JOE TAWIL BIO

Joseph N. Tawil is founder and President of GAMPRODUCTS, INC., the Los Angeles based theatrical lighting and special effects company. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, a Fellow of the United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT), and an associate member of The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC).

Tawil has authored a dozen articles on Lighting which have been published in industry trade journals. He often guest lectures on the subject of color at universities and is a frequent speaker for the International Photographers Guild (IATSE 600) about color measurement. Joe Tawil revolutionized the color filter industry when he pioneered and introduced the first polyester based color filters in 1969.

He has created many special effects and projection devices that have become standard production tools for the entertainment industry, most recently the patented Film/FX and SX4 film loop special effects projectors in 2000 and 2004. Other firsts include the introduction of the original rolling color changer in 1981, and the first drop in double pattern rotator, the "TwinSpin," in 1992.

Holding more than a half dozen patents in the lighting field, Tawil is most proud of three of his product developments that have dramatically influenced the lighting industry. They include his introduction of the first deep-dyed polyester color filter in 1969; the introduction of the first off-the-shelf stainless steel pattern in 1971; and BlackWrap, the original, in 1983, for which he received an Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Technical Award in 2004.