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GPL Technologies Moves Headquarters to Burbank

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GPL Technologies, a leading supplier of technology and IT support to the entertainment, gaming and advertising industries, has moved its corporate headquarters to a new, freestanding facility on Victory Boulevard in Burbank. The move comes in response to growth in each of the company’s four core service areas—managed services, infrastructure solutions, hardware-as-a-service, and technical staffing—and a desire to be closer to its clients, which include visual effects producers, post production facilities, advertising agencies, design studios and others.

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From left to right: Hardy Parungao, Brian Terrell, Jason Blum

More than double the size of the GPL’s previous site in Los Angeles’ Wilshire corridor, the new facility includes increased space for staff—which has grown by more than 40 percent over the past year—as well as additional inventory, technical support and service operations. It also includes room for further expansion.

“We couldn’t be more excited to relocate to the heart of Burbank’s Media District,” said GPL Technologies CEO Brian Terrell. “We are now within easy reach of our clients in Burbank and Hollywood. That will help us to be more responsive to their needs for technology, service and support in a more timely fashion.”

Uniquely focused on the IT for companies in the media industry, GPL Technologies has benefitted from a recent rise in motion picture, television and advertising production, according to COO/CFO Hardy Parungao, as many of those companies have sought to add capacity. “Many of our clients are involved in project-based work and need to scale up and down quickly as projects arrive and are completed,” Parungao explained. “We make that process easy by enabling companies to add workflow capacity almost instantly but without burdensome investment in infrastructure that they may not need a few months down the road.”

GPL Technologies is a partner to many of the industry’s top technology manufacturers including NVIDIA, Dell, Aspera, EMC Isilon, HGST and Cisco. Its clients include a broad cross-section of creative service providers in visual effects, post production, design, gaming and advertising, from fast-growth startups to established industry leaders.

GPL Technologies’ new headquarters is located at 2316 W. Victory Blvd. Burbank, CA 91506. It will host an invitation-only office warming party on October 13. For information, contact Jessica Oliver (jessica.oliver@gpltech.com) or Melissa Dichiera (melissa.dichiera@gpltech.com).

 

GPL Technologies to Host Annual Golf Tournament; “4K and Beyond” Networking Webinar

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GPL Technologies, a leading provider of IT services to the media and entertainment industry, will host its annual Golf Tournament August 26th at Los Verdes Golf Course in Palos Verdes Estates, California. The popular event, co-sponsored by Dell and NVIDIA, is opened to qualified professionals in the entertainment industry.

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The 18-hole golf tournament will begin at 1pm and consist of team play with a shotgun-style start. Special technology prizes will be awarded to the winning team and other outstanding golfing displays. Fabulous technology giveaways such as GoPro and Fitbits will be offered throughout the day. The event will culminate with an awards ceremony, cocktail hour and dinner. “Our golf tournament is always a lot of fun and provides industry professionals with a great way to network with their peers in a beautiful, relaxed setting,” says GPL Technologies CRO Brian Terrell.

What:  GPL Technologies Annual Golf Tournament

When:  Friday, August 26th, 1pm to 5pm

Where:  Los Verdes Golf Course in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Co-Sponsors:  Dell, NVIDIA

Info:  Industry professionals interested in attending should send an inquiry to Melissa Dichiera (melissa.dichiera@gpltech.com).

On September 28th at 11:00a.m. PDT, GPL Technologies will host a technology webinar titled 4K and Beyond, Is Your Network Ready? on the latest cloud networking solutions from Arista. Hosted by Arista Media and Entertainment Specialist Robert Welch, the event will explore the impact of 4K production on networks. Welch will describe the benefits of Arista EOS®, the company’s core cloud networking solution for next-generation data centers and cloud networks. Cloud architectures built with Arista EOS scale to tens of thousands of compute and storage nodes with management and provisioning capabilities that work at scale.

GPL Technologies, NVIDIA to Show Virtualization and Deep Learning Tools at SIGGRAPH 2016

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At SIGGRAPH 2016 in Anaheim, GPL Technologies will partner with NVIDIA to showcase the latest—and coolest—new solutions for virtualization and deep learning at Booth 275. SIGGRAPH 2016 is slated for July 26 – 28.

Underscoring the power of virtualization, the two companies will conduct a joint demonstration of a VDI workstation. Designed by GPL engineers and employing NVIDIA’s powerful GRID technology, the demo will feature a remote workstation running Mechdyne’s TGX desktop software.

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“NVIDIA’s GRID technology has made it practical to run graphics-intensive applications such as Maya and Nuke on virtual desktops,” says GPL Technologies CEO Brian Terrell. “Visual effects producers can now enjoy the benefits of VDI, including security of assets, centralized workstations and the efficient utilization of HW resources in a pooled environment, just as they do with VM servers.”

A separate demonstration will feature a workstation remotely logged into a NVIDIA Quadro VCA and running an Iray GPU rendering plug-in. The demo will show how Iray facilitates the creation of photorealistic imagery by delivering immediate visual feedback.

In a SIGGRAPH first, GPL and NVIDIA will provide an introduction to NVIDIA’s newly-developed DGX-1, the world’s first deep learning super-computer in a box. “Deep learning is one of the most significant new developments for visual effects producers,” says Terrell. “By enabling machines to recognize images, deep learning has the potential to automate many routine tasks. Machines can now perform certain creative tasks.”

GPL Technologies will also be promoting, VFXnow, a service that allows visual effects companies to quickly and economically expand their workflows. VFXnow combines an agile, production-minded engineering team with a top-tier arsenal of rentable hardware to create an immediate and cost-effective solution for pipeline needs.

Additionally, GPL will be giving away a host of raffle prizes. SIGGRAPH attendees can enter simply by leaving a business card at the booth. Prizes will include two NVIDIA Shield TVs and tickets to GPL Technologies’ August Golf Tournament.

Following the show, on August 17th at 11a.m., GPL will host an NVIDIA DGX-1 webinar to recap the SIGGRAPH developments and demonstrations. Attendees will receive free configuration on DGX-1 purchases.

Hardy Parungao Joins GPL Technologies as CFO/COO

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GPL Technologies, a leading provider of IT services to the media and entertainment industry, has appointed Hardy Parungao to its executive team as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. Parungao brings deep, executive-level experience in finance and strategic management across a range of industries, and most recently served as CFO of Infrascale, a California-based provider of cloud-based disaster recovery services.

hardyIn his new role, Parungao will work to expand GPL’s footprint across North America and extend its leadership position in media and entertainment IT. His responsibilities encompass day-to-day operations, financial management, strategic planning and human resources. His operational authority will cover each of GPL’s operating units, which include Managed Services, Infrastructure Solutions, VFXnow and Breed Staffing.

“The media and entertainment is in a period of rapid, dynamic evolution that is creating new opportunities for GPL and our customers,” said Brian Terrell. “Hardy will help us take advantage of those opportunities and deliver better value and higher quality service to our clients. He is a thoughtful and innovative leader with a proven talent for helping good companies grow faster and work smarter. We are very excited to welcome him to our team.”

Over the past ten years, Parungao has focused on spurring growth at technology companies involved in SaaS, HaaS, XaaS, eCommerce and sales to MSPs, VARs and OEM customers. He served as CFO of Infrascale for five years and led the company from start-up phase to become a high-growth leader in cloud-back up and file sharing with operations in Europe, Asia and Australia. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, Finance for Countrywide/Bank of America heading its Application Development division. His background also includes leadership roles with Cardinal Health, Fortune Brands, Black and Decker, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola. He began his career as a certified public accountant and auditor with Arthur Andersen & Co.

In discussing his move to GPL, Parungao said he was attracted by its growth potential. “I like to help companies achieve their goals,” he said. “GPL is a strong company with a well-defined niche and I want to help build it into a world-class company. It is in a challenging industry with a lot of players but our goal is to achieve a competitive advantage and a dominant position in our market.”

Parungao was born in the Philippines and emigrated to the United States in 1994. He earned his MBA at California State University, Northridge. In his personal life, Parungao has a deep commitment to animal welfare and has been actively involved in animal rescues.

 

GPL Technologies’ Appoints Chris Peterson to Head East Coast Sales and Operations

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GPL Technologies, a leading provider of IT services to the media and entertainment industry, has chosen post production industry veteran Chris Peterson to lead its office on the East Coast. Peterson, who will serve as Account Manager/Northeast from GPL’s New York office, brings extensive experience as a producer, post production executive and marketing specialist. He most recently served as Director of Sales & Marketing and In-House Producer at Post Factory NY. In his new role, Peterson will direct GPL’ s east coast Managed Services, Infrastructure Solutions, Hardware-as-a-Service (VFXnow) and IT Staffing (Breed Staffing) divisions.
chris-peterson

GPL Technologies launched its East Coast office last year to assist companies involved in film, television and advertising production with their IT and technology needs. “We have received an enthusiastic response from visual effects houses, post facilities, advertising agencies and other creative companies seeking experienced IT support in order to continue to manage their workflows and grow,” said GPL Technologies President Brian Terrell. “Chris is a great addition to our team. He brings diverse experience and wide respect throughout the production and post production community. We expect to benefit greatly from his knowledge and leadership as we build our footprint in the East.”

Current clients of GPL Technologies, New York, include The Molecule, Brainstorm, Stephen David Entertainment, Brand New School, Eyeball and Baltimore advertising agency TB&C.

At Post Factory NY, Peterson provided sales and production support to a prestigious clientele that included studios, independent producers, television networks, filmmakers and advertising agencies. Previous to that, he served as an Executive Producer for Bang Music.

As a producer and post producer, Peterson has created content for E! Networks, Howard Stern On Demand and other broadcasters. He currently serves on the Board of Post New York Alliance. He is a member of the Advertising Club of New York and received its 2014 President’s Award. Additionally, he is a member of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), and a graduate of George Washington University.

In discussing his move to GPL, Peterson said that New York State tax incentives have led to a dramatic increase in production and post production activity, and that, in turn, has created a need for specialized IT support. “The tax incentives have brought new shops to New York and made existing companies busier,” Peterson said. “Those companies need gear, they need advice, they need support and they need IT staff, all things that GPL provides. New York needs to show the entertainment industry that it has the pipeline to handle the higher volume of work. We can be a valuable partner to creative companies and help ensure that they have the resources to get the job done.”