Larry Thorpe, the veteran Sony executive that led the company’s efforts to bring high- definition electronic cinematography to Hollywood, has joined Canon U.S.A. Thorpe is Canon’s new national marketing executive for the broadcast and communications division.
Thorpe took an early retirement package that Sony offered senior employees as part of its economic restructuring. He was senior vice president of content creation systems for Sony's broadcast and production systems division.
Thorpe is a renowned expert in the field of video acquisition, and is a leader of the HDTV movement in the U.S. He joined Sony Electronics in 1982, where he spent more than 20 years. Prior to Sony, he worked for RCA’s Broadcast Division from 1966 to 1982, where he developed a range of color television cameras and telecine products. In 1981, Thorpe won the David Sarnoff Award for his innovation in developing the first automatic color studio camera.
From 1961 to 1966, Thorpe worked in the Designs Dept. of the BBC in London, England, where he participated in the development of a range of color television studio products.