John Hughes

John Hughes is a co-founder (with Mandeep Singh and Walt Jones) and the president of Tau Films, an international creative content and visual effects studio catering to feature films, commercials, VR, and themed entertainment. Hughes's production career spans over 40 years. After 10 years at the pioneering visual effects company Robert Abel and Associates, John Hughes co-founded Rhythm & Hues in 1987 with Charlie Gibson, Keith Goldfarb, Frank Wuts, and Pauline Ts'o. Hughes led Rhythm & Hues for 26 years, earning three Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects (Babe, The Golden Compass, and Life of Pi), as well as five technical Academy Awards for achievements in science and engineering (including in 2014, for their animation software). Under the leadership of Hughes, Rhythm & Hues was also active in television advertising, doing the "Northern Lights" Coca Cola Polar Bear spots, the Geico "Gecko," the Robitussin orangutan, along with innovative campaigns for Mazda and Dodge, Electronic Arts Games and Nintendo. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ("AMPAS"), Hughes serves on the AMPAS Science and Technology Awards Main Committee, and also on its Digital Imaging Technology Subcommittee (DITS). The Academy recognizes achievements in science and engineering in filmmaking through their scientific and engineering Academy Awards. He formerly served on the Board of Directors for the Alliance for Arts Education and chaired the education committee for the Digital Coast Roundtable. He also served on the California State Superintendent of School's Task Force on the Visual and Performing Arts. Additionally, he served on the Board of Directors of the Workforce Investment Board for the City of Los Angeles, and was a member of the Visual Effects Society. A hands-on artist for much of his career, Mr. Hughes graduated from the University of Minnesota with Bachelors Degrees in Economics and in Electrical Engineering, and a Masters Degree in Electrical Engineering.