Theory
Wes Phillips, Small HD
Sanjay Sharma, All Def Digital
Alexander Vero, Movidiam

The Independents
Joyce Cox, VFX Producer
Randall Dark, Randall Dark Productions
E.J. Hassenfratz, Eyedesyn
Art Haynie, Big Monkey Films
Andrew Kramer, Video Copilot
Maria Rapetskaya, Undefined Creative
Miguel Santos, Myx TV
Chris Sobchack, Wraptastic Productions
Josh Wakely, GRACE: A Storytelling Company

The Specialists
Jillian Arnold, Video Engineer
Peter Bailey, Sideshow Studios
Leslie Bloome, Alchemy Post Sound
Tony D’Amore, Encore
David Durlach, TechnoFrolics
Laura Jans Fazio, Encore
Karin Fong, Imaginary Forces
Robyn Haddow, Motion Graphics Artist and Designer
Andrew Heimbold, Reality Check Systems
Steven Heimbold, Reality Check Systems
Petra Holtorf-Stratton, Producer/VFX Producer
Glenn Melenhorst, Iloura
Sean Mullen, Rampant Design Tools
Stefanie Mullen, Rampant Design Tools
Rodolphe Pierre-Louis, ActionVFX
Paige Raynes, Immersion
Evan Williams, Riverview Systems Group

The Technologists
Jon 9, Holonyne Corporation
Sergio Ammirata, DVEO
Pankaj Bajpai, Deluxe TV
Chris Bobotis, Mettle
Annie Chang, Marvel Studios
Chris Conti, Production Resource Group
Erik Elvgren, University of Virginia
Marcos Fajardo, Autodesk
Will Harris, Autodesk
Andrea Kalas, Paramount Pictures
Jesse Korosi, Bling Digital
Scott Squires, Pixvana
Chris Vienneau, Autodesk
Mike Wagner, ARRI
Tom Wolzien, The Video Call Center

StudioDaily 50: www.studiodaily.com/studio-50/