“We are honored to present the lifetime achievement award to Cyril Drabinsky,” said HPA president Leon Silverman. “As our industry evolves during this time of significant transition, Cyril is one of those rare executives who understand how relationships, talent and people truly make a difference and how the impact of changing technology enables new opportunities and ways to serve filmmakers and studios. Cyril brings an uncommon depth of perspective and historical insight, from the photochemical process to the file-based methods that are defining our new digital industry. It is this insight and his ability to anticipate the future that has helped Cyril to build one of the largest and most significant postproduction operations in the world.”
Drabinsky leads a global team of executives that manage Deluxe’s services and operations. Those companies encompass the end-to-end pipeline of services for features, television programs, commercials and home entertainment for production, postproduction, digital distribution, multi-platform development, marketing services and asset management. His oversight includes companies and operations in North America, Europe, Australia and India.
Drabinsky entered the motion picture business in Canada when he was named senior VP of distribution and affairs at Cineplex Odeon Corporation, after receiving a Bachelor’s of Law degree from the University of Windsor. In 1987, he became president of Film House laboratories in Toronto, then a wholly owned subsidiary of Cineplex Odeon. In 1990, the Rank Organization purchased Film House and Deluxe Laboratories in Hollywood, formerly a division of 20th Century Fox and Drabinsky segued into operations of Deluxe Laboratories. He was named president of Deluxe Laboratories North America in 1995. Deluxe rebranded the Rank Laboratory in London to Deluxe and began the build out of a new Toronto film laboratory and a lab in Rome. In 2001 Drabinsky was named president of Deluxe Laboratories Worldwide. Drabinsky was named president and CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group after Deluxe was acquired by MacAndrews & Forbes in 2006. Since then, Deluxe has acquired and developed digital services and technologies throughout the world that have allowed the company to expand well beyond its legacy film laboratory business.
“The HPA Awards were designed to honor those individuals and companies doing important work and to the artists, visionaries, and technical experts who are helping us move into the digital future,” said Silverman. “As the industry continues to make this evolutionary transition, we look to leaders like Cyril who possess visionary insight and the personal touch to help guide our industry to greater understanding, respect, and impact. We are so honored to have him accept this award.”
