HOT HOUSE: Attention Earthlings Invades the East Coast

Karen Anderson Prikios

April 1, 2007    Source: Studio Monthly

Perry Harovas is, at heart, a film guy with a B-movie soul. A huge fan of Sci-Fi/horror flicks from the 50s and 60s, namely Night of the Living Dead, his first feature project was Roger Corman’s Not of This Earth (1995), for which the young animator created 60 digital effects shots. Harovas describes it as "the scariest, most exciting thing" he had ever done up to that point in his career. Part of the thrill, he adds, was the trial-by-fire training on set and in the post suite.

After years of working in film and digital animation, Harovas and a group of like-minded artists— Daniel Pejril, Allen Christopher, Bill Hinkson and Jim Altieri— turned their passions into a business in Norwalk, Connecticut. Their shop, Attention Earthlings, is an out-of-this-world digital animation studio that lends a classic film look to most its projects. Today, the team is putting its cinematic stamp on everything from VFX for feature films to animated programs for TV networks and corporations. Clients include Pepsico, McDonald’s, Verizon,Fisher Price, Mattel and soon, Hasbro.

What’s Their Gig?

The Cool Factor

Harovas believes that in this day of fast-moving video animation, his team’s experience, combined with "good luck and fortune" and a keen visual sense, sets them apart from the competition. "All of us try to keep things looking [as if] they come from a cinematic or storytelling point of view," Harovas says. "Even if it doesn’t look at all like a film, we use the same techniques used in the beginning of cinema. We tell things in a classy, classical, epic way."

Another plus? The partners have a combined 90 years of experience. That’s right, nine zero. "All of us have worked on major productions from a relatively young age," explains Harovas. And now, "those same contacts are giving us opportunities. We are very thankful for that."

The Geek Factor

For a company where spaceship and monster movies rule (just look at their Web site), the team is serious about the tools they use to create their signature style. Harovas, who is co-author of the Mastering Maya Complete 2 educational guide, is, ironically, not running a Maya shop these days. Impressed with its functionality and rendering speed, the partners instead selected Softimage|XSI 3D animation and character creation software.

Harovas says the software lets the animators keep pace with the evolving world of digital animation while staying true to their roots.

Attention Earthlings is now in the process of building a new 225,000-square-foot facility with sister company Area 51 DMG, a new digital, multi-platform TV station. The goal is to create a "production cluster" with related companies and digital media groups throughout Connecticut. Attention Earthlings is banking on the fact that production companies no longer have to be on the West Coast to have the advantage. "Our competition is a global market," says Harovas. "Companies in London and even farther afield are competing for the same jobs we are. It comes down to experience more than anything else, and, of course, the speed of our Internet connection."