VALLEY NEWSMAKERS

FEATURED NEWSMAKER Jeff Ravitz After 20 years as a partner in lighting design firm Visual Terrain, Jeff Ravitz has left to strike out on his own with Intensity Advisors, based in North Hollywood. Ravtiz made the change to put more focus on his own endeavors creating lighting schemes for concerts, award shows, and other live entertainment. Since starting in November, there have been a few jobs completed and others planned for 2011. Intensity Advisors will be based in North Hollywood. It was a big decision for Ravitz to leave Visual Terrain to start up his own firm. He left on a good working relationship with his former partners where there had been a synergy of swapping design and business ideas. At Intensity Partners, Ravitz works alongside a single associate and will be the final say on the company’s direction. “There certainly is nobody to bounce ideas off as is possible with two other partners,” Ravitz said. “By the same token, I can make a decision and no one will second guess me. It is scary and liberating.” Ravitz has done some work on feature films and television series but much of his lighting design has been for live entertainment either on stage or for television. Ravitz has been the long-time designer for concert tours and television specials by Bruce Springsteen, and won an Emmy Award for outstanding lighting design for the HBO special, “Live from NYC.” Other honors include Los Angeles area Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lighting Design for a TV Special; a primetime Emmy nomination for his work on the “Cher…at the Mirage” special; and multiple Telly Awards for lighting and cinematography. An industry trend that Ravitz has adapted to is webcasts of live shows for television. The technology for programs made available online has greatly improved and is getting closer to television. Still, in the design Ravitz said he needs to pay close attention to what colors work well and if there is enough light to come across well on a computer screen. “The subtleties that are visible on a (high definition) TV won’t work nearly as well on average computer screens,” Ravitz said. –Mark R. Madler Awards The League of California Cities Desert-Mountain division presented Palmdale City Councilmember Steve Hofbauer with its Larry Chimbole Public Service Award at its annual awards banquet Dec. 3. Hofbauer has served as Palmdale delegate to the League of California Cities Desert Mountain Division since late 2003. He is also the Regional Council representative for Palmdale, Lancaster and Santa Clarita to the Southern California Association of Governments. Hofbauer also serves as Palmdale’s delegate to the California Contract Cities Association. Ann Murray and Matias Cavallin, co-founders of social media and public relations agency @6PR, were among the finalists in Verizon’s 2010 Latino Small Business Awards. In its second year, the Verizon Latino Small Business Awards gives grants to entrepreneurs that are deemed creative risk takers who invest in their community. @6PR received a $1,000 grant along with Verizon products. Sandy Stein, inventor of the patented Finders Key Purse, will be honored in the category of Woman Entrepreneurship as part of the Comerica Bank Best of LA Women’s Business Awards Program on December 21. Stein launched her business Alexx, Inc. six years ago. Her purse accessories became a multi-million dollar, overnight success. She now employs 20 full time employees and has grown her company from her kitchen table to offices and a warehouse encompassing approximately 10,000 square feet. Recently Alexx, Inc. was awarded an NBA license. Alexx, Inc. plans to have NBA Finders Key Purse and Hang ‘em High Purse Hangers available for shipping to customers by the 2011 NBA All-Star game taking place on February 20, 2011 in Los Angeles. Banking Wells Fargo Private Bank has named John Ray as the new regional private banking manager for its Westlake Village and Encino offices. In this position, Ray will oversee a team of private bankers across Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley. Ray joined Wells Fargo in 1995. He previously managed Wells Fargo’s regional commercial banking office in Ventura County. Ray began his banking career with California United Bank and also worked at Bank of A. Levy, Bank of America and Great Western Savings. Union Bank, N.A. has named Bita Ardalan head of the national specialized lending group. Ardalan will be working out of the bank’s Los Angeles and Woodland Hills offices, reporting to the head of commercial banking, Senior Executive Vice President Robert C. Dawson. In her new role, Ardalan will oversee the sales, marketing and credit management of several of the bank’s specialties including commercial finance, environmental industries and fund finance, and will also be responsible for the geographic expansion of commercial banking and the identification and development of new high-potential niches for the bank. Ardalan has been with Union Bank since 1986 when she joined the management training program. Over the years she has held various management positions including most recently as an executive vice president overseeing commercial banking for the Greater Los Angeles division. Chambers Carol Washburn, president and CEO of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce, announced she will retire from the chamber on Feb. 28, 2011. A resident of Calabasas since 1971, Washburn has been a leader in the execution of community events including the Calabasas Pumpkin Festival, annual wine tastings, golf tournaments, and Fourth of July fireworks shows. Washburn was in charge of the Woodland Hills Chamber of Commerce for 13 years prior to her present position. Entertainment Burbank-based 3ality Digital, a developer of 3D camera rigs used for filming 3D movies, has named founder Steve Schklair as CEO of the firm. Steve served as 3D and Digital Image Producer on U2 3D, and was the driving force behind groundbreaking projects such as the first live S3D broadcast of an NFL game, BSkyB’s adoption of 3ality Digital technology to power the world’s first 3D broadcast network, and 3ality Digital’s partnerships with major broadcast technology providers. Prior to 3ality Digital, Schklair was a senior executive at Digital Domain, the special effects studio responsible for films such as Apollo 13, The Fifth Element, Titanic, and Terminator 2:3D; creative director for R/Greenberg Associates; and executive producer of The Columbus Project for computer graphics and interactive media pioneer Robert Abel. Encino-based digital creative services agency AvatarLabs has named Suzanne Abramson Norr as chief operating officer. In this role, she will manage the company’s day-to-day operations, overall financial performance and work with the management team to set operational procedures and performance goals tied to long-term growth. Prior to AvatarLabs, Abramson Norr served as senior vice president, operations for Schematic, where she created and managed the global resourcing department, increased employee utilization and assigned production personnel on projects across seven domestic and international offices. She previously held senior leadership roles at Blitz as chief operating officer and Warner Bros. Online as VP, creative and client services. Digital Vision, a supplier of color grading, finishing, mastering and restoration solutions for the broadcast, film, and commercial industries, has hired Schel Kuehnert to lead the company’s sales efforts in the U.S., Canada and South America. Kuehnert will be working with the management team to define and execute America’s commercial strategies. Most recently, Kuehnert was Vice President, Sales and Marketing for visual effects and stereoscopic company ICO VFX. He headed U.S. sales for UK-based software manufacturer The Foundry where he was instrumental in securing site license agreements with companies such as DreamWorks Animation, ILM and CIS. He has held senior roles with leading companies including The Post Group and Wexler Video and began his career as associate manager of sales and marketing for special issues at Variety. Government Douglas Williams of Lancaster, has been appointed to the Fraud Assessment Commission. Since 2006, he has been business manager for the Ironworkers Local 433, where he also served as business agent from 2000 to 2006. Previously, Williams was superintendent for Benson Wall Systems from 1997 to 1999, rigging foreman for Randall’s Erectors in 1997, lay-out foreman for South Coast Structural from 1996 to 1997 and journeyman for Junior Steel in 1996. Prior to that, he was general foreman in charge of lay-out from 1995 to 1996, rigging foreman for Sheedy Drayage Company in 1995, journeyman for Plas-Tal Manufacturing Company from 1994 to 1995 and journeyman for Atlas Industrial Contractors in 1994. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Williams is a Democrat. This appointment will be effective on January 1, 2011. Healthcare Dr. Gerald Pohost, a nationally recognized cardiovascular expert, has joined Glendale Adventist Medical Center as head of the Outpatient Cardiac Imaging Center. Formerly chief of cardiovascular medicine and professor of medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, he developed a program in the diagnosis of heart disease in women using magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Manufacturing Sauer Energy, Inc., a developer of wind turbine systems, has appointed two new independent members to its Board of Directors: Jeff Massey and Zohreh Hashemi. Massey is President and Chief Executive Officer of Asbuilt Information Systems, a professional services firm he founded in 1990. Hashemi most recently served as Senior Systems Engineer at Amgen. She brings more than 30 years management experience in strategic product development of leading technologies and operations. Previous to Amgen, she held senior management positions at Bax Global, Sony Entertainment, Hughes Aircraft and Universal Studios. Real Estate Real estate and financial services firm Jones Lang LaSalle has hired former Los Angeles Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Renata Simril as a managing director to grow the firm’s Public Institutions practice for the Southwest region. The Public Institutions practice provides strategic real estate advisory and transaction services for local, state, national and international public institutions. Prior to joining Jones Lang LaSalle, Simril was senior vice president with Forest City Development in Los Angeles where she was responsible for implementing the strategic vision for various residential and mixed-use developments.