About Us

Jim Gill - President, Owner

An SAG Puppeteer, precision driver, pyro technician, inventor, mentor, and more. Jim oversees all special effects at Reel Efx. Jim also oversees the Research & Development Department, which is constantly challenged by film industry needs. He holds patents for the DF-50 Diffusion Fogger, Aerosol Diffusion Fog, Fan-Mount Mechanism, DAC Fan, Omni-Direction Treadmill, and the Man-Made Tornado. Jim is a member of ESTA & IATSE, has been a guest lecturer at UCLA for courses in film production, and serves as a mentor to aspiring patent holders.

Susan Milliken - Vice President, Owner

An SAG Puppeteer, multi-media artist, pyro 3 card holder, and occasional stunt performer involving fire and tall buildings. Susan coordinates the special effects commercials, including bidding, procurement and implementation of effects jobs. Susan is the first point of contact for a director and team; working from concept to finished product. She attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, was a private gallery artist from '85 to '95, and is a worldwide muralist.

Rosy Romano - CFO

Responsible for the financial and legal aspects of the company and a participant in the everyday operation of effects jobs development. She has been working in the financial field since 1987, five years of which were spent with a reputable CPA firm. She has been working in the entertainment industry and with Reel EFX, Inc. since 1994, and is a graduate of California State University of Northridge.

Mark Ritner - Sales Manager

Responsible for all equipment sales and oversees the manufacture of new and existing products. He has a degree in electronic engineering from ITT and has been in sales and management for over 14 years. His first priority is to make sure that the customer is always satisfied with their product and the service they received.

Karyn Beaman - Rental Manager

In charge of all effects equipment rentals and maintenance. Karyn oversees loading of equipment for effects jobs and takes care of building maintenance. She is extremely knowledgeable in the needs of the customer and specifics for achieving their desired effect. She has been in the special effects industry for over 8 years.

Adam Forster - Design Engineer, Effects Technician

Adam has experience with design, welding, machining, rigging/grip, composites, prop making, and carpentry. As an effects technician Adam is able to bring together his two interests of art and engineering. He welds, fabricates, and oversees CNC machine operations using the design programs Solidworks and GibbsCAM. Aside from his work at Reel Efx, he manufactures and sells Forster clamps.

Amber Milliken - Social Media Developer

Amber is a production assistant, social media developer, and stage director. She also utilizes scrap metal and other materials from the shop at Reel Efx to create original artistic pieces including jewelry and private gallery art. She attends USC for visual anthropology, is an equestrian, and enjoys yoga.

Anand Gowda - Assistant Design Technician

Anand is a skilled artisan with wood and a fabricator of metal. He uses a combination of the two to design custom architectural and furniture pieces. His attention to fine detail makes him a valuable prop designer. Some of the design programs he uses include Solidworks, Unigraphics, Illustrator, and Photoshop.

Areg Balayan - Engineer

In charge of full service design for the completion of a CNC product. Assists in the development of working drawings, CAD files, and manufacture of a product. Utilizing CAM software, he is able to develop a process plan to generate code for CNC machines. With a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from USC, he has certification in manual programming with HAAS machines, a full certification of Gibbs CAM software in milling, advanced milling, and solid surfacer along with a CSWA in SolidWorks, and CLAD in LabVIEW.

Ben Hoffman - Stunts

Performs stunts including full body burns, fighting, precision driving, jumping off of buildings, and more.

Brian - Effects Technician

A metal fabricator and welder. Brian provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop.

Chicken - Effects Technician

Chicken. Arrived at the Reel Efx doorstep recently. His motives remain unclear.

Dan O'Quinn - Sculptor

Dan sculpts all scales of props and models from miniature to over-sized. He is a reliable industry professional and has been for many years. His specialty is clouds.

Edwin Serrato - Effects Technician

A metal fabricator and welder. Edwin provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop. He does it all with a great attitude and a sense of humor.

Eric Tillmans - Post Effects Technician

As a post effects technician, Eric assists Reel Efx with the rendering of digital multicam images in the post stages of production.

Eric Swenson - Visual Effects Technician

Eric has an extensive background as a Director of Photography, an On-Set Supervisor, and Director. At Reel Efx he works closely with our digital multicam team.

Frank Kaisler - Transportation, Technician

Frank has over 30 years of experience as a magazine editor, photographer, mechanic, test-driver for 4-wheel off-road vehicles, welder, fabricator, CNC operator, and more. He is a former magazine editor of Hot Rods Bikeworks, Hot Rod Bikes, Hot Rod Harleys, American Iron, and Easyriders. In all, he has published in about 2 dozen magazines and websites. He works in the shop and transports materials for us. Aside from his work at Reel Efx, he builds custom motorcycles and works as a freelance writer and photographer.

Gary Bentley - Pyro Technician

Gary holds a pyro 1 card. In his years of experience, he has done everything from small sparks to large explosions.

Guy Sherk - Effects Technician

As an effects technician Guy provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop.

Jason Deshazer - Effects Technician

Jason is a leader at Reel Efx with 15 years experience in the sheet metal industry consisting of both shop and field work. He served 7 years as Sheet Metal Shop Foreman. His skills include supervising and training new employees, custom specialty metal work, mentoring apprentices through the Sheet Metal Program, MIG, TIG and ARC welding, programming, the use of CNC plasma cutting equipment, and the use of all standard shop equipment. He's able to read blueprints and customer drawings, knowledgeable of O.S.H.A. regulations, safety oriented, reliable, and trustworthy. At Reel Efx he oversees staff, manages projects around the shop, provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, maintains order at the shop, and occasionally serves as a human sandbag.

Jaime Martinez - Transportation

Jaime aka "RAMBO" keeps the shop's supplies stocked up and ready for use. He provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop. You can find him selling his art in downtown Los Angeles as he is also a talented illustrator, muralist, and art show coordinator. He contributed to the Buen Pastor Project in Guanajuato, Mexico, took part in as well as coordinated multiple art shows in San Francisco, and is a member of Art Junkys. The success of various art shows has led him to a consistent involvement in group shows, commissioned work, murals, and live painting.

Joe Andreas - Effects Technician

A pyro technician, engineer, and musician. Joe works closely with our team as well as our clients' teams to provide them with the desired special effects. He leads jobs to ensure that they run smoothly and that the client is happy with the finished product.

John Risch - R&D Engineer

An engineer, fabricator, and a gunsmith. John is in charge of the research and development of new products, PCB design, electrical hardware interfacing, and application engineering for on-set equipment. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering with an emphasis in robotics and control systems. He is also experienced with control system design using FPGA implementations in Verilog HDL.

Jonnie Lyon - Effects Technician

As an effects technician Jonnie provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop. He's also a soapbox daredevil.

Jose Campos - Manufacturer

Jose manufactures and repairs Reel Efx's products.

Jose Frayre - Janitor

Jose keeps the shop in tip top shape. You will always see him with a smile on his face.

Josh Kornoff - Effects Technician

Josh works closely with our team as well as our clients' teams to coordinate and lead special effects jobs. He's a special effects coordinator, special effects technician, technical consultant, project manager, production coordinator, pyro technician, safety diver, pilot, and a former student of film production, business, and technology. The schools where he studied include CalArts, CalState Northridge, CalState Long Beach, and Orange Coast College.

Kevin Berve - Creative Director

One of the crew of experts devoted to the creation of professional Special Effects for Reel Efx. He has an extensive background in Props, FX Makeup and Special Effects for film and television. Also in charge of collecting, archiving and uploading spots to the Reel Efx website. He has been working in the industry for over 17 years and loves what he does.

Lee Cole - Pyro Technician

Lee is one of our pyro technicians. He holds a pyro 1 card which means he can do it all.

Neil Smith - Pyro Technician

Neil holds a pyro 1 card and excels in explosions of all types. He has been an industry staple for 36 years.

Robert McLellan - Transportation

Robert has a background in driving big rigs. He holds a Class A driver's license. Along with his transportation services, he also provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, loads trucks, and maintains order at the shop.

Steve Triplett - Effects Technician

Steve aka 'Triplett' works closely with our team as well as our clients' teams to coordinate and lead special effects jobs. He prepares for jobs at the shop and then carries out the special effects on set.

Steve Uhl - Effects Technician

A metal fabricator and welder. Steve provides special effects on set, prepares job materials, and maintains order at the shop. In his spare time, he works on hot rods and motorcycles.

Steven Larson - Visual Effects Technician

As a visual effects technician at Reel Efx, Steven interacts with clients on a daily basis and provides them with uploaded video tests. He graduated from California State University, Fullerton in 2011 with a BA degree in Business and a concentration in Marketing. He also designs logos and inspiring print material for small businesses.

Tino Chicas - Manufacturing Supervisor

Tino manufactures and repairs Reel Efx's products. He has been with the company for over 20 years.

Triston Verstraeten - Effects Technician

Triston takes part in the processes of communicating with clients, R&D, manufacturing, repairing, rentals, sales, and ordering equipment for the shop. He is also a member of the USCG (United States Coast Guard), a licensed masters 100 ton captain, a maritime safety coordinator, and a certified diver.

Vernon Henderson - Director of Custodial Operations

Vern keeps our workplace clean, organized, and stocked with office supplies and other necessities. He has worked with Reel Efx for many years and enjoys being here.