May 1, 2021. Seth Emmons is back at Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH as Director of Communications. Seth previously worked with Leitz for five years. He will continue to be based in Los Angeles and will work primarily with the North American market of cinematographers, directors, rental houses, and professional organizations to increase exposure to the Leitz line of cinema lens products.
Leitz Managing Director Rainer Hercher, “While Seth’s impact on the company will include our messaging, outreach to the global production market, and develop brand opportunities, his primary focus will be continuing to expand our connections in the American film and television production community. He will be a technical and creative resource for cinematographers and a point of contact for those looking to learn about and test our wide selection of professional cinema lenses.”
Most recently, Seth was Vice President of Marketing at The Tiffen Company. Before that, he had marketing positions at Litepanels and Band Pro Film & Digital. He was initially one of the first employees at Leitz (formerly CW Sonderoptic) where he initiated their marketing efforts. Before that, he was a freelance editor at Film and Digital Times and I miss our debates about the nuances of a particular word or the finer points of punctuation.
FDTimes talked to Seth about this new position.
Jon: Can you give us some more details?
Seth: My primary goal is to be a resource to the production community by acting as a direct link between the Leitz factory and the creatives. Before production, I’ll be available to answer questions about the broad swath of lens options, provide technical details, creative considerations and aesthetics, reference images, facilitate and support lens tests, and locate rental options. I’ll also be there to support the crew throughout the production and post. My job is to be available and provide a level of expertise to help users make the decision that is right for their production and make it easy for them.
I assume you still remember a thing or two about the lenses :)
I have a long history with Leitz going back to the introduction of the Summilux-C lenses. At the time I worked at Band Pro and sat in on some of the initial meetings before the big mystery was revealed to the world. We crafted the launch plan and brought those lenses to market. Not long after, I joined Leitz (then CW Sonderoptic) full time as the Director of Marketing and helped guide the company and brand through the formative years while overseeing the market introduction of three new lines of lenses. So far, being back feels like slipping on a comfortable and familiar pair of sneakers.
Previously you worked out of the Leica Store in Los Angeles. Is that where people will continue to find you?
I’ll definitely be popping into the store from time to time. It’s a great place to meet and connect with people as that becomes more possible, but it won’t be the best place to find me. My phone number and email address (seth <dot> emmons <at> leitz-cine <dot> com) are the same as before.
Are you going to be involved in sales in anyway?
Only in a supporting role. My colleague Ben Ross is still the regional sales manager and all that passes through him, but I’ll be supporting him whenever it makes sense.
What does availability look like on lenses right now? Are you still dealing with import tariffs between the EU and US?
The tariffs are currently suspended until mid-August and there haven’t been any updates on the trade commission talks for some time. Regarding our lens availability, right now we’re able to ship most lenses with relatively short notice.
