Avatar Animation Expert For Belfast Awards

A Northern Ireland man who has worked on top Hollywood films including Avatar, Terminator Salvation and Happy Feet is the keynote speaker at this year's Belfast Business Awards.

Greg Maguire lives in Belfast but spent 16 years in San Francisco in the movie industry working in many key roles including as Creative Supervisor on Visual Effects for the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie and as Research and Development Supervisor for Lucasfilm Animation on the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated feature film and television series.

He is currently a Professor of Visual Communication at the University of Ulster's School of Art and Design as well as a former graduate of the university after completing a BA Hons degree in Design there in 1988.

Greg (pictured with a Business Award trophy) said he was delighted to be the keynote speaker of the Belfast Business Awards ceremony and gala dinner in the City Hall next Thursday (14 April) which is organised by Belfast City Council in partnership with Belfast City Centre Management, with Victoria Square as the principal sponsor of the awards this year.

"It's a great honour for me to take part in supporting and recognising the achievements of many of the successful individuals behind Belfast's exciting businesses," he said.

"After 16 years in California, I've returned to a very different Belfast, a very confident forward-thinking Belfast. We like to point at the successes from our great historical past and rightly celebrate them but this awards ceremony is about pointing at Belfast's successes right here now that are creating and building our new future," he said.

The father of two now runs his own company inlifesize, which specialises in game design applications for websites and mobile phones.

He is proud to have worked as a digital animation expert for such blockbusting films as Avatar and the Harry Potter franchise while the impressive list also includes Spider-Man 3, James and the Giant Peach and the Disney film, Dinosaur.

"To have been given the opportunity to collaborate with many talented people in creating something that is much bigger than ourselves like Happy Feet, Harry Potter, Terminator and Avatar is definitely among the highlights of my career to date," he said.

Greg is the keynote speaker of the awards in the City Hall where he will be joined by awards hosts' Sarah Travers and Mark Simpson from the BBC.

in all, 21 awards will be presented to businessmen and women from across the city in recognition of their fine work and achievements.

(BMcC/GK)