JIM

[Purple]

There aren't that many points in life where you really move into something totally new... graduation, marriage, maybe founding your first company. And... retirement.

I wish you the best of luck in your new phase of life, Jim. Enjoy it. Stay healthy.

All the best!

 

[Steve Sherrick]

My wife and I recently had a discussion about the usefulness of Facebook and other social media platforms and how everyone is on their phones too much these days and she reminded me about how much time I spent on REDuser in those early days. She reminded me how we would be at family events and I would be checking RU to get the latest updates on a big announcement. How was this any different than checking FB? My only defense, investing in a RED camera changed the course of my career. It opened doors that perhaps would never have been opened, or at least not as soon. I was invested not only in the camera, but in the culture that Jim and Jarred built. The term fanboy gets thrown around here and other forums in a negative way, and sure fanboyism can have some downsides, but to me I was simply a fan of the spirit of what Jim was doing. He threw a monkey wrench into a well oiled machine that the camera manufacturing industry was at the time. Incremental updates to cameras, holding back features, milking cameras for as long as possible, etc. Actually, he dropped a grenade into it. I was at some of the booths and heard the conversations at NAB after RED ONE had dropped.

Some things have happened over the past few months that have tried to shed a negative light on what RED has accomplished. I don’t pretend to know all of the facts one way or the other about the accusations thrown RED’s way. All I know is that running any business is extremely difficult. You can’t please everyone, and yes, you will make mistakes. Most successful businesses have made a lot of them. I’ve made enough to last me a lifetime. But, if you can accomplish something that enables multiple people to expand their careers, to give them an opportunity to do something they might otherwise have struggled to accomplish, I think that’s a pretty cool thing. And I think there are many people that fall into this category when it comes to the opportunities that RED cameras gave them. Of course a camera doesn’t make a filmmaker, but an innovative tool can contribute to one’s success.

I will also say, that I don’t for a minute pretend to know Jim or even Jarred for that matter. I’ve met both of them briefly and all of my other interactions with them have been on this forum. So, all I can judge them on is what they have done and how they have done it. And to me, I just think back to the many late nights Jim was on the forum like the rest of us, engaging in the excitement, sometimes frustration, sometimes heated debate. But he was there. A billionaire, who probably didn’t have to get in the weeds as much as he did, but to me I read it as someone who was as excited about all of this as the rest of us. It wasn’t just enough to create the camera then sit back and see where it took him and the company. He wanted to engage the users, get into the thick of it, defend it on forums where people called him a scam, insulted his cinematography background, said he was nothing but a clever marketing guy. He was willing to do that, because from what I could tell and I don’t think I was being naive in thinking this, he wanted to see people have access to something more than the status quo. I think he truly believed there was a way to give independent filmmakers a tool that could help them achieve cinematic quality without going into permanent debt.

So, if I never get a chance to talk to Jim beyond the brief interaction with him at NAB many years ago, I will simply go by the work he has done, what he has accomplished with Oakley, RED, and whatever else he may have in store and I would have no problem saying that his decision to start RED and subsequently my decision to invest in a RED ONE camera had a personal impact on me and my career and I thank him for that. And not only did it impact my career, it initiated many friendships that I still have to this day, people who live close by that I may have never met or interacted with had it not been for RED. So, when we measure impact, it goes beyond just the technology, it’s also about relationships that form.

One last thing, it’s easy to look at things in 20/20 hindsight and say well if RED hadn’t come along another company would have sprung up and done the same thing. And that may be true, eventually some company may have brought 4K to the masses, but I don’t believe for a second they would have done it as soon, taken as many risks, and done it the way RED did it. Love or hate REDuser, love or hate the persona that RED has, the fact is they did it their way, built the company and user community their way, and stood their ground when challenged. Why? Because as Jarred told me one time, “we make cameras for ourselves first and hope maybe a few other people like them as much as we do so we can stay in business”. Sometimes you have to be bold, you have to be willing to piss off a few people if you want to crack the status quo. I think Jim and RED have done it. Now we’ll have to see where the company goes from here. I hope they continue to innovate, continue to massage the pixels, continue to push the limits of what’s currently available to help filmmakers tell their stories in new and exciting ways and to prove that there’s always room for new ideas.

Congrats to a successful career Jim! Wish you nothing but great health and happiness in retirement and hope that with those two things will come new ideas that you can let others run with, mentor them on, and in turn we all reap the benefits.

Take care!

Steve

 

[Jason Rivera]

Thanks for the dream machines come true, Jim!!!!

-Jason Rivera

 

[Arturo Enciso Vieyra]

Just for his epic attitude, Jim Jannard deserves the title of “The First Digital Poet”. He has made history against the general intransigent stuborness of refusing to democratise the industry, the elitist industry of professional cameras.

For the first time in history, Jim Jannard has changed the course of, not only, the infalible rule of procrastinating and so while access to the masses to the level of the few is denied, kids have access only to a few pixels and big camera makers give us maracas, Jim Jannard gives everybody the best grand piano he can afford. Imagine Mozart’s father hiding the best instrument from a genius –no Mozart with maracas–. The new music of digital cameras arrived thanks to Jim Jannard.

 

[Michael Tiemann]

Just for his epic attitude, Jim Jannard deserves the title of “The First Digital Poet”.

John Perry Barlow was "The First Digital Poet." You should read A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.

And after re-reading, I cannot help but say this: what a f-ing shame that Mark Zuckerberg opened the portal to the Upside Down by violating all the ideals that Barlow so eloquently articulated. I don't really want to go on a rant, but there's a pretty straight line between the unaccountable autocracy of Facebook and the demise of democracy here in the real world.

 

[David Rasberry]

John Perry Barlow was "The First Digital Poet." You should read A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace.

And after re-reading, I cannot help but say this: what a f-ing shame that Mark Zuckerberg opened the portal to the Upside Down by violating all the ideals that Barlow so eloquently articulated. I don't really want to go on a rant, but there's a pretty straight line between the unaccountable autocracy of Facebook and the demise of democracy here in the real world.

Thank you for this.

 

[Unum sed leonem]

I would rank Jim up there with Walt Disney, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. I wish him recovery from the health issues plaguing him. An admirable man.

 

[Unum sed leonem]

Also, compliments admiration on wife Mischa's involvement with Animal Rights! You two rock!

 

[Scott M]

With Oakley you wrapped quality function in art.

With RED you democratized quality function to artists.

I've benefited from both endeavors, and you have my sincerest thanks.

Best wishes to you and yours with whatever is next.

 

[Antoine Fabi]

Dear Jim,

Your contribution to the cinema world is incredible.
You are the man responsible for spreading the 4K and up images worldwide.
You were the first to bring a digital camera with true cinema quality to creators worldwide.
I'll always remember when i received a call from my friend Graeme, a sunday morning…
"Antoine, it's fantastic! You have to buy this camera!…”
...it was! The RED ONE.
I never sold this camera even if i bought the Epic.
What you’ve accomplished is truly immense.
I had the pleasure to chat with you 3 times at NAB.
You are a visionary man, a true creative force.

Now it’s time for you to use your cameras for fun!
Wish you the best.

Sincerely, Thank you so much!
Antoine

(sorry for my bad english.. )

 

[Daniel Porto]

Jim Jannard Boss https://www.bosshunting.com.au/life-style/might-just-manliest-bachelor-pad-weve-seen

 

[Luke Marcus Rosen]

Jim you’ve taught me in more ways than you’ve ever known until this point, that is if you’re reading this @Jannard ! With the camera system I purchased into, I found myself learning amongst bigger and bigger productions, meeting incredible people, enjoying my own share of the fun in filmmaking, and working in an ecosystem that constantly proved I needed to be ahead of the learning curve.

During your Hydrogen sneak preview event in the summer of 2018, you heard my story I briefly shared, you had smiled, and kept me and my friend engaged in conversation. I picked up on some of your ... let’s say leadership qualities, and personality quirks that make winners. These are the subtle things that can influence conversation, good vibes, and the future.

Your appreciation for not good but great product design, whether in aesthetic form and function or just that “holy smokes that looks badass!” sorta thing, you’ve got it nailed to a T.

You will always be engaged to your projects, I have no doubt. Enjoy some time off, you wonderful rascal!!