Scott Ross (film executive)
Encyclopedia
Scott Ross is a digital media executive with a career spanning three decades. In the 1980’s he led George Lucas
’ companies and in 1993 he founded, along with James Cameron
and Stan Winston
, Digital Domain, Inc.
, one of the largest digital production studios in the motion picture and advertising industries.
In the 1980’s Ross was General Manager
of Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic
(ILM) and under his leadership, ILM won five Academy Awards
for Best Visual Effects (Who Framed Roger Rabbit
, Innerspace
, Terminator 2, The Abyss
, Death Becomes Her
). The company re-organized in 1991 and Mr. Ross was named Senior Vice President of the LucasArts Entertainment Company, which comprised Skywalker Sound
, LucasArts Commercial Productions, LucasArts Attractions, EditDroid
/SoundDroid
and ILM.
Under Ross’ direction, from 1993-2006, Digital Domain garnered eight Academy Award nominations, receiving its first Oscar in 1997 for the ground-breaking visual effects in Titanic That was followed by a second Oscar for What Dreams May Come
and a third for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
. Digital Domain received additional nominations for True Lies
, Apollo 13 and I, Robot
and has won four Scientific and Technical Academy Awards for its proprietary software.
Digital Domain’s Commercials Division has established itself as the premiere visual effects studio in the advertising industry. With Fortune 500 clients such as Nike
, American Express
, Gatorade
, Anheuser-Busch
, Coca-Cola
and Mercedes Benz, the Commercials Division has garnered dozens of Clio Awards
. In addition to the visual effects divisions, Mr. Ross launched Digital Domain Films, a feature film production division. The first feature film produced by Ross was the New Line Cinema
release Secondhand Lions
which achieved both critical and box office success. In 2006, as Digital Domain’s CEO and Chairman, Ross sold Digital Domain to director, Michael Bay
, and a group of private equity investors.
A native of New York City
, Ross began his career in Media Studies at Hofstra University
where he graduated with a BS in Communication Arts
in 1974. He returned to Hofstra in June 1997 to receive an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater. Ross is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
(OSCARS) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
(EMMYS). He has worked on over 100 of the world’s largest special effects films and has lectured extensively about the creative process, content and technology in over 30 countries around the world.
George Lucas
George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director, and entrepreneur. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive of Lucasfilm. He is best known as the creator of the space opera franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones...
’ companies and in 1993 he founded, along with James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
and Stan Winston
Stan Winston
Stanley Winston was an American visual effects supervisor, makeup artist, and film director. He was best known for his work in the Terminator series, the Jurassic Park series, Aliens, the Predator series, Iron Man, Edward Scissorhands, and Avatar...
, Digital Domain, Inc.
Digital Domain
Digital Domain is a visual effects and animation company founded by film director James Cameron, Stan Winston and Scott Ross. It is based in Venice, Los Angeles, California...
, one of the largest digital production studios in the motion picture and advertising industries.
In the 1980’s Ross was General Manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
of Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light and Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is an Academy Award-winning motion picture visual effects company that was founded in May 1975 by George Lucas and is owned by Lucasfilm. Lucas created the company when he discovered that the special effects department at 20th Century Fox was shut down after he was given...
(ILM) and under his leadership, ILM won five Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Visual Effects (Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
, Innerspace
Innerspace
Innerspace is a 1987 science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. The film was inspired by the classic 1966 science fiction film Fantastic Voyage. It stars Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan, Robert Picardo and...
, Terminator 2, The Abyss
The Abyss
The Abyss is a 1989 science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron. It stars Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The original musical score was composed by Alan Silvestri...
, Death Becomes Her
Death Becomes Her
Death Becomes Her is a 1992 American dark slapstick screwball comedy fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Goldie Hawn, Meryl Streep, and Bruce Willis...
). The company re-organized in 1991 and Mr. Ross was named Senior Vice President of the LucasArts Entertainment Company, which comprised Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound
Skywalker Sound is the sound effects, sound editing, sound design, sound mixing and music recording division of George Lucas' Lucas Digital motion picture group. Its main facilities are located in Lucas Valley, near Nicasio, California...
, LucasArts Commercial Productions, LucasArts Attractions, EditDroid
EditDroid
The EditDroid was a computerized analog NLE , developed by Lucasfilm spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint venture company. The company existed up through the mid-80's to the early 90's in an attempt to move from analog editing methods to digital...
/SoundDroid
SoundDroid
The SoundDroid is an early digital audio workstation designed by a team of engineers led by James A. Moorer at Lucasfilm between the 1980 and 1987. It was a hard-disk–based, nonlinear audio editor developed on the Audio Signal Processor , a large-scale digital signal processor for real–time,...
and ILM.
Under Ross’ direction, from 1993-2006, Digital Domain garnered eight Academy Award nominations, receiving its first Oscar in 1997 for the ground-breaking visual effects in Titanic That was followed by a second Oscar for What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come
What Dreams May Come is a 1978 novel by Richard Matheson. The plot centers on Chris, a man who dies and goes to Heaven, but eventually descends into Hell to rescue his wife...
and a third for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and first published in Colliers Magazine on May 27, 1922. It was subsequently anthologized in his book, Tales of the Jazz Age, which is occasionally published as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz...
. Digital Domain received additional nominations for True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
, Apollo 13 and I, Robot
I, Robot
I, Robot is a collection of nine science fiction short stories by Isaac Asimov, first published by Gnome Press in 1950 in an edition of 5,000 copies. The stories originally appeared in the American magazines Super Science Stories and Astounding Science Fiction between 1940 and 1950. The stories are...
and has won four Scientific and Technical Academy Awards for its proprietary software.
Digital Domain’s Commercials Division has established itself as the premiere visual effects studio in the advertising industry. With Fortune 500 clients such as Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, American Express
American Express
American Express Company or AmEx, is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Three World Financial Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States. Founded in 1850, it is one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is best...
, Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
, Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
and Mercedes Benz, the Commercials Division has garnered dozens of Clio Awards
Clio Awards
The Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....
. In addition to the visual effects divisions, Mr. Ross launched Digital Domain Films, a feature film production division. The first feature film produced by Ross was the New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
release Secondhand Lions
Secondhand Lions
Secondhand Lions is a 2003 American dramedy film written and directed by Tim McCanlies. It tells the story of an introverted young boy who is sent to live with his eccentric uncles on a farm in the U.S...
which achieved both critical and box office success. In 2006, as Digital Domain’s CEO and Chairman, Ross sold Digital Domain to director, Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
, and a group of private equity investors.
A native of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Ross began his career in Media Studies at Hofstra University
Hofstra University
Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
where he graduated with a BS in Communication Arts
Communication Arts
Communication Arts is the largest international trade journal of visual communications. Founded in 1959 by Richard Coyne and Robert Blanchard, the magazine’s coverage includes graphic design, advertising, photography, illustration and interactive media. The magazine continues to be edited and...
in 1974. He returned to Hofstra in June 1997 to receive an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater. Ross is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
(OSCARS) and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences was founded in 1946, just one month after network television was born. It is a nonprofit organization devoted to the advancement of telecommunications arts and sciences and to fostering creative leadership in the telecommunications industry...
(EMMYS). He has worked on over 100 of the world’s largest special effects films and has lectured extensively about the creative process, content and technology in over 30 countries around the world.