Michael Crigler appointment
Joins facial animation outfit Image Metrics as VP of North American sales.
SANTA MONICA, CA - May 6, 2010 - Image Metrics, Inc. (OTC BB: IMGX), a leading provider of facial animation technology and services for the entertainment industry, today announced the hire of Michael Crigler as Vice President of North American Sales. Having spent the last 10 years in key video game industry sales roles at Havok and Criterion, companies that recorded significant revenue growth during his tenure, Crigler brings a wealth of experience and relationships to Image Metics. Crigler will oversee Image Metrics' regional sales directors, sales operations and customer relations staff.
"Michael has the perfect skill set to lead our sales effort given his extensive experience with major publishers and leading development studios as they adopted technology-based solutions ranging from rendering, animation, physics, AI and audio to improve their production workflow," said Brian Waddle, Image Metrics executive vice president.
Crigler brings an extensive career history in industry sales with him to his new role at Image Metrics. He was most recently a regional sales manager with a five-year tenure at Havok, a 3D graphics technology provider and subsidiary of Intel Corporation. Prior to Havok, Crigler was a sales account executive focused on technology and animation tools developed by Criterion, a division of Electronic Arts. He also worked at Database Marketing Group from 1999 - 2001 as a business development manager.
"Throughout my career, I've been focused on working with companies that provide solutions for tough challenges in game development, which makes Image Metrics a perfect fit for my expertise," said Crigler. "Given the difficultly of creating believable faces in games on time and on budget, I'm excited to join Image Metrics to help game developers learn about how the company's solutions can solve their facial animation challenges and tell better stories through compelling characters."
About Image Metrics, Inc.
Image Metrics provides facial animation software and services to the interactive entertainment and film industries. Developed by a team of computer vision Ph.D.s, Image Metrics' proprietary software utilizes video of an actor's performance to drive the animation of a facial performance without markers or makeup. This patented process achieves unparalleled levels of realism and fidelity faster and more efficiently than alternative methods such as motion capture or frame-by-frame animation. Image Metrics' clients include Activision-Blizzard, Rockstar, Microsoft, 2K, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Sega, Sony, Bethesda, DNeg, Motion Theory and Moving Picture Company. Image Metrics is based in Manchester, UK and Santa Monica, CA. www.image-metrics.com.
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Investor Contacts:
James Leahy, David Collins
Jaffoni & Collins
(212) 835-8500
imag@jcir.com
Media Contacts:
Bender/Helper Impact
Shannon McPhee
(310) 694-3118
shannon_mcphee@bhimpact.com
Bender/Helper Impact
Jessie Comstock
(310) 694-3246
jessie_comstock@bhimpact.com