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www.postmagazine.com 2 POST JULY/AUG 2026 EDITOR'S NOTE ur "Bits & Pieces" section (page 4) has a clear theme this issue, with the term "acqui- sition" appearing over and over. Whether it's Adobe's acquisition of Topaz Labs, Boris FX's purchase of Izotope, or several studio expansions, the business of post production was buzzing in recent weeks. Adobe's purchase of Topaz Labs will help the company's effort in creating high-quality, AI-generated content, as Topaz specializes in upscaling video formats, helping to take AI im- agery beyond its current resolution limitations. With the Izotope addition, Boris FX extends its product portfolio beyond video and visual effects with a well-respected developer whose tools are known for cleaning up noisy audio. You might say they are filling the gaps rather than reinventing the wheel. The same goes for the studio deals. Playhouse Post can now offer comprehensive, end-to-end post services that span picture finishing, sound, VFX, color grading, online editing and delivery. In addition, they are set up to work on broadcast, streaming, brand and feature content from producers across Dublin, Belfast and London. CEO Mark Foligno says their vision is "to support projects of every scale." MTI Film's acquisition of Mango NewEdit isn't much different, allowing the service provider to be "a true end-to-end creative partner — from the moment camera cards come off set, through editorial and VFX, all the way to final color," notes senior VP, Barbara Marshall, who points to their increased global reach. Beyond the creativity that we highlight in Post every issue, there's also a business-strategy aspect that drives the industry, and we're always keeping an eye on deals like these to see how they might influence post production down the road. Time will tell. I spent the past few weeks checking out several summer movies: The Invite, Disclosure Day, The End of Oak Street and Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Olivia Wilde took time to chat with me about her experience directing her third film (she stars in The Invite too), and what she's learned over the past decade on the other side of the camera. You can check out Post's "Filmmaking" column on page 10. Gary Rydstrom — Skywalker Sound's Academy Award-winning sound designer — also shared insight with me regarding his collaboration with director Steven Spielberg on the new film Disclosure Day. In our feature on page 20, he talks about the unique sounds created for the film, as well as how much audio workflows have changed over the past 20-plus years. Outside the theater, I streamed both Spider-Noir and Widow's Bay – 18 episodes col- lectively. Our "Cover Story" (page 12) on Apple TV's Widow's Bay looks at the 10-episode series, which scored an incredible 19 Emmy nominations for both its on-screen talent and its production & post team. Emmy-nominated cinematographer Christian Sprenger talks about the show's production decisions, including changing camera and aspect ratio for a single epi- sode, while fellow Emmy nominee, editor Kyle Reiter, talks about how he builds the show one scene at a time, reevaluating the bigger picture once he has a string of sequences together. I'm hoping the show comes back for Season 2. Equally impressive is the work the team behind the Prime Video series Spider-Noir pulled off, leading to its 11 Emmy nominations. VFX supervisor Hnedel Maximore and VFX producer Brooke Noska are both recognized in the "Outstanding Special Visual Effects" category, and share their thoughts in our feature, beginning on page 16. For a look inside other Emmy contenders, visit postmagazine.com, where were have coverage of The Bear, Beef, Hacks, Pluribus, Stranger Things, Washington Black and several other shows. BY MARC LOFTUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MLOFTUS@ POSTMAGAZINE.COM O BUSINESS STRATEGIES SEE US ON EDITORIAL MARC LOFTUS Editor-In-Chief Post Publishing, LLC 516.376.1087 mloftus@postmagazine.com KENDRA RUCZAK Managing Editor Post Publishing, LLC/CGW kruczak@cgw.com CONTRIBUTOR IAIN BLAIR Film & TV DESIGN MICHELLE VILLAS Senior Art Director michelle@moontidemedia.com ADVERTISING MARI KOHN Director of Sales Print, Digital and Awards 818.291.1153 cell 818.472.1491 mkohn@postmagazine.com WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE Sales 818.636.2835 brittwage@copcomm.com TOMMY RITTWAGE Digital Marketing Social Media 818.291.1166 tommy@copcomm.com REPRINTS 781.255.0625 • 818.291.1153 WILLIAM R. RITTWAGE President/CEO Post Magazine is published by Post, LLC, a COP communications company. 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