As we go to press on this newsletter, two weeks have passed since Los Angeles experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history-impacting lives and livelihoods, the toll of which continues to be tallied, but is certain to be massive. Kari Grubin, who began her tenure as president this month, believes that HPA will continue to be a constant and guiding light for members during this unprecedented time, with wildfires arriving as the industry grapples with colossal business change and seismic technological transition.
Navigating the aftermath of the fires, said Grubin, will take every bit of strength, brain power, generosity and imagination that we can muster. Our industry is built on those very characteristics. HPA is gathering information and outlining pragmatic ways that our organization and members can help. I personally encourage you to reach out to us to let us know if you need assistance. HPA will continue to share information about the recovery efforts in our communications, on our website, in the media and on our social channels. In the coming weeks, HPA will outline plans for its support of wildfire recovery.
In the coming year, HPA will continue to dig deep into our core values: keeping people ready to embrace and master innovation in our industry and careers, and fostering our community with opportunities to connect and engage.
As we are mindful of our members and the industry as a whole after the fires, we are also focused on how we help prepare them for a changing and advancing industry. HPA's identity and responsibility is to enable our community to navigate the changing landscape and find positive pathways to be ready for the future of content. I firmly believe that HPA remains ready to play a leading role, Grubin asserts.
The media and entertainment community has historically embraced change; whether from silent films to talking pictures, black and white to color film, the advent of television, or analog to digital cinema. The flexibility, intellect and creativity required to stay vital, is in the DNA of the industry.
The proven capacity of those working in media and entertainment to adapt and thrive should give hope that the outcomes of current technological upheaval will be no different.
I recognize that one can feel daunted by the uncertainty gripping the industry. With changes in technology, and economic and cultural changes, it can be a conundrum to know where to go or what to do, Grubin says. It's HPA's goal to provide our community with ways to see what the future holds and prepare. That could be reskilling or sharing insightful information and experiences. It could be networking or exploring different opportunities to create content. It really is a greenfield.
By and for the Community
Grubin's mission as incoming president is to augment and enhance the work that the organization has successfully established over decades. To that end, she will not only call upon the HPA leadership team but on HPA members to offer feedback on ways that the organization can continue to move forward and stay relevant.
HPA has always been this amazing place where you can give back to your community and where you can connect. That's what it's meant for me and one of the tasks I've set myself is to provide greater clarity about how more people can get involved. I want to make sure it's clear and easy about ways to be involved and make sure everyone knows there is an open door for involvement at HPA. There is a wealth of resources here for people to learn from and huge opportunities to get involved. We are going to make sure that our members have all the information available to take advantage of that and jump in.
As a non-profit volunteer-run organization, HPA relies on the time and efforts of its members to sustain the community. HPA is honestly powered by the efforts and expertise of its volunteers, and it takes everybody lifting together for HPA to continue to deliver for everyone. What does it mean if you want to give your time for an hour or one hundred hours? How do we share information across our entire membership? What processes will enhance support for all of our great volunteer efforts? How do we talk with other industry organizations and work together with them so that our work is not duplicated and that therefore we deliver more value to our community? And, how can we efficiently share information, incoming and outgoing?
We're exploring these important topics but I encourage people to raise their hands and tell us what works for them and how they would like to participate.
Inclusivity never stops
Grubin vows to continue HPA's absolute dedication to building an inclusive organization that includes the ongoing expansion of HPA ALL initiatives.
At the foundation of HPA's ALL initiatives is to create a space where people feel like they belong. I want to ensure we provide more visibility into what HPA is, what the programs are, and have an on-ramp for anybody who wants to participate.
Grubin established HPA Women in Post (with former HPA Board member Loren Nielsen) to drive a more gender-balanced structure in the tech world. Subsequently, Grubin, Nielsen along with WIP committee members Belinda Merritt and Laura Thommen, created the Young Entertainment Professionals Program (YEP). She is the original co-chair of HPA ALL (launched with co-chair Renard Jenkins) which is driven to create an inclusive environment for all members of the M&E industry, especially those from under-represented groups.
Some change happens quickly and some change takes longer. At HPA we're all about embracing that by reaching out and listening to our members to hear what it is that they need. With the appointment of the Executive Board, (Jenkins, Craig German, Graylind Wherry and Grubin) late last year and the ongoi
More from Hollywood Post Alliance
27/03/2025
The California Production Coalition (CPC) is bringing together businesses and organizations from across the entertainment industry to protect and strengthen fil...
27/03/2025
Creating not just a whole new fantasy adventure world but one fantasy adventure world per episode was the herculean task set by Taika Waititi, Iain Morris and J...
28/02/2025
The 30th anniversary of the HPA Tech Retreat may have just concluded, but the co...
28/02/2025
Since its inception by the Women in Post committee in 2016, the YEP program has spotlighted rising talent in media and entertainment. Each year, a select group ...
03/02/2025
As it heads to its estimable 30th anniversary, the HPA Tech Retreat continues to add one-of-a-kind programming to its schedule. The HPA Tech Retreat committee h...
28/01/2025
The countdown to the 30th anniversary of the HPA Tech Retreat is on. In just a few weeks, from February 16-20, 2025, the media and entertainment industry's ...
28/01/2025
As we go to press on this newsletter, two weeks have passed since Los Angeles experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history-impacting lives an...
07/01/2025
The HPA Tech Retreat Supersession committee has announced that the highly antici...
20/12/2024
HPA Award Committee co-founder Carolyn Giardina was in New Zealand recently and had the opportunity present the Outstanding Visual Effects - Live Action Feature...
20/12/2024
On its 30th anniversary this year, one constant of the HPA Tech Retreat is its unique and consistently engaging programming that goes hand in hand with unparall...
20/12/2024
Seth Hallen had been on the board for seven years before being named president i...
18/12/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has released additional programming details for the highly anticipated 2025 HPA Tech Retreat in Rancho Mirage, Cali...
05/12/2024
The highly-anticipated 2025 Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Tech Retrea...
21/11/2024
The HPA Awards exist to honor and recognize the accomplishments of the talented HPA community and to support their efforts with increased awareness and celebrat...
21/11/2024
Joyce JC Cataldo joined the HPA team as a full-time member in 2020, following a successful collaborative stint at SMPTE - HPA that began in 2017. From the ou...
20/11/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced that Joyce JC Catal...
07/11/2024
The HPA Awards honored trailblazing talent in the post production industry, celebrating standout achievements in color grading, sound, editing, restoration, and...
29/10/2024
In an industry that thrives on creativity, technology, and collaboration, emergi...
29/10/2024
Byline: E.L. Hall
It's that time of year and Rotten Tomatoes has just posted its 10 Scariest Horror Films list. Have any favorites or notice any omissions?...
29/10/2024
Recognizing outstanding editing in film and television,
the 75th Annual ACE Edd...
03/10/2024
The HPA Awards Committee today announced the nominees for the Creative Categorie...
26/09/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced that Kari Grubin will take over as president on January 1, 2025. Grubin will be the first woman to le...
26/09/2024
IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) is one of the world's leading events for the media, entertainment, and technology sectors, bringing together pro...
25/09/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Board of Directors has announced th...
29/08/2024
As previously announced, FotoKem is set to receive the prestigious Charles S. Swartz Award from the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) this year at the an...
29/08/2024
By Adrian Pennington
During the spectacular Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, before the performances of Celine Dion and after Lady Gaga, ten sup...
29/08/2024
Perifery , a division of DataCore, has today announced the launch of its comprehensive workflow solution that seamlessly integrates storage, asset management, a...
22/08/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards committee has announced this year's recipients of the coveted HPA Award for Engineering Excellence. The ...
01/08/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) Awards Committee has announced that FotoKem will receive HPA's prized Charles S. Swartz Award at the 19th HPA A...
30/07/2024
The traditional approach to filming chimpanzees in the rainforest is to use a relatively large camera and a very long lens, but Oscar-winning director James Ree...
29/07/2024
By Adrian Pennington
The potency of AI has swept our industry into a riptide of uncertainty. Instead of letting inevitable change wash over us, we have the cha...
27/06/2024
By Alyssa Heater
Sarah McGrail is a powerhouse in visual effects, with over twe...
03/06/2024
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) and the HPA Awards Committee are excited to announce that submissions for the 2024 HPA Awards are now open. Entries...
23/05/2024
As the 2023 HPA Awards were taking shape last year, in the aftermath of the pand...
23/05/2024
By HPA Staff
The call for submissions for the HPA Engineering Excellence Awards is already open, and closes soon on June 14; but the submission period for crea...
23/05/2024
By Christine Purse
One of the most compelling discussions at the 2024 HPA Tech Retreat happened off stage with no audience present. After hours, while the room...
01/05/2024
QTAKE, the leading video assist and on-set collaboration software trusted by professional filmmakers worldwide, launched a new cutting-edge feature at NAB 2024....
01/05/2024
In HPA's ongoing focus on providing input and insight from city and county g...
01/05/2024
HPA Newsline had the opportunity to speak with Caleb and Shelby Ward, founders of Curious Refuge. Caleb and Shelby were participants in the 2024 HPA Tech Retrea...
23/04/2024
Submissions for the 2024 HPA Engineering Excellence Awards are now being accepted. This renowned accolade recognizes and celebrates innovation and outstanding t...
29/03/2024
QTAKE, the leading video assist software trusted by professional filmmakers worldwide, is proud to announce the release of its latest software update, introduci...
29/03/2024
By: Alyssa Heater
The 2024 HPA Tech Retreat, now in its 29th year, showcased a program chock full of presentations, panels, and roundtables spanning a wealth o...
29/03/2024
Launched in 2006, the HPA Awards were designed to honor the creative and technical genius that power our industry. At that time, the behind-the-scenes talent th...
05/03/2024
SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has joined forces with the Interoperable Master Format (IMF) User Group (UG), a worldwide...
29/02/2024
Colorfront (colorfront.com), the multi-award-winning pioneer in high-performance...
29/02/2024
The industry is at breaking point in the midst of seismic change but it can survive if stakeholders act collectively starting now, urged Jeff Rosica, Presiden...
29/02/2024
This year, I believe we are starting a new chapter, actually an entirely new pla...
29/01/2024
In the ever-evolving landscape of the media and entertainment industry, a spotlight is cast on the Young Entertainment Professionals (YEP) program. Selected ann...
29/01/2024
By Adrian Pennington
As HPA's Tech Retreat approaches its 30th anniversary in 2025, the event appears to be even more relevant and stronger than ever. With...
As we go to press on this newsletter, two weeks have passed since Los Angeles experienced one of the worst natural disasters in its history-impacting lives and livelihoods, the toll of which continues to be tallied, but is certain to be massive. Kari Grubin, who began her tenure as president this month, believes that HPA will continue to be a constant and guiding light for members during this unprecedented time, with wildfires arriving as the industry grapples with colossal business change and seismic technological transition.
