William F. White International (WFW) has hired VFX expert Edward Hanrahan as director of virtual production.

The newly created role will see Hanrahan, who assumed the role on Aug. 3, lead the company’s virtual production strategy.

WFW unveiled its $30-million partnership with Pixomondo (PXO) to build LED volumes in the U.S. and Canada earlier this year, beginning with stages in Toronto and Vancouver.

Hanrahan most recently served as global virtual production manager and technical director at Scanline VFX, where he designed virtual production workflows that integrated with traditional visual effects. He also worked for PXO as virtual production designer, working on series such as Star Trek: Discovery. His VFX work also includes The Shape of Water and The Mandalorian.

“We have been taking an early lead in virtual production because we believe in its potential as a game-changer for the production industry,” said Rick Perotto, VP, business development, in a statement. “Earlier this summer, we revealed our strategic plan to build infrastructure across the country with our partners at PXO and now we’re ready to introduce the person who will help make it happen.”

“By building out volumes across the country and beyond, with one designed specifically for short-term projects, WFW and PXO are strongly committing to this technology while making it accessible for clients at the same time,” added Hanrahan.