The Engine Behind the Edit: A Conversation with Leo Lovera

By Lou Wallace, Digital Media Net

In the world of post-production, some studios define themselves by their equipment list, others by their showreel. But Miami-based Moving Forward Studios has built its reputation on something else entirely: momentum. Founded in 2001, the boutique facility has evolved into a powerhouse for VFX, color correction, and finishing—handling high-stakes campaigns with a philosophy that prioritizes speed and collaboration over technical friction.

I recently sat down with Founder and CEO Leo Lovera to discuss the studio’s unique origins, its “boutique advantage,” and how they are navigating the future of AI.

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Lou Wallace: Leo, you’ve been operating Moving Forward Studios since 2001, but your history with your primary toolset, SCRATCH, actually predates its widespread adoption. Can you tell me about that origin story?

Leo Lovera: It’s definitely an unusual relationship. My history with Assimilate’s SCRATCH goes back to its infancy in 2003. I was actually one of the first—possibly the very first—real-world users working with the software while it was still in early development. By 2004, I was already demonstrating it to stakeholders, showing them what a GPU-based finishing system could do long before it was an industry standard.

Lou Wallace: That early access seems to have really shaped your pipeline.

Leo Lovera: Absolutely. It shaped a core belief for us: a finishing platform has to be fast enough to keep creativity alive in the room. We didn’t adopt SCRATCH as just “one of the tools”—it’s the backbone of the facility. It allows us to keep color, VFX finishing, and deliverables connected rather than siloed. We’re not just customers, either; we maintain a constant feedback loop with the developers, sending notes based on real client sessions and deadlines.

Lou Wallace: You describe the studio as “boutique,” yet you’re handling heavy 4K workflows and Super Bowl spots. How do you balance that “small studio” feel with big deliverables?

Leo Lovera: “Boutique” doesn’t mean small expectations. It means we focus on the experience—clarity, calm, and responsiveness. But mechanically, we are built for speed. We handle demanding 4K workflows with real-time performance because our infrastructure—supported by high-throughput shared storage—is designed to remove technical drag. The goal is to ensure that finishing isn’t just a final step, but the engine that keeps the project on track.

Here Are Shots From moving forward studios Projects

Lou Wallace: Collaboration is obviously key, especially now. I understand your Senior Colorist, Oscar Martínez, has developed some custom solutions for this?

Leo Lovera: Oscar is incredible because he brings a “builder mindset” to the color suite. A modern studio is only as strong as its client experience, and today, that experience is hybrid. Oscar developed his own live streaming system that allows clients to remotely connect to our color monitoring environment. It means approvals happen faster, and remote clients can feel “in the room” supervising sessions in real time, even when they aren’t physically here.

Scratch At Work

Lou Wallace: Let’s talk about the work. You’ve had some major campaigns recently with long-term partners like We Believers and Telemundo.

Leo Lovera: We value those long-term relationships. For Corona’s centennial, we worked with We Believers on the “100 Years of Living” campaign. It was a global rollout featuring real people over 100 years old.

On the broadcast side, we supported a Super Bowl-led campaign for Telemundo featuring Owen Wilson. That required hands-on problem solving to keep things moving under Super Bowl-level timelines, with versions running across both Telemundo and Peacock.

Lou Wallace: Finally, I have to ask about AI. It’s the topic on everyone’s mind in our industry. What is Moving Forward’s stance?

Leo Lovera: Our approach to AI is the same as it has been for every workflow shift over the last two decades: test it in real conditions. We are actively experimenting with AI-powered tools, but not as a replacement for artistry. We use it to enhance efficiency and iteration. We keep what improves speed or flexibility, and we discard anything that compromises control.

Lou Wallace: It sounds like the human element is still the priority.

Leo Lovera: Always. Technology accelerates work, but people—and their passion—are the real differentiator. Tools matter, but the advantage is how we bring it all together to move stories forward.

About Scratch

SCRATCH has since its inception in 2003 become the go-to tool for dailies transcoding, high resolution playback and reporting, as well as professional color grading and finishing, due to its blazing transcoding speed and extensive metadata support – always being the first software to add support for new camera formats. Its versatility and responsiveness, as well as its advanced media and version management have made it the central media hub in post houses around the globe. Broad grading panel support with user defined mapping and extensive scripting hooks round up the toolset. SCRATCH is currently at version 9.9 and available on MacOS and Windows.

About Assimilate & Scratch

Assimilates Live FX provides filmmakers with an all-in-one toolset for live compositing, LED-wall staging, and real-time VFX. By unifying camera tracking, projection mapping, lighting control, and recording into one platform, Live FX accelerates creative decision-making, reduces turnaround time, and enhances in-camera storytelling.

Assimilate also develops a full suite of post-production tools, including:

• Live FX Studio – live compositing, projection mapping, DMX lighting, and keying
• Live Assist – multi-cam VTR for video assist with green-screen support
• Live Looks – live grading and instant look creation with Scratch integration
• Scratch VR – advanced on-set and post tools for any camera format (2D/3D/VR)
• Play Pro Studio – professional player for VFX reviews, ProRes RAW QC, and transcoding

Assimilate tools are trusted worldwide by DITs and post artists for stability, speed, and flexibility.Learn more at www.assimilateinc.com.