Eric Withee
Eric Withee is the Visual Effects Producer at Svengali FX, a position he held while working on 2009's Star Trek. [1] He joined Svengali as Visual Effects Coordinator in February 2008, having previously worked there in that same position in late 2006.
Withee attended the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, New York, from 1987 through 1992, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Imaging & Photographic Technology. Two years after graduation, he was hired as a Digital Film Technician at RGA/LA, which created title sequences for major motion pictures. Among the films he worked on during his time at RGA/LA were Richie Rich (1994, starring John Larroquette), Braveheart (1995), Mortal Kombat (1995, with Cary-Hiroyuki, Frank Welker, T.J. Storm and Kevin Michael Richardson), Seven (1995), and GoldenEye (1995, starring Pierce Brosnan and Famke Janssen).
In January 1996, Withee became Digital Film Technician at visual effects facility Cinesite. He was employed at Cinesite for a little over a year, contributing effects work to such films as Stuart Baird's Executive Decision, Space Jam, and Jerry Maguire. Withee then spent a year and five months as a Data I/O Manager at Centropolis FX, working on Contact (1997) Conspiracy Theory (starring Patrick Stewart), Flubber (1997, starring Robin Williams, with Christopher McDonald, Ted Levine, Wil Wheaton and Clancy Brown), and Godzilla (1998).
After working as a Data/Film Manager for The Post Group (where his credits included the 1999 film Inspector Gadget, which featured René Auberjonois and Andy Dick), Withee joined Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) as Senior Technical Assistant in March 2000. In this position, he worked on the films Hollow Man and Charlie's Angels before being promoted to Visual Effects Coordinator. He coordinated SPI's visual effects on such films as Stuart Little 2 (2002), Seabiscuit (2004), and The Matrix Revolutions. Afterward, he did sequence coordination work for Rhythm & Hues on Garfield: The Movie (2004) and coordinated Zoic Studios' visual effects for Serenity (2005) with Thomas Elder-Groebe. Withee briefly returned to Zoic Studios in 2007 to serve as their visual effects coordinator on the pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
In addition, Withee spent six months as Visual Effects Coordinator on Night at the Museum (2006). He was also an On-Set Visual Effects Coordinator for Norbit (2007, starring Eddie Murphy) and Lions for Lambs. He was later Visual Effects Coordinator for Where the Wild Things Are (2009).
Withee first worked for Svengali FX from September through November 2006, when he coordinated the studio's visual effects for the films Apocalypto and Eragon. He returned to Svengali in February 2008, and coordinated the effects for the films Beverly Hills Chihuahua and Watchmen (2009, featuring Matt Frewer, Stephen McHattie, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan). He has since been promoted to Visual Effects Producer of Svengali FX. In addition to Star Trek, he also produced the effects for According to Greta (2009).