Nikon has just announced the completion of the acquisition of RED Digital Cinema and said that this business move lays the groundwork to develop new and distinctive products—a super optimistic future. Furthermore, RED has a new CEO – Keiji Oishi. Former RED’s CEO, Jarred Land, and RED’s founder, Jim Jannard, became Advisors. Read the statement below. 

Nikon & RED: A love story

Nikon has released its statement for the upcoming NAB, regarding the completion of the RED Digital Cinema acquisition. Nikon and RED emphasize that this partnership will allow them to develop new and distinctive products. Read the statement below: 

Nikon Corporation (Nikon) hereby announces that as of April 8th, it has successfully acquired 100% of the outstanding membership interests of RED.com, LLC (RED), which offers revolutionary digital cinema cameras and award-winning technologies. Upon RED becoming a wholly owned subsidiary, RED’s President Jarred Land became a close Advisor to the company, along with RED’s founder James Jannard. Keiji Oishi, of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit, assumed the role of CEO, and Tommy Rios, Executive Vice President of RED, moved into the role of Co-CEO. Explore their statements below: 

Welcoming RED, a company that has been at the forefront of innovative technology, to the Nikon family is sure to expand the possibilities of imaging expression, and further delight the market with its innovation. Combining the best of both companies and working together to develop new, distinctive products, is our goal and for the brand to remain the choice for fans of Nikon and RED, and possibly reach out to an even wider audience.

Hiroyuki Ikegami, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Nikon’s Imaging Business Unit

I believe it is my mission as the representative of RED to develop the market in a way that will pay respect to the corporate cultures of RED and Nikon. You can look forward to RED’s future product development which will aim to meet and exceed the expectations of cinematographers around the world.

RED CEO Keiji Oishi

We are the pioneer in digital cinematography, and the synergy with Nikon will only help us to continue to evolve. We’ll continue to deliver cutting-edge technology that no one has ever seen before. We remain committed to working together with the RED dealers around the world.

RED Co-CEO Tommy Rios

It is a proud moment for me to see RED, a brand that I have nurtured with passion for over 20 years, gain the opportunity to achieve new heights with the help of Nikon, a company that I also love.

RED Advisor James Jannard

By joining the Nikon family, a company that is known for the advanced technology that it has cultivated over many years, I am confident that RED will bring a new era to the professional digital cinema camera market. It is an honor to be a part of this new chapter.

RED Advisor Jarred Land

No changes for now

As reported before, Nikon is emphasizing that there will be no changes to RED’s current product lineup, partners, and relationship with the dealers. RED will continue to support its policies with warranties, repair services, customer services, and overall product support. Furthermore, Nikon and RED will merge the strengths of both companies to develop distinctive products, while leveraging the business foundations and networks of both companies to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market. Nevertheless, the main headline is that the DNA of RED Digital Cinema has changed. And that would be former CEO and founder, Jarred Land, who has dictated the RED.com strategy and was the beating heart behind this fascinating company. Let’s see how it goes from here.