From the release:

Boutique VFX studio Artjail today announces the launch of its LA office. Situated in Santa Monica, the new space will mark Artjail’s third studio, alongside those already established in New York and Toronto.

The development represents the next step in Artjail’s plan to set up a collection of VFX boutiques in major markets, looking to maintain its company culture alongside a selective approach to projects. A long anticipated move, the new office will be supported by the close relationships the team has already built up with directors, production companies, and west coast agencies.

Bolstering Artjail’s current offering, the LA studio will broaden the company’s bandwidth whilst maintaining a smaller, more manageable culture for its artists, as well as granting it access to a whole new talent pool. For its clients, the development will also bring the possibility of working more in sync with different time zones and collaborating on more ambitious projects with a new array of talent, all while upholding the care and culture they are accustomed to.

To lead its LA team, Artjail has selected MD/EP and Partner John Skeffington, Elizabeth Thuvanuti Keating, promoted to Head of Production of both the New York and LA offices, and JD Yepes, a new hire joining as Partner and Head of 2D.

With over two decades of experience in the industry, JD has worked at major post houses including MPC and The Mill, having most recently spent nine years at Framestore as Compositing Supervisor. These roles have seen him lend his talents to a multitude of award-winning commercial campaigns for directors Joseph Kosinski, Spike Jonze, Oscar Hudson, Tarsem Singh, Marc Forster, among others.

Wasting no time in getting to work, Artjail LA has already completed projects for the likes of ESPN and Smartwater, as well as two out of Deutsch LA for Lowe’s with Arno Salters/Caviar and NerdWallet with Benji Weinstein/Smuggler.

Steve Mottershead, Creative Director and Founder at Artjail, comments: “An amazing artist both creatively and technically, JD’s passion for VFX and entrepreneurial spirit stood out the moment I met him. Wise beyond his years when it comes to owning a business, he has that something special we were looking for in a leader and partner on the ground in LA, leaving us consistently impressed. Pairing him with John, who has really stepped up and taken his partnership role to the next level, was a move that just made sense.”