Folks VFX, a high-end visual effects studio and member of the FuseFX brand family, has named Mihaela Orzea as its new head of studio – Toronto, one of the brands' seven studio locations across North and South America.
A near 20-year member of the Toronto FX community, Mihaela joins Folks VFX after a decade at Pixomondo Toronto, where Mihaela was Head of Studio in addition to serving as a VFX supervisor and VFX producer on several notable projects, including Ant-Man and the Wasp, Wonder Woman and
The Umbrella Academy. Orzea is a well-known mentor and leader in the area, and works as a VFX professor at Centennial College in addition to her full time studio work. An industry veteran, Orzea is also a member of the AMPAS Visual Effects branch.
Says Dave Altenau, founder and CEO of FuseFX,"Our philosophy is to support strong leadership in each of our studios across FuseFX and Folks. We are committed to each studio location developing a full range of capabilities, and its own unique culture and talent under that leadership, while also focusing on highly integrated tools and communication across our global network of locations to share work and provide support for each studio. Mihaela fits that philosophy perfectly, and has the capability to lead the ongoing growth of our Toronto studio, continuing our commitment to offer the highest quality visual effects in the world."
Sebastien Bergeron, founder and president of Folks VFX, adds that, "Mihaela has an impressive track record of growth and development. She's driven and persistent, always concentrating on success, which is completely on brand for us. Under her leadership, we are confident Mihaela will lead us towards our goal of more rapid growth, seamlessly integrating with our worldwide studios while expanding our talent pool and capabilities, to create a more dynamic global footprint."
Recent projects out of Folks VFX Toronto include FX's Fargo and
Mrs. America, Netflix's
Grand Army and
VWars, Freeform's
Shadow Hunters, USA Network's
Colony, NBC's
Taken, and Apple TV+'s
See.
"After speaking with the founders of both FuseFX and Folks VFX, it was obvious that the company's core values match mine, and together we can create endless projects with lasting value," says Orzea. "The entrepreneurial nature of this position creates passion, positive energy and excitement for me. I love to build things, and create a solid team, so I look forward to moving into a world full of new challenges and possibilities. I am extremely excited for what lies ahead of us!"